Career Decisions (IT Professionals please read!)

The usual argument for Uni vs Non-Uni is in "eventual career path", rather than initial salary.

Yes, you will take an initial hit going to Uni for 3/4 years and working up some debt, and it is tempting to start working, start earning, get a car, etc...it's what I did and it's a perfectly natural reaction. However, you soon realise that your choices have effectively been stifled. There is no "old boys network" as such, but there certainly is within consultancies, which you can only get into with a degree if you don't have any experience.

I had to sit and watch my friends work and earn, whilst I was at Uni building up debt. They all had new cars, I didn't. However I did have an immense time at Uni...which people seem to forget about. Uni *IS* fun. If it's not fun, you're not doing it right. It's one of those things that everyone should at least try. It sorts out your motivation, you find out what you are really interested in, find out what beer you like, what town you like, meet people on your course who you genuinely share interests with (unlike school mates)...

So, to sum up

Uni Pros: Fun, Career Path more likely to be better long-term
Uni Cons: Expensive, takes 4 years, no guarantee of a job at the end

Straight to work Pros: Income, no debt.
Straight to work Cons: Limited career path more likely, likely to be doing temporary jobs/trivial tasks/data entry for 3-4 years. After 3-4 years, there still a limited number of jobs to apply for, consultancies and blue-chip companies will be VERY hard to get into.

That's my take on it anyway, having tried both. I don't regret not going to Uni straight after A-Levels (I didn't have a choice anyway), but I think I would be regretting it now if I hadn't have done. If you see what I mean...

:)
 
If you have determination, drive to succeed and intelligence you will do well for yourself. Degree or no degree. For those that think that the top graduate jobs forking out over £30k no longer exist, they do, but the competition is outrageous.

University was right for me as I had something to prove to myself, I am motivated and hard working so if im not an idiot I should come out with a first in CS. This will hopefully enable me to get an IT consultancy role, something I do not think is possible without a degree. It also allowed me to spend a year abroad, play sport at a high level while getting paid for it and meet a ton of people while having some fun.

Downsides? Sure. I can't take weekend breaks with my workload, uni related stuff is on my mind 90% of the time if you include job applications/tests. However if I can do well this year, secure myself a decent job, I will be able to sort my 20-25k debt in good time without much trouble I imagine.

I don't think I would have enjoyed myself as much if I had been working full-time rather than going to uni. But this is limited to me, im sure others would feel the complete opposite.
 
Blackhawk47 said:
Why did people start going on at me just because the rate of pay I was on was lower than someone who had 10+ years experience in the industry?
Click to expand...

I've been watching this thread from afar. People started to have a go because you lied (or where mistaken?) and then wouldn't back down on that lie even when the evidence was stacked against you.

It has nothing to do with what you actually do for a living. The internet loves a bit of drama :)
 
ZombieFan said:
I've been watching this thread from afar. People started to have a go because you lied (or where mistaken?) and then wouldn't back down on that lie even when the evidence was stacked against you.

It has nothing to do with what you actually do for a living. The internet loves a bit of drama :)
Click to expand...

I have not lied about anything. The team I was in were only working on the fixed telecoms network (FTN) projects. The reason for these projects is network rail want to upgrade lines from the old copper infrastructure to fibre optic. Some take longer than others but we always had something to work on until the end. We were mainly office based apart from audits which I didn't go on because I didn't have a PTS (which is a pass to show you can go on the track.

We subcontracted out our survey work to another company, simply because we lacked the resources as you need like 3+ people. So our office focused on the design work...which included a report, data sheets, schematics. When I mentioned before that I learnt everything, i was waffling I was learning new things all the time as each package was a different section of track(s).

*deleted*

For me right now, its gaining experience to put on my CV and it is hard to get any work at the moment with the sheer numbers applying. Also quite enjoy "temping" as you get to meet new people and different areas, ie I just started project work in a bank head office which I will freely admit is temp as the deadline for the project going looks to be mid-late Jan next year. :)
 
Last edited:
MrLOL said:
I have been lambasted on previous occasions in this forum for insinuating that a degree wasn't necessary and that in IT, experience, and the ability to prove that experience is everything, and bits of paper and qualifications count for little.

I just find it interesting that most of us here proove that theory.
Click to expand...

I don't doubt this in the past but surely today it would be more relavant, or required than in the past.

I wouldn't say forget doing a degree, just apply and get experience from the bottom, it may happen less today than before.

A lot of students do sandwich courses now with the 3rd year working and gaining experience. Granted it may be rubbish or it may be great, I don't really know.
 
Blackhawk47 said:
Jesus, I'm 19, I'm in the same job as the grads have to settle for at the moment. Ergo they are 21+.

When your young experience counts for more than having a degree when going for a entry level jobs.

We are in the middle a recession with people getting made redundant left right and centre and yet you still think getting a degree will let you walk into a £30k job. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

For the record, this is exactly how things happened for me, 3 months ago. So yes, a degree can help you walk straight into a 30k job.
 
[TW]Fox;17999749 said:
I thought his latest figure was 35 hours a week at 10 quid so 1400 a month. Still good at 19 but not a reason to claim university is worthless.
Click to expand...

I've lost track really.

But still. Any job in IT at the moment is good. Especially at the age of 19.

Many people that age seem to end up flipping burgers.
 
[TW]Fox;18000877 said:
Now he's even posting his payslips :D

Does he even know what his point was anymore?
Click to expand...

I'm totally lost, even with my degree :) Getting silly now, blown up into something else that's nothing to do with the original point/query.

To summarise, the only thing we were questioning at all was the fact that the job seemed more like a temp job than what is normally considered in the IT sense a contract job.

It had nothing to do with your background.

It had nothing to do with your education.

It had nothing to do with your career as such full stop, it was simply only the point about the temp/contractor confusion.

You then started going on about how you're only 19 etc etc, well that wasn't the point and didn't matter in the slightest.

You could have been 45 years old and have a phd in, well anything, it doesn't matter in the context of what we were actually talking about.

As said you're obviously doing alright at 19, temp work paying £10 an hour is pretty decent as it goes.
 
Last edited:
[TW]Fox;18000877 said:
Now he's even posting his payslips :D

Does he even know what his point was anymore?
Click to expand...

My first post in the thread:

Blackhawk47 said:
Don't go to uni and dont get into a help desk role. Prefer project work myself but limit to just directly IT. I started in a small computer shop but quickly grew tired. Got a contract job in a telecoms role working on rail projects, followed by another role doing same at a different company and right now working at a bank on a project.

Don't limit yourself when looking for job when starting off, learn to drive and don't focus on just support or just permanent roles. ;)
Click to expand...

Your reply to me:

[TW]Fox;17983138 said:
You are not 'contracting' in the accepted definition of the term when you are doing temp jobs for £10 an hour. If you are, then you are doing it very, very wrong. You are working short term contracts - contracting is being self employed and taking on contracts for the provision of support and services over varying terms, and typically taking home a much larger pay packet as a result.

Contracting is a term which, like 'consulting' and 'engineer' is being more and more diluted as people crave the 'prestige' associated with it to make what they really do seem a bit better.

Consider this example. A tender goes out for somebody to re-wire a new office complex. A qualified electrician bids for the tender and wins. He is then given a contract to complete the work in 6 months. He hires a helper for a 6 month short term contract to help him do this. In this example, the electrician is a contractor but the helper is a temp.
Click to expand...

You don't seem to grasp the concept that companies tender for another companies contract and the company that wins the project can bring in contractors from agencies.

I wasn't trying to compare myself to running my own business like a plumber/builder would.

:confused: :rolleyes: :o

EDIT: And I do like how someone like Basher can say he just finished his degree and is earning £65k and has a mortgage and a car costing £20k (finance?)...

And no one bats an eye lid.

:o
 
Last edited:
Blackhawk47 said:
EDIT: And I do like how someone like Basher can say he just finished his degree and is earning £65k and has a mortgage and a car costing £20k (finance?)...

And no one bats an eye lid.

:o
Click to expand...

That'd be because the rest of us are familiar with those portions of the industry. It's perfectly plausible.
 
Getting bored now, you are just using cool sounding words to big up what you do and make yourself sound like youve got a great deal. You are not doing 'project work' you are doing data entry, you posted the job description!

Honestly... just get over it, for some people, Uni helps them get where they want to go in life.

The reason why people snapped at you is because generally speaking if you say 'Yes, I am an IT Contractor, I do project work' the initial impression is not that you do data entry.

Your whinging on about it is doing you a dis-service because you are not really doing that badly at all for somebody of 19!

But dont try and say that Uni is pointless, as it isnt.
 
Last edited:
[TW]Fox;18001481 said:
Getting bored now, you are just using cool sounding words to big up what you do and make yourself sound like youve got a great deal. You are not doing 'project work' you are doing data entry, you posted the job description!
Click to expand...

I'm glad I'm not the only one who noticed this! :p

Doesn't even really sound very "IT" related to me, more basic admin work....
 
[TW]Fox;18001481 said:
Getting bored now, you are just using cool sounding words to big up what you do and make yourself sound like youve got a great deal. You are not doing 'project work' you are doing data entry, you posted the job description!

Honestly... just get over it, for some people, Uni helps them get where they want to go in life.

The reason why people snapped at you is because generally speaking if you say 'Yes, I am an IT Contractor, I do project work' the initial impression is not that you do data entry.
Click to expand...

I've just started that job just 2 weeks ago and believe it or not it is a project that is on going. Yes its completely different sector (share holders) but its better hours (10 hour days in front of a screen was a drag...) and the all important commuting to work is only 6 miles each way compared with going down south/home every sunday/friday night.

I never said I was an IT contractor but I have been trying to get into IT thats why I went to college, uni just wasn't for me at the time, didn't enjoy school that much.
 
It has nothing to do with plumbers or builders, or posting pay slips lol

Epic thread tbh, thanks you :)
 
Note this is previous job

Job Title/Description: Ovi Store Internet Specialist

Typical day-to-day work: Data Anaylst

Highest qualification (GCSE/Diploma etc): HNC/MCSE

Job satisifaction (do you enjoy your day-to-day work): Loved It

Job security(do you feel you are at risk of having your job outsourced to india?): Nope, used to tell the Indians what to do.

Salary(optional): 31-35k depening on overtime, for 3 days a week

Currnet Job

Job Title/Description: It Tech

Typical day-to-day work: Fixing user problems

Highest qualification (GCSE/Diploma etc): HNC/MCSE

Job satisifaction (do you enjoy your day-to-day work): Hate it

Job security(do you feel you are at risk of having your job outsourced to india?): Safe but deadly boring

Salary(optional): Not enough
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom