Best IT Career?

cpp said:
Those salary figures certainly look appealing but they are a bit misleading. Pay in the IT field is very variable and depends on a lot of factors. You get developers who make R1500 a month and then you get others that make close to R80000 p/m it really depends on the type of company.

Also i hate to break the bad news to you but there is unfortunately no way to hide away from face to face interactions in the real world. Interactions with work colleagues and team work in general is very common in engineering/IT companies.

Reality is that if you get a degree in IT and you're straight out of varsity you can expect to earn somewhere between R20-R25k p/m on average and that figure is on the high end already.

Regarding your question about CS major's it depends where your interests lie. I personally studied electrical and computer engineering which exposed me to both hardware and software design principles. I would say if your only interested in software sure go do CS but if building circuits also interests you then definately look into engineering.
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I don’t think a single dev on my team is earning R80k or under (granted, there’s no graduate program). The range goes much, much higher than that if you want the best talent. One good dev can do more than an infinite number of sh*t devs.

But yeah, if you’re an awkward turtle you better be a programming savant. The devs I know are super chill, love to hang out and are not socially awkward.

The best advice I can give anyone is that baptism by fire is the only way to learn. If you can survive under hellish pressure for a few years, working as a freelancer or as a co-founder of an agency servicing multiple clients a week, you’re going to upskill like crazy month on month. Save the cushy job for after you’ve got mad skills, not before, if you want a serious salary.
 
Bryn said:
I don’t think a single dev on my team is earning R80k or under (granted, there’s no graduate program). The range goes much, much higher than that if you want the best talent. One good dev can do more than an infinite number of sh*t devs.

But yeah, if you’re an awkward turtle you better be a programming savant. The devs I know are super chill, love to hang out and are not socially awkward.

The best advice I can give anyone is that baptism by fire is the only way to learn. If you can survive under hellish pressure for a few years, working as a freelancer or as a co-founder of an agency servicing multiple clients a week, you’re going to upskill like crazy month on month. Save the cushy job for after you’ve got mad skills, not before, if you want a serious salary.
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You make a good point, thanks! However I wasn't trying to imply that the range ends at 80k. Just that as a grad with a bit of experience your probably not going to make 200k p/m unless your some sort of programming god. I guess it's just not realistic to compare yourself to the highest earners in the IT industry if you don't even have a degree yet. Also having a degree doesn't neccessarily make you a good developer. I would encourage the OP to look at graduate salaries too. Nothing wrong with dreaming, just that you should also have realistic expectations at the same time.
 
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21yearoldinvestor said:
I want to persue a degree in IT, because of the ability to work from home and less time interacting with people, as I am introverted (INTP personality). Along with a great salary and career prospects, this seems like a rewarding field to be in.

What field in IT would you reccomend and why? Also, what major for BSc Computer Science would you reccomend between:
- General Computer Science
- Computer Systems
- Data Science
- Computer Science with Genetics as seccond major
- Computer Science with Geographical Information Technology as majorView attachment 1287998
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In in a IT a lot of the people are contractors. So for them its rate / hour x hours = salary. So when someone tells you they in IT and earns R xxx a month find you what that means. Salary is not CTC.
 
21yearoldinvestor said:
I want to persue a degree in IT, because of the ability to work from home and less time interacting with people, as I am introverted (INTP personality). Along with a great salary and career prospects, this seems like a rewarding field to be in.

What field in IT would you reccomend and why? Also, what major for BSc Computer Science would you reccomend between:
- General Computer Science
- Computer Systems
- Data Science
- Computer Science with Genetics as seccond major
- Computer Science with Geographical Information Technology as majorView attachment 1287998
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It isn't really about what we can recommend but what you're interested in. Going by your profile name, you're around a year older than me?

What I can say is don't follow the money, you'll be digging your own grave with that. Look around and see what fields speak to you.

Link to a post I made in the past, addressing your problem:

Educational dilemma/pickle

Good evening almal So I did my undergrad in biochemistry/genetics and my honours this year in bioinformatics. Through my bioinformatics project I fell in love with coding. Now I am on track to do an MSc next year, although nothing is finalized like registration etc. My question is: to learn...
mybroadband.co.za mybroadband.co.za
 
amazing all the career advice here from people that have barely entered the workplace :X3:
 
ubercal said:
amazing all the career advice here from people that have barely entered the workplace :X3:
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Really? How do you know, as I see at least 3 ppl with more than 10 years experience on the forum.
What exactly do you disagree with?
 
ubercal said:
amazing all the career advice here from people that have barely entered the workplace :X3:
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Sure some of us might be recent grads but I would like to believe that we've got some useful info with regards to the entry level market (salaries, skill requirements etc.), as we've been through the process of applying for jobs :cool:
 
slimeball said:
Sure some of us might be recent grads but I would like to believe that we've got some useful info with regards to the entry level market (salaries, skill requirements etc.), as we've been through the process of applying for jobs :cool:
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BTW, Are your looking for work or pursuing an honours degree? (Or if you did engineering, an MSc?)
 
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I've been in IT for what, 18 years and 8 companies from very small to very big. In that time, I think I've done most types of jobs. Frontend, backend, DevOps, DBAdmin, SysAdmin, architecture, project planning, etc.

I can tell you there's only one constant. You will only be happy if you do something you enjoy. I don't mean you need to be one of those weird people who say it doesn't even feel like work because they're so happy - work is work, no matter the job. Boredom is the killer of IT people.

Find out what you *actually* enjoy doing now, or at least, break it down into the ones that you think you might like, and then talk to people who work directly in that field or a similar position. They will tell you the unvarnished truth and give you a good idea of what to expect. This forum is good for that (but take things with a pinch of salt - you don't know me, I could be lying to you).

If you have the time and ability, start doing it yourself before you go out and try for a position somewhere - that'll give you the context you need when you interview.

Finally, once you've got whatever job, don't be afraid to change. Not in a way that let's a company take advantage of you (they will all try, it's the nature of the beast) but in a way that keeps you flexible and able to pivot quickly.

That way, even if you're not giddy with happiness each day at work, you'll never be bored.

All that said, I'd hire you right damned now if you were a good generalist Dev with a lean to QA or a good DevOps person. Super bonus for willing to work US hours. No? Well, maybe a couple years from now :)
 
AntiThesis said:
I've been in IT for what, 18 years and 8 companies from very small to very big. In that time, I think I've done most types of jobs. Frontend, backend, DevOps, DBAdmin, SysAdmin, architecture, project planning, etc.

I can tell you there's only one constant. You will only be happy if you do something you enjoy. I don't mean you need to be one of those weird people who say it doesn't even feel like work because they're so happy - work is work, no matter the job. Boredom is the killer of IT people.

Find out what you *actually* enjoy doing now, or at least, break it down into the ones that you think you might like, and then talk to people who work directly in that field or a similar position. They will tell you the unvarnished truth and give you a good idea of what to expect. This forum is good for that (but take things with a pinch of salt - you don't know me, I could be lying to you).

If you have the time and ability, start doing it yourself before you go out and try for a position somewhere - that'll give you the context you need when you interview.

Finally, once you've got whatever job, don't be afraid to change. Not in a way that let's a company take advantage of you (they will all try, it's the nature of the beast) but in a way that keeps you flexible and able to pivot quickly.

That way, even if you're not giddy with happiness each day at work, you'll never be bored.

All that said, I'd hire you right damned now if you were a good generalist Dev with a lean to QA or a good DevOps person. Super bonus for willing to work US hours. No? Well, maybe a couple years from now :)
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Well said!
 
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I've got 15+ years in the industry ranging from all levels of technical support to project management to cloud, both in corporate and SME's.

I've never really "enjoyed my job" through all that. Like ever. That concept is lost on me and I don't really agree with that wisdom. And I doubt in a million years I'd ever have a job I truly enjoy. It's a prison, a rat race, and that will never change.

To me often the work environment is what determines a job that won't ultimately turn you into a depressed individual. The same job can suck, or be worthwhile, depending on the people you work with and how much value they express in you. I've been through this transition firsthand.

So choose whatever is going to pay well and grant the most opportunities and lifelong relevance, but IMO it really doesn't matter what it is. Then as you work on your career focus on finding the right people/employer.

The rest of life is about your family, your home, your assets and your actual enjoyment outside of your career, so ensure your career caters for those much greater priorities - the reasons you work in the first place and put up with it all.

It's probably too late for you to go pro at the PGA, so I reckon go for CIO :p Why not? J/K
 
Bobbin said:
I've got 15+ years in the industry ranging from all levels of technical support to project management to cloud, both in corporate and SME's.

I've never really "enjoyed my job" through all that. Like ever. That concept is lost on me and I don't really agree with that wisdom. And I doubt in a million years I'd ever have a job I truly enjoy. It's a prison, a rat race, and that will never change.

To me often the work environment is what determines a job that won't ultimately turn you into a depressed individual. The same job can suck, or be worthwhile, depending on the people you work with and how much value they express in you. I've been through this transition firsthand.

So choose whatever is going to pay well and grant the most opportunities and lifelong relevance, but IMO it really doesn't matter what it is. Then as you work on your career focus on finding the right people/employer.

The rest of life is about your family, your home, your assets and your actual enjoyment outside of your career, so ensure your career caters for those much greater priorities - the reasons you work in the first place and put up with it all.

It's probably too late for you to go pro at the PGA, so I reckon go for CIO :p Why not? J/K
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This is also the way. I should have mentioned (like other people I think) that you don't have to enjoy your job but it does help. Just because I enjoy my job doesn't mean I wouldn't retire tomorrow given the chance. If only I wasn't 25 years too young.

The people thing is a damned good point. They can make or break your experience so easily. A shitty manager will mean you hate working even if you love what you do. And good colleagues, they make your life easier. That's one thing I do dislike about full remote work. There's nothing that builds relationships like actually being in an office with people. I still miss my work wife and husband from two years ago. Still will never go back to office work though.
 
AntiThesis said:
This is also the way. I should have mentioned (like other people I think) that you don't have to enjoy your job but it does help. Just because I enjoy my job doesn't mean I wouldn't retire tomorrow given the chance. If only I wasn't 25 years too young.

The people thing is a damned good point. They can make or break your experience so easily. A shitty manager will mean you hate working even if you love what you do. And good colleagues, they make your life easier. That's one thing I do dislike about full remote work. There's nothing that builds relationships like actually being in an office with people. I still miss my work wife and husband from two years ago. Still will never go back to office work though.
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I really feel bad for the new graduates whose first job is a remote one. It just sounds so lonely.
I made pretty decent friends at all jobs, hung out with some of them outside of work well. Even just watercooler chat with people from outside my team helped me expand my network and helps to keep me informed about goes on in the rest of the company. That's just never going to happen when you work remotely.

I enjoy my job most of the time, but the times of boredom were helpful as well. When I'm bored it usually means I'm not challenged enough, and it give me some mental bandwidth and the desire to learn new things. If my job challenges me enough to keep me entertained, I don't have the mental bandwidth to learn new technologies on the side as well.

As for people enjoying different things, apparently some people who studied B.Sc IT chooses to do QA over dev. :unsure:
 
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