IT: Where the Money’s At

When I was in high school a couple decades ago students who could do science were almost pushed into taking chemistry and physics, and computer science as well. It was assumed that all the “bright” students would take Pure & Applied Science at CEGEP, and we were all expected to get jobs in some sort of computer related field.

So most of my old friends are the folks whose livelihood depends on computers. Network specialists, programmers, senior project managers. I had the impression that a lot of them were working as consultants because it was difficult to get a full time job in the field, but apparently that’s not as big a concern as I thought. The 2007 IT Skills and Salary Report, a joint project of Global Knowledge and TechRepublic, suggests that IT is still where the money is at.

While roughly 40% of IT professions are concerned about job security, more than 80% of those working in IT were untouched by outsourcing and less than 6% actually lost their jobs. Training is another big concern, and those who work in IT do have to keep their skills current in order to stay in demand.

If you have a child who likes computers and is thinking about making a career in IT you might be wondering what options are open, and which ones will lead to the most opportunities. It is important to get college training, says the report. Professionals who have a 4-year degree do better than those who only have some college. The top salaries, not surprisingly, go to IT professionals in management positions - executive managers, senior managers, project managers. It takes some time to get to these positions, as experience counts too. But a professional with a good degree who keeps up his or her qualifications has good prospects.

Which qualifications to get? The top five according to the report are:

(ISC) SSCP® (Systems Security Certified Pracitioner) - $110,000
Voice over IP Expert - $100,714
CCIE^™ Routing & Switching - $95,417
NNCDS (Nortel Networks Certified Design Specialist) - $95,000
ITIL® Managers Certificate - $94,000

This might help to give you a better idea of the general direction your child will need to take to get the job they want, but for more details take a look at the newly released 2008 IT Skills and Salary Report. You can download the IT Salary Survey as a free PDF.