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This article does not discourage anyone aspiring to venture into the tech space. It paints the whole picture that is always missing when the 'working in tech' hype begins.
There is a myth that continues to grow in popularity. What is this myth? That anyone and everyone can work in tech. And that is not entirely true. While non-traditional roles exist in the multi-billion dollar industry, with a closer examination of the cons conveniently excluded from the mainstream media, you will see that this tech thing is not for everybody. And that's okay.
Here are the dark sides of tech work that no one tells you about and some positive benefits that may be enough to persevere.
Pros
Good pay:
Financial security is among the first attributes that invite individuals to aspire to a career in tech. The idea of earning six figures in dollars is no myth but the reality of tech workers. As of 2020, in the US, the average annual salary of IT managers hit a whopping sum of $141024. If you are a beginner, you may not earn that high in your first year in tech, but as you work your way up the ladder and build on your skill set, the money is sure to pile up.
Versatility:
IT is relevant in every industry. You can work in almost any industry as a techie, from music to medicine. If you are or intend on being a software programmer, you can develop applications for finance, healthcare, gaming, fashion, film, etc. Considering the technological revolution happening across these industries, your IT skills are not only in high demand but easily transferable.
Opportunities for learning and growth:
The tech space is constantly evolving, which presents room for endless innovation. If you are enthusiastic about the opportunity for continuous learning and growth, the tech space has a lot of space for creativity.
Defined Career trajectory
In IT, the corporate ladder is well defined. You will likely begin in support, design, and development roles as a beginner. With ambitious moves, you will gradually ascend to management, IT Enterprise Architect, and eventually the Chief Information Officer of an organization. This leads to the following advantages.
Self-employment:
Names like Jack Dorsey, Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, Odunayo Eweniyi, or the dynamic Paystack duo Shola Akinlade & Ezra Olubi act as motivational bells ringing in ears that anyone can become the next tech billionaire. As a tech guru, you have the liberty to become an entrepreneur who will create the next big digital product without which people can not live a day.
Cons
Here is the ugly side of working in tech no one tells you about. Even if your tech friends tell you, you cannot completely understand, except you experience it first hand.
Stress:
Working in tech demands extreme lengths of productivity; to be honest, not everyone is built for that physical and mental stress.
Last year, a report by Forbes demonstrated that 77% of tech leaders and employees worldwide battle work-related stress amidst a socio-economic crisis like a pandemic. Imagine adding all these duress with school work or being a family man or woman. Dealing with tight deadlines and unquantifiable pressure can be too much for you to handle.
Human skills are required:
There is more tech than sitting behind a screen, writing codes and attending virtual or physical meetings. Not everyone has the necessary human skills to seamlessly interact with the consumers of a product and relate to the chain of command.
Suppose you are not a 'people person; you must learn communication skills. If you can not adapt to social environments, you may have a problem functioning in whatever department you find yourself in.
Long and irregular working hours:
Unlike a traditional 9-5 job, in tech, most employees work 24/7. To complete tasks, you may work over weekends and lose hours of good sleep.
Toxic work culture:
Just recently, giant social media platform Tiktok was called out by its workers for its terrible work culture, which is the complete opposite of the joyful nature of the app. The incident was a highly exclusive revelation of the reality of what happens behind the scenes to the true heroes of a select number of big tech companies.
People tend to get caught up working in these huge companies, oblivious to the truth.
Random people ask for a free consultation:
Once your friends or neighbors know you work in tech, they begin to come to you for all their tech-related problems, even when it is not related to your actual job. Okay, let's say you are a UI/UX designer; your neighbor can literally approach you when their DStv connection has a bad network.
So what do you say? Have you been convinced the tech life is not for you, or are you even more motivated to break in? If it is the latter, read this article to learn about starting a career in tech as a beginner.