Chapter 2: Dispelling the Myths about IT Careers
WITHIN THIS SECTION:
| Myth
#1 - "I'm going to Disneyland!" or "Show me the money!" (With
apologies to Jerry McGuire) - A wise man once said, "Money
can't buy happiness." However, a wiser man once told me, "Yes,
but it can buy a lot of things that make you happy!"... |
| Myth
#2 - Shortage of Employees Equals Entry-Level Job Opportunities
- Every day it seems like we are bombarded by another media story
on the shortage of IT workers. A study by the Information Technology
Association of America (ITAA) indicates that... |
| Myth
#3 - A Certificate or Professional Certification is a Substitute
for a Bachelor's Degree - here are many degree-granting
universities (public and private) and other institutions of learning
(mostly privately licensed) that are vigorously competing for
your training dollars... |
| Myth
#4 - I Got My Diploma. Boy, I'm Glad All That Education is Over!
- People with this attitude never cease to amaze me. Technology
is a relentless taskmaster in that it is changing every day. You
must run, not walk, to keep abreast of it... |
| Myth
#5 - IT Departments are Boys' Clubs Full of Geeks and Nerds
- Whoops...This myth is true...LOL! Well, it's mostly true. The
majority of IT jobs are currently filled by men. A U.S. Department
of Commerce and the Census Bureau reports reveals that although
women comprise 46 percent... |
| Myth
#6 - It's All Math and Science - This is just not true,
but I hear it all the time. A career in programming does involve
a fair bit of mathematics, but other IT careers can be fully explored
and enjoyed by the "math impaired"... |
| Myth
#7 - There is No People Interaction Required - Here's
a revelation - computers are dumb! Computers are merely machines
that execute sets of instructions (software) that people design.
Computers can't do anything that they haven't been told (programmed)
to do... |
| Myth
#8 - IT is a Casual, Slow-paced Environment - Again I
believe mass media is the culprit in fostering this illusion.
Stories about employees dressing casually, flexing their working
hours and bringing pets to work tend to give the average person
the impression of a relaxed working environment... |
| Myth
#9 - IT Training Should Be Concentrated on a Single Discipline
- Most people who seek advice from me on training are usually
focused on a single realm of IT. "What courses do I need to take
to become a web developer (or network engineer, or database administrator)?"
is a common question... |
