How Information Technology Workers Will Actually Become The Most Appreciated Employees in 10 Years
Let’s face it; Information Technology is not always the most fun department to work in. For starters, people rarely come to see you to you if you want coffee or to say thank you. More often than not, a disgruntled employee is coming to you with an equipment problem of some sort. The employee knows what their equipment is not working properly and they know it is your job to fix it. Too often that is all of the information they have to give you to help you help them. Have no fear IT workers because every year that company purchases more computers, more keyboards, and more IT equipment that nobody knows how to build or fix, you become more important to them.
There is not a single invention that has had the influence on mankind like the computer. In only seventy years it has given us Databases, Telecommunication, Neural Networks, Genetic Algorithms, and Data Communication and many other forms of active directory software. All of these things combine to give us a global village that has transformed our world into a faster, more efficient machine that humans can do just about anything they imagine with. The world is moving at a faster pace than ever and the tools to keep up can only be built and maintained by the IT workers we complain to when the world slows down for us for a matter of minutes. IT Managers are already making over $100,000 a year in most workplaces which means it’s already a sound career financially. The fact is the available work and money paid to a good team of IT specialists are both going to increase exponentially over the next ten years.
The world of business is a simple equation, find what formula works most efficiently and repeat it as much as you can. Businesses are already so dependent on their phones to remain on, computers to be working properly, and in some places, their virtual reality rooms to remain functional. Simply stated without IT programmers, engineers, designers, and others, business slows down and falls behind in the race of productivity. In 2013 alone, IT departments are expected to grow nearly 10% in order to fulfill the technological needs of most workplaces. As the demand for productivity rises, so does the need for faster, more efficient technology, consequently so does the need for IT workers.
Losing a good IT employee is something companies can no longer afford to do and the fact still remains that they might be the most hassled and underappreciated employees in the workplace. No other department has more people quit their job because of mistreatment. Either an employee has an unreasonable schedule, lack of career advancement, or too big of workload thrust upon them because the company doesn’t want to spend the money to hire more IT specialists. IT managers need to be aware of such things so as to make sure the workload is evenly balanced, that opportunities for promotion are available, and that hours are reasonable. IT Managers must keep in mind that their workers are already probably complained to by employees form other departments on a daily basis. On this note the most important employee of all might very become the IT Manager(s). The ability to effectively communicate, spread the workload among the employees fairly and efficiently, and make sure the brass recognizes the efforts of those in IT is something that can’t be trained so easily.
The guys and gals down in IT want nothing better than to help everyone do their job with the technology they build and maintain for them. In return, it would be nice if they got the same treatment. Try to figure out why your equipment is working properly; offer to get an IT worker a cup of coffee. Remember you might be driving the company with what you’re doing with the technology you’re provided, but the second it breaks down you are stuck going nowhere without the IT crew.
