Average salary of an IT professional?

[khat17]

Very happy for you. Just make sure to save and invest. Look into maxing out the pension match as well. Between that and investments you could retire in less than 20 years.

As for the pension, some increase the match after 5-10 years so keep abreast of that.

[owen]

I have been thinking/debating about the value of investments for young people - especially stocks - since they have such a long tail. When you are young you tend to need to save a lot more capital. Small investment my have a negative effect on long term stability.

[NOKIA 3650]

Cybersecurity is a great field to be in with tremendous long-term opportunities.

Personally, I feel this is the only place one can find job-security for the next 5 years.

be careful not to fall into a position where you are the Jack of all trades and the company IT slave.

I feel you have subliminally aimed this at me. lol

[Dr.dre]

The Cybesecurity field seems to be growing locally but unfortunately most IT persons just leaving university want be become software developers which there is nothing wrong with that but the space seems kinda saturated now.

[sumo]

A lot of people go into software development based on successful startups they've seen online without a clue about what it will take to build a startup. In a few years the reality sets in and most of them are stuck doing something they didn't really like (and aren't really good at) or they're forced to switch fields. I can only speak to software development because I'm not an expert in the other areas; if you don't LOVE development then please don't do it, getting good require years of practice and we really don't need any more mediocre devs screwing customers over because they don't know what they're doing.

[Dr.dre]

I agree Sumo, when i talk to my friends that went into software development they all say that they are going to start their own business in a couple years even though none of them are business oriented. I guess they all look at the Facebook and other apps that turned out to be huge financial success and believe its a simple as building an app and becoming a millionaire overnight.
I see some who tried the freelancing route for a while then ended going to work for someone because they weren't making as much as they thought.

[khat17]

A lot of people go into software development based on successful startups they've seen online without a clue about what it will take to build a startup. In a few years the reality sets in and most of them are stuck doing something they didn't really like (and aren't really good at) or they're forced to switch fields. I can only speak to software development because I'm not an expert in the other areas; if you don't LOVE development then please don't do it, getting good require years of practice and we really don't need any more mediocre devs screwing customers over because they don't know what they're doing.

I agree Sumo, when i talk to my friends that went into software development they all say that they are going to start their own business in a couple years even though none of them are business oriented. I guess they all look at the Facebook and other apps that turned out to be huge financial success and believe its a simple as building an app and becoming a millionaire overnight.
I see some who tried the freelancing route for a while then ended going to work for someone because they weren't making as much as they thought.

Great points guys. I'd say - if you don't even remotely like something - don't get into it. And that "jack of all trades" thing was pointed at a lot of us.

I've got certs from (to name a few):

• Diebold
• CompTIA
• VTI (not VTDI)
• HP
• Lexmark

Those would probably point you in a certain direction for things that I do or can do. However - things I've done include:

• Setup structured networking at schools and law firms.
• Setup Windows Server to run in various offices and law firms.
• Setup websites for myself and others.
• Managed ticketing and invoicing systems after deploying on web servers.
• Setup PBX systems, including using soft phones as extensions for remote calling by IP.
• Strip databases from programs to be imported into other applications.

Among other things. The "jack of all trades" comes from a general passion for IT and evolving as the industry moves. If you're young and in the business, go towards sections of the industry that you have an interest in. Get the certifications specific to that area, but ensure you're not closed off from doing other things.

The point I'm trying to make is - don't be limited by the certification. If you don't want to get papers for the things - do the courses at least. There's lots of deals especially now - check out StackSkills and such - sign up and get the courses available to you.

https://stacksocial.com/sales/lifeti...ills-unlimited

On another note.

It is possible to build a great software company in today's world. May not get the billions - but you can make a decent living off of it. Here are some suggestions.

WHAT DO PEOPLE WANT? (Find A Target Audience)
ASIDE FROM WANTS, WHAT DO THEY NEED? (Clarify Needs From Their Descriptions)
CAN YOU SUPPLY THE NEED? (Can You Make A Product Or Modify An Existing One To Fit?)
CAN YOU MAKE A PROCESS EASIER? (Streamline Existing Process)
CAN YOU MARKET THIS? (Would You Use Your Product?)
DETERMINE PRICING. (Subscription VS One-Time Sale/License)

As a basic rundown - what else I'd suggest is this. If you can't do any of the above, find what you're good and and excel at it. You will get the recognition and have things to add to your portfolio.

If you need to build something, check for open source alternatives that you can then customize and re-brand. Should make it easier.

Determine if the target audience would be willing to go for a SaaS type model or other type of licensing model. Figure out how you can generate additional revenue aside from the one-time sale if that's the model you'll use.

AVOID THESE THINGS
Again - as a young person in IT - most companies will want to utilize you as much as possible without added compensation. If you end up deploying within the company, ensure that you let them know your maintenance will be something separate from your regular job. Unless they'll be paying you specifically for that. Then your contract terms may change as you streamline things and then market to other companies with similar needs.

Try not to do free work for the company. Some companies can turn a "labour of love" into a chore.

You've probably seen memes and other things about how to spend your time - while I don't disagree with clocking out at 5PM on the dot, I do believe that you can give a little extra from time to time. Especially if you're in certain areas of Kingston/MoBay where the traffic makes no sense for you to leave before 6PM-7PM, depending on where you're going or how you travel.

Too much for a few posts, but hopefully it gives some insight. Certification alone won't do - some persons can pass the exams by swatting and not really learning. So don't do it (entirely) for the money. Do it for the passion. The money will come after.

[NOKIA 3650]

If you don't want to get papers for the things - do the courses at least.

If the courses aren't "free" then it is a waste of one's time in my opinion (with larger organizations) unless one is in it for the knowledge to implement something new

Try not to do free work for the company. Some companies can turn a "labour of love" into a chore.

I agree with this, but sometimes in the field of Information Technology one's job description is not clearly defined (or can be sometimes very vague and use ambiguous terms), and such things get added as the needs of the company arise.

Certification alone won't do - some persons can pass the exams by swatting and not really learning.

The issue is that large corporate organizations actually pay one more for having these certifications (in hand with a little job experience).

[khat17]

If the courses aren't "free" then it is a waste of one's time in my opinion (with larger organizations) unless one is in it for the knowledge to implement something new

Agreed. Larger organizations will usually have access to training for "free" such as CBT Nuggets. If an organization has partnerships with other companies then there may be portals for added learning. Depending on the directed training path you may need to get authorization from a manager/supervisor before a course can be accessed.

I agree with this, but sometimes in the field of Information Technology one's job description is not clearly defined (or can be sometimes very vague and use ambiguous terms), and such things get added as the needs of the company arise.

Mediocrity is to be praised at times. While you can expand in the department, added workload without adequate time considerations by management will take a toll over a longer period of time. One should not be doing tasks that another person/department is being paid to do. That's what I'm getting at - not that you shouldn't try to make your life and your department's life easier.

The issue is that large corporate organizations actually pay one more for having these certifications (in hand with a little job experience).

Large corporate organizations - yes and no. Some of them will milk you for all they can get - and upward movement does not come with adequate (or any) compensation.

Learning should be done for the knowledge and to better yourself. Not just to be able to do your job. If you don't enjoy what you're doing then there may not be any desire to learn more about it.

Beware the whole "time management" aspect. If you're swamped with work but you have unlimited access to training - restructure your times to be able to study more. Especially with companies that will give you the free courses and you can keep the certification. With companies that have loads of internal certifications - it's good for the knowledge. Not good for your resume.

[recursion]

A friend asked me the following today

How do you think I can get some concrete data re how experienced developers are being compensated, in Jamaica (including Remote Workers) from different sectors, example: banks, other credible software shops

Besides the MOF report above is there any other source/survey you'd recommend.
I really liked what I saw in Orlando.
https://orlandodevs.com/blog/salary-survey/