Best IT jobs - Most reliable, highest paying etc?

[Sincraft]

Since my last post was deleted for putting my yahoo email address, I figured I should restart the thread and simplify the question:

BACK ON TOPIC -

1. What do you think are the MOST reliable and stable IT or 'computer industry' jobs at the moment? How about in the future?

2. What are the highest paying industry jobs at the moment. Statistics show that in my area the average IT guy is making about 10-15k more than they actually are. How about your area?


To anyone that wants to contact me, you can find me at webmasterworld.com as the same user name. I use this site and that site for all my technical needs.

 

[infinitelo]

Like any other profession, stability and high pay are mutually exlusive. The higer the pay the lower the stability. My experiance has been with mid-size companies with intensive computer use, so very stable, very low pay.
(stable jobs: banks, insurance companies, call center, the ever beloved "computer guy", ect...)

If you are working in a stable job and have high or medium pay, the bosses are probably looking for ways to cut you out of the equation. (your probably training your replacement right now) Its not greed, its just smart business.

There are two basic directions, im my humble opinion, that the market will go in the next five years.

a) Monolithic Systems with just a very few administrators.
this is where most of the creative work will be done by
users, large scale application servers, and database.
Very formal way of doing things. flexible data storage.
very centralized. Very little change in the system.
Stable jobs: security, hardware support.
non-Stable: programming, system design, research.

b) Adaptive systems, decentralized system where each user
is considered to have specialized needs. Open source
programs, shared workspaces, lots of local computing
power. basically each user becomes responible for his
information flow.
Stable jobs: programming, system design, research.
non-Stable jobs: security, hardware support.

Of course this is pretty black and white and will probably be someware in between. With an economy with a glut of out of work information specialists, the adaptive model is most likely as it professionals tend to bypass the strict monilithic model, and they will be either doing "computer guy" work or actual positions that are not defined as information techonogist, working as a data entry person (clerk), also when our economy goes south creativity is boosted. (everyone becomes indespensible when the cubical on either side is empty)





if it is to be it's up to me

 

[johnherman]

I have found that good (GOOD) DB2 DBA's get beaucoup bucks, way more than Oracle, Sybase, or other DBA's.

Also, I have found that niche skills, like Software Quality Management, or expertise in particular industries like security trading or investment portfolio management, can carry big salaries, but are few and far between.

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The trouble with doing something right the first time is that noboby appreciates how difficult it was.
- Steven Wright

 

[Onyxpurr]

I'm mostly a business analyst and so far the field looks good. Decent pay and quite a few jobs.

I think Oracle/SQL developers are doing quite well right now.

 

[kHz]

What qualfies as "Decent pay," if I may ask, for my own curiosity?

 

[infinitelo]

Ive always gone by 4 times the monthy payment on a decent house.

high pay would be double that.

Thats why I could never understand why tech businesses dont move to oklahoma instead of overseas. high pay here would be around 50,000/year.
decent would be 20,000 - 30,000 way less than the cost of having a long distance relationship with people that speak a differnt language.

if it is to be it's up to me

 

[kHz]

North Dakota is trying to develop a high tech industry because of their low cost of living. Not sure how it is going for them. I wouldn't live there. I live in the northern Plains and I wouldn't go that far north. Too, too cold. Short summers. Lacking heat and .

 

[SQLSister]

I've lived in North Dakota; they'd have to pay me 100,000,000 a month to move back there.

Questions about posting. See faq183-874

 

[Onyxpurr]

Arizona, decent pay to me (for business analyst) is $48-55k, with good benefits.

Okay, okay, good benefits: good medical, dental, possibly vision, 401k, bonuses, close to home, sick, vacation, tuition reimbursement, etc...

I'm kind of limited on relocating right now. Husband is going to the Art Institute and their programs don't transfer. He only has until Sept til graduation, I have until April (for my Masters) and then we can finally start living!! lol

 

[energy4life]

i think everyone's definition of "decent pay" varies based on location (plains states not the same as Silicon Valley, NYC, or DC... which aren't the same as more moderate areas along the east coast)

and CERTAINLY, "decent" has been adjusted (downward) since 2001, where technicians with 2-5 yrs work experience were commanding $50k+ and their cohorts on the business side of IT commanding $40k ($50k+ in high cost areas).

Seems the seasoned folks (fast track resumes OR 12+ yrs work experience) have been hit the hardest through multiple factors: pay, experience that isn't necessarily value (at the level of pay), age, flattened organizational structures (limited upward mobility), desire to maintain lifestyle, save for retirement, etc.

dunno how displaced workers do it. or those who've managed to remain actually sleep consistently well at night...

Folks who've had to

 

[Dimandja]

I've lived in Wisconsin and Minnesota, but wasn't aware North Dakota was inhabited

 

[chiph]

Jobs are:

1. Fun
2. Pay well
3. Steady

(pick two)

Chip H.


____________________________________________________________________
If you want to get the best response to a question, please read FAQ222-2244 first

 

[Sincraft]

I think Chip summed it all up

How do you guys feel about Java programming? Longterm need? I really want to spec in something other than general IT practices. And the security craze is a quickly passing fade imho.

S

 

[johnherman]

Have you checked out the 2004 Computerworld Salary Survey?

http://www.computerworld.com/careertopics/careers/salarysurvey2004/home?from=homepromo

-------------------------
The trouble with doing something right the first time is that noboby appreciates how difficult it was.
- Steven Wright

 

[BNPMike]

We have some Chordiant contractors on 1200 GB pounds (2340 US dollars) per day. That'd do me.

 

[johnherman]

Also check out

http://www.computerworld.com

and enter 51018 in the Quick Link search box. Stats about Holiday bonuses, Hottest skills, hottest markets, etc.

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The trouble with doing something right the first time is that noboby appreciates how difficult it was.
- Steven Wright

 

[BocaBurger]

Only way contractors make the bib bucks is if they work for themselves. Support & maintenance engineering (bug fixer)for big buck software used by global fortune 2000 will be very steady, in many cases $'s are not too bad, with decent benefits. Only problem with this is if systems goes down, you work until it's fixed. Also can be pretty stressful, no one calls support to say everything is working fine.



BocaBurger
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