A field that pays well, but only good developers
IT can be broken down into many different branches, which makes for a wide range of professions. These include, for example
- web developers
- mobile developer
- system administrator
- network architect
- data scientist
- ...
And many of them can be broken down into three variants: front-end (for those who deal with what's displayed on the screen, for example), back-end (for everything that can't be seen when using a web or mobile application, such as data management) and full-stack (for those who know how to handle both front-end and back-end).
In fact, some of these professions are brand new to the IT world, and it's a safe bet that there will be many more as technology evolves.
The main reason we're talking about these professions is that each of them has its own salary level: a system administrator and a network architect will not earn the same salary. But even more important: this salary is obviously not fixed, it is (or at least it should be) proportional to your skills and level of experience in the job you're applying for.
The problem? Here it is: a (very) good developer is one who is (very) passionate about what he does.
Having taught both at university and via online courses, I can guarantee that a developer who isn't passionate about what he does is either :
- not in the right line of work
- not cut out for IT (for a number of reasons we'll discuss below)
- or hasn't learnt to code through exciting courses
In the last case, it's a bit like the teacher(s) we've all known who really put us off a subject. In my case, it was French! Believe it or not, I've learned to love the subject again since then, and I read up to two books a week.
The idea is not to flatter myself, but to prove to you that it's never too late to start afresh: take the time to choose your courses, and to choose the person or people who will teach you to program. It's a choice that will radically change the way you see the world of computing, it's as simple as that.
Being a developer often means having your computer as your life companion
So yes, we have enormous possibilities as developers: we can work from sofas, swings (not very comfortable, mind you!), hammocks (a must-have) and a plethora of other places. But there's one thing we can't change at the moment, and that's our intensive use of the computer.
It may seem a little obvious when you put it like that, but I can assure you that some people sacrifice themselves internally trying to force themselves to enjoy working all day on a computer, and I've seen many of them become unhappy.
If you aspire to a life outside, or if you want to work with your hands, to have deep social relationships (other than the occasional meeting with your team to review the tasks at hand), please don't go into computers, do it for your own happiness.
Patience, a non-negotiable quality
As IT professionals, we all need to be patient when we embark on our projects. I'm fond of alluding to Professor Layton's quest to solve riddles: being in IT often means spending your day solving them!
Reality is very different from what we see in the movies. You know, those famous scenes where a programmer codes programs at full speed on his keyboard: that's not how a developer's day is spent. In fact, a significant part of a developer's time is spent... thinking.
Thinking about what, you might ask?
Well, thinking about the best way to do this or that functionality; thinking about how to solve a problem with that damn form that doesn't work as expected; thinking about the dozens of problems that could emerge if he modifies that little part of the program; thinking about the security problems that what he's doing could cause... and the list goes on!
So yes, with time and experience, you too will be able to program at full speed with a good playlist of bass-filled music, in the middle of the night. But that's often when you know exactly what you're doing, and in the corporate world, that's not often the case!
Not that you don't have the skills to do what you're asked to do, far from it (if you've been properly trained)! But the projects a developer will be working on are so different that, quite often, he'll always have to go through a more or less lengthy stage of reflection (especially when he's not the only one working on the project, which is often the case in a company).
Working in the IT industry often means self-learning
IT is a fast, fast-moving world! It's essential to know how to keep abreast of the latest versions of the technologies we use, and to be constantly “connected” to the latest developments in the field in which we work.
It's a skill you may not need right away if you're taking a very good training course that already covers everything that's out there (and at believemy, that's exactly what we offer!), but sooner or later you'll have to learn for yourself as new technologies emerge that could help you.
So expect training throughout your IT career, and I believe that a company worthy of the name will always offer its teams the chance to progress via training courses offered by management, but if this isn't the case, don't wait to train yourself. That would be the worst mistake you could make.
If you'd prefer a job where you learn all at once, and don't need to train again afterwards, then maybe a career in IT isn't for you, and I'd urge you to look elsewhere for your happiness.
Here are the main observations I've made on the tens of thousands of students I've trained to date. If you have other observations, share them on our social networks, and I'll add them to this article!