After the economic debacle of 2001—2003, which laid waste to thousands of IT jobs in the United States, you might expect Windows IT pros to be more than a little skittish about the recovery and looking in other career directions. The good news is that, on the whole, Windows IT pros—whose job titles include primarily IT management, executive management, system administrator, network administrator, and Help desk and application deployment professionals—are a reasonably content bunch, according to the results of our Windows IT Pro Industry Survey 2004. (See "Putting a Face on the Windows IT Pro," page 15, for a list of the job titles we surveyed.) Additionally, our survey results indicate that the hiring outlook for Windows IT pros is moderately optimistic, especially in small to midsized companies.
Several factors in the survey are key indicators of job satisfaction. These indicators include whether survey respondents would recommend IT as a profession to young people looking to choose a vocation, whether they feel that they're adequately compensated for their work, whether they're looking for new employment, and how long they plan to stay with their current employer.
In addition to these indicators, we explore other factors that comprise the challenges and rewards that keep Windows IT pros motivated: the professional issues that keep IT pros up at night and the pressing problems in their work; factors that influence job satisfaction (e.g., recognition, the opportunity to implement systems that benefit users), and factors that they consider to be important in selecting a new job. On a related note, we also examine which companies the survey participants most admire. Finally, we look at the employment outlook at respondents' companies as an overall indicator of how optimistic (or pessimistic) Windows IT pros feel about the future of their jobs and their profession.
I ♥ IT
One way to gauge how satisfied people are with their career choice is to ask them whether they'd recommend that career to someone else. Our survey did just that—and found that respondents overwhelmingly say that they'd recommend IT as a profession to young people who are looking for a vocation. Seventy-five percent say they'd recommend IT to a young person regardless of that person's gender, whereas only 17 percent wouldn't recommend IT as a career. Relatively few respondents (who are by and large male) say that a person's gender would influence whether they'd recommend IT as a career.
Many of those surveyed commented favorably about their choice of IT as a career. "Besides the fact that [the IT profession] develops your mind and the way you see the world, it's extremely challenging, and the satisfaction you get when you finish a job is great," said one IT pro. Other respondents echoed that feeling of satisfaction. "The career isn't thankless. You can get the personal satisfaction of doing a good job and helping others on a daily basis." Many respondents also agreed with the person who wrote that IT is "challenging, diverse, and exciting."
Some IT pros—including several who would recommend IT as a career—pointed out stumbling blocks in the profession. "The glory days of IT seem to be over," said one person. Echoing other respondents' sentiments, another lamented, "The good IT jobs are going away." A number of those who commented complained about not being paid enough relative to the work they do and their value to the business. The IT pro who said, "The salaries don't often reflect the number of hours worked and the need for round-the-clock availability that IT folks often endure" would find many peers who agree.
Several survey participants noted that it takes a certain type of person to succeed in IT. One Windows IT pro nicely summarized this perception, commenting, "I think this is a fantastic career choice for those that fit the profile.... If you enjoy learning new technologies and love to tackle tough challenges, this is a great field. I truly believe the geek profile holds true in our industry. You don't find many extroverts looking for system administration jobs!"
Compensation and Career Plans
Money can't buy happiness, but it does have some sway over whether an IT pro chooses to remain in a position or look for another (presumably better-paying) job. Only 42 percent of survey respondents believe they're adequately compensated for the work they do. Unsurprisingly, IT pros who are dissatisfied with their compensation are more likely to be actively seeking another position than are those who are content with the size of their paychecks. Twenty-three percent of those who believe that they're inadequately compensated are actively seeking a new position, and 44 percent would follow up on an interesting opportunity.
In contrast, only 14 percent of respondents who feel adequately compensated are actively seeking a new position, and just 32 percent would follow up on an interesting opportunity. As you might expect, only 9 percent of the inadequately compensated group don't envision changing jobs, compared with 26 percent of the adequately compensated group.
Most survey respondents (90 percent) are full-time employees, with the remainder characterizing themselves as consultants, freelance/self-employed, contract workers, part-time, or other. (For a detailed look at IT pros' work profiles, see "Taking Care of Business," page 33.) The largest share of survey participants—39 percent—plan to stay with their current employer another year or two, whereas 26 percent say they'll stay another 6 months or so. Almost as many IT pros are currently looking for another job (16 percent) as are planning to stay with their current employer indefinitely (19 percent).
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