Which IT Careers Are Hot and Which are Not?

necromante asks: "I've been working on different IT positions through my career: support; some networking; DBA; web development; project management; even working on the client side for a little while. However, I don't feel like I am really a specialist on any of those subjects and I feel I need to focus on a particular field. So, I decided to ask for some feedback before making my decision. I understand that this depends everyones tastes, likes and dislikes. However, I would like to have a better idea of which are the available options, and I hope the results of this discussion can benefit other readers. Is there any IT career that I should consider more than the others? Which are the emerging fields? Is there any industry I should focus on in particular? Which careers on IT are actually more in demand and which ones not? Is it a better path to focus on moving into management?"

Hmmmm Slashdot

[Anonymous Coward]

What should I do with my life?

emerging fields:

[farker haiku]

Which careers on IT are actually more in demand and which ones not?

Editor who doesn't rely on spell check.

Tech Support

[cralewyth]

I hear it's lovely over at tech support. You get to talk to n00bs all day and make them run around in circles because it's the "fixing ritual" and stuff.

No seriously. BOFH is the field you're after.

Doesn't matter

[Anonymous Coward]

Any provided you live in India. Gotta love cheap phone support.

Go into programming

[Anonymous Coward]

i think you should go into programming and learn to write malware so i can keep charging my customers $95USD to format and reinstall Windows.

Get out of IT

[Anonymous Coward]

If you are having this much doubt about what you want to do, for Gods sake, get OUT of IT.

Go into the resturaunt business. run a mcDonalds. Get into the auto mechanic shop business. You can probably make better money herding 10 people cleaning houses. (That right there is a six figure a year job, for basicly managing a crew of people who descend on a house, clean, sweep, vacume and leave, repeat ad infinitum, scale as large as you want)

Of course, considering your lack of direction, you may not be the best person to run a business. Perhaps you should stick to help desk.

AUDITING

[kalpol]

Oh yeah...I'm coming for all your asses.

Re:Tech Support

[Anonymous Coward]

My tactic is similar. Only, you leave them on hold, go to lunch, and hope they are gone when you get back. Seriously though, how come no one on /. ever mentions the fact that tech support is also about dealing with liars and they're all liars. "did you double-click on the icon?" "yes" "ok, click file, edit" "where?" "on the software you just opened" "I don't have any software open." pushes [mute], screams, puts on hold, goes to lunch.

Must read today's dilbert (03-Mar-07)

[walterbyrd]

http://dilbert.com/comics/dilbert/archive/images/d ilbert2007048874323.gif [dilbert.com]

Re:Pick something boring, or get lucky

[hobo sapiens]

so you write COBOL, then?

Re:The Fileds You Love

[dankney]

I get to design and develop metrics that help us analyze, track and improve our operations, manage the development of the systems that collect and report these metrics and then evaluate them to assess the company's global risk.

And use enough buzzwords to make the tech implementer roll their eyes and mock you behind your back. . .

Re:Good techies don't necessarily make good manage

[Hoi Polloi]

The new techie manager never really gives him/her self over to the dark side of management.

I just can't get my hair pointy enough [wikipedia.org] to do it.

Re:emerging fields:

[goon_coder]

Holy crap dude...some guy made a spelling or grammatical error in a website discussion post and you TOTALLY called him on it...that's friggin' awesome! I was wondering when someone was going to come along some day and point out things like that in a forum like this, and blam...there you are, like a bolt of lightning....rocking our internet world!! You should totally go around pointing out spelling and grammar errors on posts all over the web..that could be like a new thing....people would be completely blown away by something that creative and radical!

Re:Tech Support

[iibagod]

A big fat AMEN to that one. I'm working my way up the food chain, and paying the bills through tech support. I can't tell you how bad some users are. And it's not always because they lie...its that strange phenomenon where intelligent people turn into slobbering idiots when placed in front of a keyboard.

I just get to the point where I subtly ridicule them and just enjoy my day. I help them out, of course, but I entertain myself and my co-workers as well.

"So windows says it can't find any networks?"

"Nope. No wireless networks in the area."

".....Does it say anything after that? Could you read me the entire message?"

"Well it says something about a switch...but I dont know."

"...ok....look on the front of your notebook....see that large green switch there? The one that says WIRELESS? Is that off?"

"Oh my god...it can't be that simple!"

"That's ok, most people miss that....I"m lobbying for it to be painted Day-Glo Orange so its easier to see."

"Yeah that would be great!"

Sigh.

Re:You're right, if want "Hot" for $, get out of I

[Anonymous Coward]

My 23 year old nephew graduated from college last year, majored in marketing. He just got promoted and will make $85K in salary (bonus could put him into 6 figures).

If you want "Hot" because of the bucks, IT might not be the way to go.

Yeah, but not all of us are Jewish.