IT stars are waiting in the wings

The information technology (IT) industry has grown more than could possibly have been predicted 20 years ago. Technological advances have ensured that basic IT is part of most school curriculums and IT courses form part of most degrees. Advances have also provided people with greater access to education opportunities, as degrees, diplomas and certificates courses have become readily available online. 

Unfortunately for IT professionals, the abundance of information out there, the degree to which everyone is exposed to this information and the fact that the youth of today have highly adapted technological minds thanks to growing up in technological world, has meant that the industry isn’t as lucrative as it once was. In fact, it can be considered saturated. 

The continuing economic troubles plaguing the world have also resulted in many companies cutting their IT budgets – in a lot of cases someone in the company will have enough knowledge to handle day-to-day problems and even moderately complex matters that arise. IT professionals are only called in for the truly catastrophic events. 

And here’s the silver lining: there are always catastrophic events. They might not seem catastrophic to IT professionals but when they go over the heads of the pseudo IT experts, company managers and directors panic and red alerts are issued. 

To ensure that phones keep ringing, IT gurus need to work hard on their customer service. Small things like calling back as promised, sticking to schedules, being polite and making follow up calls count. Big things also count, which is why it’s necessary to stay on top of developments and always remain more qualified that competitors. The industry is a work in progress and so should be IT education.   

The downturn can’t last forever, and when it picks up IT guys will be there to pick up the pieces.