I.T industry.. what now?

[kevmarks]

When will this I.T market turn around? What will make it happen? I can't see anything on the horizon that is going to kick the IT industry up the ***, no major new technology around the corner. Nano tech maybe, but thats years away. Bio tech? A little to controvertial to spark any major investment.

On the bright side, you can get loads of ex .com stuff cheap on ebay!

Anybody have any theorys?? (eggs-by-mail.com is already mine!)

 

[Deathknight]

Whatever happens I just hope it happens so. The IT consulting market has been horrid.

As for cool technology though I think there is alot of it that is gaining steam or coming out soon, I just don't think it is going to make huge waves just yet. I really like the idea of networking your home entertainment system (be it sharing music with your computer, playing movies, recording tv etc). There is a huge future that makes a geek like me get pretty excited but I don't see sales huge enough to be considered a big deal for a long time.

 

[Cowboy Shane]

I.T. seems to be gaining a bit of lost ground here in Augusta, GA. I hope so, or else I just wasted 4 years getting my Comp. Sci. degree

 

[ninthebin]

I dont think you will see anything that revolutionizes it, it would probably all be introduced in stages as an evolution of the now. Yes when the technology is fully inplace you will then regard it as something that changed the face of the industry, but it would have been weined in slowly.

 

[Krieger]

From al lthe reports the IT industry still has at least a year before it's making good headway again. The industry is very much like a bell curve quick gains... holds steady for a short time... then plummets. At anyrate the next area where they say it will be big is the south east... GA, NC, SC, FL area. At least that's the reports I keep hearing, as I'm a programmer(not currently working as a programmer) I tend to be interested in these things.

 

[Kingslayer]

I hope the south east does take off soon, as that is where I am and these hicks have absolutely nothing down here.

When I came here 3 years ago they didn't have cable, they didn't have DSL, and the hot ticket was ISDN but nobody knew how to install it or set it up.

I came to podunk Florida from southern California, yes, what a technology shock. It was like going into the past 10 years when I came here. I had more computing power in my video card than most people had in their whole computer.

 

[Krieger]

Well that's what people keep telling me, It seems like the cost of living down there is appealing for a large market boom. I'm actually thinking of moving down there sometime after my wedding.

 

[XWRed1]

I dunno Kingslayer, I've got family in Orlando and when I've gone back to visit there's all sorts of nice computer stuff... lots of stores, cable internet all over the place. But Orlando is probably special.

 

[InThrees]

Too many companies are importing people from outside the U.S. to fill their positions at lower wages than native residents would accept. (Although right now, the sector is in such pain that natives would accept POTATOES, probably.)

Until that stops, it's always going to be a bad scene.

 

[kevmarks]

Too many companies are importing people from outside the U.S. to fill their positions at lower wages than native residents would accept. (Although right now, the sector is in such pain that natives would accept POTATOES, probably.)

Until that stops, it's always going to be a bad scene.

I think that situation is something that has been hyped by the media. I am sure there are lots of recent I.T grads out there who would work for peanuts, given the chance. Me being one of them

There is nothing wrong with 'importing people' in to the US, but I am sure most large companies are looking at skills rather than money when hiring. A friend of mine who recently graduated was looking in to the H1B visa program. He had a very good degree from UCL (a not so bad uni in London). But he found it almost impossible.

Anybody here that has done any hiring of I.T staff in recent years?

 

[UnseenMenace]

The biggest problem is that software used to drive the hardware market meaning that the newest and greatest application would once run like a three legged dog on the bottom of the line system and as such everyone would constantly upgrade and support the market. However this situation not longer exists, the latest and greatest applications around will by large run reasonably well on 1 Ghz and anything above is great for Joe Public.
So it is this situation which needs changing, the software needs to place enough demands on the system to require people to upgrade and invest in IT... The industry needs the Killer Application.
The only applications currently capable of doing such is imho Video Editing Software.. if DVD Writers and the media become low enough in price to become cost effective and that the price of digital cam-corders reduce also then this could be the application which kick starts the industry.

 

[Captal_de_Buch]

I don't know about the IT industry as a whole but I can testify to a certain degree as to what is happening in Corporate IT in the Auto Industry.

Gone are the days of just getting an MCSE and naming your price. Just to keep your job now requires at minimum of a 4 year degree in Information Systems or Computer Science.

Corporate profits are down and doing things like moving Help Desks offshore and using Web Based user support are now the order of the day.

Another reality is an increased demand for user competence. Gone are the days of handholding users to make sure they know how to use the systems and applications placed before them, that kind of handholding was entirely too manpower intensive and really cut into corporate profits.

There are no plans to do any hiring.

There are plans to cut IT to the absolute bare minimum.

Raises are a thing of the past.

I’m seriously thinking of getting a degree in something like Genetic Engineering and switching fields.

 

[CyberFed]

in the next 5 yrs the IT industry will become like today's web designer industry you can get em a dime a dozen now...i know at my school there are soooo many IT majors and all my engineering teachers laugh at them cause they arent gonna have a job when they finish school in 2-4 yrs.

 

[mark2kay]

hmm, that sux, well im majoring is buissness adminastration

 

[kevmarks]

in the next 5 yrs the IT industry will become like today's web designer industry you can get em a dime a dozen now...i know at my school there are soooo many IT majors and all my engineering teachers laugh at them cause they arent gonna have a job when they finish school in 2-4 yrs.

lol, whan I was studying in the 90's I used to say the same thing about art students. Lol, how the worm has turned.

 

[Krieger]

Another thing to consider is that alot of older IT Professionals have not retired. There are still a large number of 55+ people in the field. I also believe that the exporting/importing of work/personel from other countires hurts. Bare in mind though. the current situation in the IT industry is not unique. It happened before during the resession in the 80's. This industry is more cyclic than almost any other, given another year or so it should start to rebuild. The Biotech industry is very strong and could likely be the next big mover in Technology. So far we have had a hardware boom, the a collapse, and more recently the .com and Telecom booms, and a collapse. It will recover, it jsut needs time.

 

[Too Smart]

I have a couple questions for anyone working in the computer field...

Would I be at a disadvantage in finding a job as a programmer if my bachelors degree somes from a small not very well known university?

Also, should I start work as soon as I get my bachelor's degree or should I spend another 2-3 years getting my masters?

Also, is there any point in getting a PhD in computer science? From what I understand, people with PhD's make most of their money through research and grants, not regular jobs, and correct me if I'm wrong but there is not much grants to be found in the computer field. If I had a PhD, would I have any advantage in finding a job in the computer field over someone who only has a master's degree, and if so what kind of job would require a PhD (other than being a professor)?

Is it true that jobs as a programmer are really boring? You sit in a cubicle in front of a computer all day.

 

[Krieger]

Generally it doesn't matter where your degree is from as long as you have one. For a while it didn't even matter if it was a CS degree, but those tiems are over. How much money you make starting is generally directly proportional to how much education you have. Experience helps quite a bit too, so it might be worthwhile to look into doing internships/work studies. Most of that is how much you like school and how fast you want to enter the work force... I'd recommend taking your time, but that's just me. A PHD will get you more pay, and allow you todo R&D with grants etc... that too is up to you.

I dont think programming is boring, problem solving (which I'm, good at) is key. It is very much a mental activity, and can be every much as tiring as a construction job. Programming is not for everyone, but if you have never done it you might like it. I'd say get a few books and give it a shot. Take a class or two if oyu can, see if it's for you. If you have any problems or questions feel free to PM me.

 

[shunx]

I feel lousy about my ongoing CS degree, since I doubt I can easily get a programming job with the way things are, so consequently I haven't taken my education as seriously as I should. I'll probably study a very different subject after graduation.

 

[kevmarks]

I feel lousy about my ongoing CS degree, since I doubt I can easily get a programming job with the way things are, so consequently I haven't taken my education as seriously as I should. I'll probably study a very different subject after graduation.

The best advice for anybody at uni now is get some work experience. Even if it's not I.T related. Just a year or two as an admin assistant (temp) or something, shows to an employer you have some 'real world' experience, and can survive the office environment. And you can always talk up a position on your resume, everybody does!