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. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

Time pressure is the biggest cause of stress and burnout in IT positions. The deadlines always seem to be getting shorter. With dot-coms emerging and taking large chunks of business from traditional "old economy" compaines (such as Amazon.com grabbing a large share of the book market), pressure to compete online effectively and quickly is ever present. Richard Florida, a professor of regional economic development at Carnegie Mellon Uninversity's H. John Heinz School of Public Policy and Management sums it up best when he said, "...it's a time-driven economy, and time is the only non-renewable resource."^xiv

Most IT positions are support positions. That is, they support other major functions in a corporation such as sales, marketing, shipping, accounting, etc. Since many major business operations are highly dependent upon computers today, there is a tremendous amount of pressure on IT personnel to keep systems functioning. Therefore, IT support personnel are constantly on call (get used to carrying that beeper and cell phone) and are expected to perform software or hardware repairs as quickly as possible.

Because of all these issues, efficient time management and relieving personal stress will be skills you need to possess to be successful in the fast paced world of IT.