Jim Guckin

We’ve all met the IT guy who we are pretty sure isn’t cut out for the job.  I know people have asked me, if they are right for IT and it is something people need to think about prior to spending the money and time to get into the field.  Lucky for you, I wanted to make a list of 5 things you need to consider before you hop into the IT field.  If any of these are you, really consider becoming an IT professional.

1. You don’t want to further your education

   IT is a world were everything is constantly shifting and changing, and if you stop pushing your knowledge your knowledge will become quickly outdated.  In IT you must be willing to constantly learn new things, whether that be more schooling, buying books or learning by doing.  There are a lot of people who just hate this stuff…and if that’s you, IT may not be right for you.

2. Only work 9 to 5

   Unless you are a wizard, servers, computers and technology in general doesn’t stop having issues when it’s time to clock out.  Servers will break, go down or crash in the middle of the night, and if they are your responsibility, you’ll be in work.

3. You can’t multitask

   Multitasking is  easily one of the most important things you need to juggle in the IT realm.  Most IT professionals are just seen sitting at their desk all day, not looking like they are working much, but honestly we are…and most of the time its several things at one.  If you are a single task or project kind of person you’ll find IT too fast paced, because a lot needs to get done…in a short period of time and you’ll need to multitask.

4. You hate technology

   Not sure why, but I’ve met many an Administrator, who actually hated technology.  It’s really strange for me, because if I had time and resources I’d play with every new piece of technology that came out.  Anyone who knows me, know that when I get new technology or a new toy as I call it, that I do nothing but try figuring it out.  But on the other hand there are people who just don’t like technology…and I guess you can work in a field with things you hate…just don’t think it’s productive to work that way.

5. No Patience

   There is nothing like having to figure out a problem and nothing is going your way.  In IT this happens a lot, and you need to have patience to work through the problems.  Now this isn’t only with regards to technology, you need patience with people as well.  I’ve done phone support in my career, and walking through a problem with someone who really cant articulate or even understand whats going on can be frustrating.  You need to be able to keep cool and work through problems without blowing up.

While this isn’t a complete list, these are things I’ve said to myself as I looked at a tech and wondered what made him get into this field.  Are there things that you think someone should ask themselves before getting into IT?  leave your thoughts below.