Pros and Cons of Starting a Career in IT

The number of people who specialize in technology is increasing as more and more aspects of our daily lives becomes automated. This makes starting a career in IT a great idea. However, as every other career path, becoming an IT professional comes with its good and bad moments. If you’re still trying to decide whether becoming a techie is the right choice of you, here are some pros and cons you might want to know.

PRO: Good pay

Obviously, as the number of IT professionals needed has started to increase, the money you can make by becoming one has increased as well. And, while you may not make Mark Zuckerberg money, you’ll still earn more than professionals in some other industries. The best thing about it is that no matter if you get a corporate, government or freelance job, you’ll still make a decent amount of money. If the current trends continue in the next few years, every IT professional could look at an increased paycheck.

CON: Odd hours

IT professionals are always busy. Starting a career in IT means you’ll work more than some people. The real reason behind it is that technology-related problems aren’t necessarily easy to crack and deal with. Sometimes, you’ll spend hours only trying to figure out where the real problem lies. However, the worse part of it is that IT professionals sometimes work odd hours. This could seriously impact your sleep routine, social life, and daily activities. Of course, the hours you work depend on the position and responsibilities involved.

PRO: Career growth

If you’re looking for a career with plenty of opportunity, IT is the way to go. We’ve only scratched the surface of the magnitude of technology and the advancements in tech will require new professionals in IT industry. Moreover, it also means that if you take a job in IT right now, you’ll have plenty of space to grow your career in the next few years. Most importantly, every new step you take in your career has potential to increase significant pay rises, which is what having a job is all about.

CON: Vision problems

Just staring at your PC for a few hours can take a real toll on your eyes. Obviously, working in IT requires a lot staring at the screen and you may be damaging your eyes permanently. Luckily, there are some things you can to lessen the effect your job in IT has on your eyes. Obviously, you should take an eye test from time to time and make short breaks when working. Another good idea is to play with the settings on your PC and find the most comfortable options.

PRO: Number of options

Another great thing about working in IT is that you’re spoiled for choice when it comes to the type of work you want to do. Every business from travel agencies to accounting firms need IT experts and you can choose the industry you’re most comfortable working in. With the number of jobs available today, you can even take jobs in certain industries just to see how you’d feel about it. Once you gain enough experience, you can even consider the idea of teaching other IT experts and helping them take their careers to the next level.

CON: Pressure

Regardless of the field you opt for, your job in IT will involve a lot of pressure. Just think about a situation where an entire company’s system goes down and everyone in the organization waits for you to fix things so they could continue with their work. Not to mention that there are all kinds of problems that could arise and dealing with them is never easy. Another thing you may not be happy about is that in situations as the one mentioned above, you’d probably stay in the office even once everyone else goes home, just to make sure everything’s working.
Just like with any other job, being an IT expert comes with its own benefits and drawbacks. Think about what you expect from your career and how comfortable you are with the pressure and schedule involved. If you think you’re up for it, starting your career in IT will be an amazing journey you’ll enjoy.