3 reasons to consider a career in technology on National Techies Day

We live in an age of amazing technological achievements.  A career in Information Technology, in particular, can be an amazing experience and career for many.

Today is National Techies Day, a day to celebrate those in the broad field of technology and invite students to consider careers in tech.  Today I'm going to discuss three key reasons a career in technology, especially IT might be right for you. These three items describe the benefits of working in IT as well as the kind of people who thrive in this line of work.

1. Technology is an Ever-Changing Landscape.

I was born in 1970 and was fortunate enough to grow up with the advent of the personal computer.  I have used and learned from mainframe systems, TRS-80 model III’s, Commodore 64’s, Apple Macintosh from 1984 through the present, many flavors of Microsoft OS’s from good old DOS and Win 3.1 through to Windows 10. I have owned, used and supported personal devices from blackberries through current iPhones and iPads. I've seen a lot of change just in my lifetime alone.

My love of hardware, PC's and understanding how they work in an ever-changing landscape provides me an endless supply of new Hardware and Software to use and explore.  If you enjoy the new, a dynamic landscape, like I do in IT may be perfect for you.

2. You're always learning something new.

This one goes hand in hand with the changing landscape.  New technology, software, programs and so on provide ample opportunity to learn just about anything you want to learn.  Want to be a developer? There are so many programming languages you can learn.  Want to be a server admin/do networking? Platforms are always growing and changing.  I've done everything from answering phones to learning to administer systems such as Symantec AV/SEP and Altiris.  

What do all these varied tech experiences have in common?  I had to learn new technology and software at every turn.  If I don’t keep up my tech chops, I would never have been able to advance my career into a consultant/project manager role overseeing some pretty large projects.  With technology, you're always in a role of learning and growing. There's no stagnancy in this industry.

3. New Challenges.

If you can both adapt to an ever-changing landscape and always be learning, then you can take on new challenges.  A career in IT will provide new challenges and opportunities, sometimes daily. I have answered phones, climbed under desks, hauled equipment, been in wiring closets, standing at the front of classrooms and sitting in boardrooms discussing large consulting projects that I then get to run. You're only as stagnant in your career in IT as you allow yourself to be.  It may mean that you have to change companies to find those new challenges and they are out there for everyone. 

If you enjoy the idea of living in an ever-changing technology advanced situation, always learning and embracing challenges, a career in IT might just be the right path for you.