Keeping that "Techie edge" in your IT career

[BlackCryptoKnight]

I've noticed a trend in the IT industry. It seems to be very difficult for many people to remain hardcore techies for the longhaul. After a while many move into more management roles, and lose some of that "techie edge". Some burn out, after playing trying keep up with the new technologies. With some, the added responsibilities of life as they grow older (family, kids etc.) leave them with less time for techie pursuits. My question is this: how can you keep that "Techie edge" despite all these challenges? Is there any hope for the aging techie? Must we be doomed to surrender our techie territory to the young upstarts rapidly climbing up the ranks?

[Nastrodamus]

Let me tell you what has happened in some cases. There are those who had the capacity to operate in the I.T. world and as such they did this for Monetary Compensation. Initially, with the new knowledge, persons appeared to have the "get with it" feeling, like they were appart of the I.T. world. As time progressed, persons loss interest and eventually those who are genuinely enthusiastic about I.T. This is one explanation for this.

Will come back with more.... got to do some work to prevent the enthusiasts from taking my job.

[Virus]

Yup, doomed and should surrender immediately, give youngsters like me a chance. Time the elders step down, but give me ur experience first so i may carry the torch.

[Nemesis G4]

In many regards I beg to differ. The 'techie edge' can be maintained. All we need to do is take the time to step back, look at our accomplishments, view the changes that are occuring around us and then see how best we can adapt to these changing times.

I believe that those who loose the edge never had it to begin with. I say this because the techie edge is like working for money. With more resposiblities you need more money so you have to work to provide some form of income, hence the circle continues. It should be the same with the techie spirit. Never loose focus and never surrender.

By the way all new technologies are based in some form on pre-21st century inventions (technology of course) therefore the 'old folks' (sorry for callin y'all old) will still be needed to teach these new blood a thing or two.

Thats just how I see it.

[Moby Dick]

I must concur with you observation. As I am a few years away from becoming an aging techie, tackling this question is a means of garnering some pension for the time when the enthusiasm payroll wanes or runs dry. It is inevitalbe to face the forces that drive a hardcore techie into softer techie roles. I will discribe some of the forces I see and what I thing can be done to mitigate them.

There are 3 main forces. Lifestye change and loss of interest where already pointed out and finally career and economic forces where also aluded to. To tackle lifestyle changes one has to have an understanding family and the ability to multitask. For me I let my family know at what times I do my research and experiments. Also I try to arrange my activities in a way that incorporates them as much as I can. Example I try to do at lease some research and development at home. Even though I am secluded as least there is a warm body arround.

There are many ways of tackling loss of interest but I will mention one, goal setting. Changings in life, challenges and failures all assail ones desire to press on and stay current. Even a measure of success can cause one to become complacent. When goals are set though it combats these forces by always having a carrot to go after. You never stop because you always know whats ahead.

I know there a lot of tips about goal setting. I would like to add one. It helps to set goals tied to the reward you hope to achieve.

Career forces are a natural immergence. As one increases in skill and experience (as well as age) one's impact begins to plateau. There are only so many hours in a day and there are younger persons who have more time and less responsibiltiy to throw at the work. In order for a company or business to get more out of there investment one's experience is leveraged in a managemnet position.

Invariably one's impact is increased by influencing lesser experience persons to accomplish task. Unfortunately there is a abstraction from the "hard-core" technology.

I think one has to mix the role in order to fight against becoming a pure manager one must find ways to select aspects of a project to get one's hands dirty in. The criteria for selection I think should be how cutting edge the tech is or how rusty one has become it it. Hence it could be used as a refresher or as a means of staying current with a skill-set one already has.

All in all through multitasking, goal-setting and project management one can combat the pitfalls of increasing responsibility, loss of interest and career forces on the longevity of one's hard-core status. Please use these suggestions in good health.

[rodalembs]

I suppose it is part of the whole actulization process. Management is looked upon with a certain status in Jamaica and alot of persons are driven by that desire. Secondly i believe after a while you tend to get tried of the day to day grind of implementations and break fixes. The older you get the more you want to get into projects that home you business skills; to look on technolgoy as a busines enabler. I think is fine for a "old techie" to take up consultative role is a true testament to his/her experince and sign that you have paid your dues. Truth be told the work ya hard at times and if you can get a job that focus more on Brain than physicall power, I am all for it..

[hondaz]

I find it Ironic that the moment one learns a certain level of expertise, they usually want/force/ into management where they are not as competent. so we lose both ways. We lose a good techie and also we get mostly a second rate manager.

but the fact is, management pays more and it is natural to move into it. A lot of financial instiututions have Engineers (Chemical, Phyics, etc) as the top manager. I think there would be a better person in the job ( not to say the techie is doing a bad job, but if you are a specialist, then do what you specialise in)


At the end of the day it all comes down to MONEY.

[death_knight]

I find it Ironic that the moment one learns a certain level of expertise, they usually want/force/ into management where they are not as competent. so we lose both ways. We lose a good techie and also we get mostly a second rate manager.

but the fact is, management pays more and it is natural to move into it. A lot of financial instiututions have Engineers (Chemical, Phyics, etc) as the top manager. I think there would be a better person in the job ( not to say the techie is doing a bad job, but if you are a specialist, then do what you specialise in)


At the end of the day it all comes down to MONEY.

exactly what it all boils down to. when billz need to be payed my love for programming wont' really be able to deal with the jps man them when them come to cut off ma light. at the organisation to which I'm employed our chief designer "man that dude is great at designing" is moving into a managerial role now, he seems to be more intersted in the money than the tech, and he says he couldn't care less what ne body thinks basically because the cash.

[tech_guru]

Personally for me it all comes down to the "Love affair with Tech"
If you dont genuinely love what you do all the research and reading will not mean anything...You have to just love what you do...

[death_knight]

peoples' love interest change techguru, so i guess that same concept is applicable straight across the board, regardless of person, hobby, occupation etc.