IT career for dummies
So this is an article which could very well be titled ,’procrastination’. Despite having promised the Magazine board members nearly 2 months back that I would write an article on my experiences in the IT sector, I never got down to writing it down. The first deadline, got changed to the actual deadline which then was replace by the actual printer’s final deadline and in the end I had to grapple with the final-final hard deadline set by the Magazine Board secretary.
So with tonight as the deadline I have finally sat down to write down the article. But before I move on to the topic and talk about careers in the IT sector, I must introduce myself. I am Syed Ashraf Husain, proud to have been a part of the AIT comp batch of 2008 and presently working for a major IT company out of Mysore. I was also the Mag Sec of my time. I would like to talk more about my time at AIT, but I sadly realize that my time at AIT is long over. The memoir would be out of place now because nearly half the college would not even know who I am.
Thus this is about the IT industry and the last two years of my life. In the first week when a FE joins college, he hears the dreaded ‘I’ word- ‘Industry’. Or its variant-‘company’. And the 'I' WORD keeps coming back. This is what happens in Industry. This is how stuff works in industry. And it goes on and on. The grass is always greener on the other side but the industry is at times more intimidating than alluring.
This article is meant for anyone who has ever thought of working in the IT sector for even a sliver of a moment. If you don’t fit the bill, then you just saved the next five minutes of your life that everyone else will spent in reading what follows-
What companies’ need- Opportunities always exist especially for people with experience. However as a fresher, you should have at least one or even better all of the following things- dazzling marks ,great communication skills or rock hard technical skills. The recruiter needs a reason to hire you. Give him many such reasons. And the importance of communication skills can never be sufficiently stressed upon. The majority of Indian IT workers have very poor to average communication skills. Your skills can make you stand out.
Big versus Small companies- While small companies may provide better technical experience a great name at the beginning can do wonders especially for an MBA aspirant. The big companies can however be a bit random. They don’t really care if you want coding or if you have a language choice. You will do what they need. I consider myself lucky to have worked in core coding projects in all the time I have worked in my company. Please note the word ‘lucky’. I consider myself skilled and an exceptional performer but I have seen many equally talented people from my batch get stuck for years in hopeless projects. In the end you will only know once the cards are dealt out. It is very well possible for the most best of decisions to go awry.So the lesson is if a company offers you a specific work profile that is a better bet than relying on fate. As a side note as a mechie or an entc graduate shifting to core IT sector, large companies (Infosys especially) are a better bet as they invest a lot in training. Comp and IT folks smile- training difficulty is the most overrated thing I have come across.
Java or .net- I personally am biased towards Java but frankly the whole war of the languages is a mockery. There is no difference between the technologies. In any case you may be switching technologies frequently. And there is no dearth of opportunities in most sectors. Plus there are so many of technologies beyond these two with amazing scope.e.g SAP, Business Intelligence, driver programming, testing automation etc.
Development or testing- There is a lot of work beyond these two types of projects. As an example for analysis, Infosys has only 17% of its revenues coming from developments and even in the annual report they list 5-6 types of work. So this is the risk of big companies as usual. If you are fixated over a technology or a type of work, you may not necessarily get it. Live with the risk or know your escape routes. On the other hand maybe being flexible is not that bad. In the short time I have been around, I have worked on a testing project , two core development project and now a migration project.
Service sector versus product companies- The IT sector consist of the out sourcing and service sector companies like Infosys, Wipro or product based companies like Adobe or Microsoft. Given a choice unless you get a better profile, go for the better payer (product companies). Money is a big satisfying force. Also the benefits in service sector companies are petering out because of margin pressures.
IT sector versus other sectors-This is a purely personal choice. See what your heart wants. And have a flexible plan in place. There are so many people I know tired of the IT sector but then I also know people who miss the IT sector times. Every job has its share of positive and negative points(repeat this again and again. The grass unfortunately always looks greener on the other side). Choose well.
MBA versus MS (or M.Tech)-Again a personal choice. For the MBA aspirant I would from my opinion suggest some years of work experience. To see an actual business meeting, to see great incompetence and huge employee dissatisfaction is a great learning as well as a change of perspective. It becomes so real. Employees cannot be kept happy as easy as many people suggest. For the MS person, work experience is not a prerequisite. In fact for those planning on getting some work experience before MS or M.Tech I would suggest that you try to get development experience. For the MBA guy it does not matter but for the MS it could make a difference in your university application.
In the end I would suggest everyone to be brave try out changes and new things each day of your life. And remember you need to have a rough idea how your today fits in with your tomorrow. This will help you keep a straight perspective and objectivity. Don’t stop your education once you get a job. Plan for a higher education degree. And enjoy your days in college as they fly away. You will feel nostalgic about them someday.
S.A. Husain,
AIT Comp class of 08
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