Life of an IT Geek
- Wade
I am an IT geek.
I'm not ashamed, for the most part. I haven't built my own computer. I don't know the names of all of the people who started Microsoft. I don't watch movies about hobbits.
But I do know the difference between a LAN and a WAN. I can explain the difference between do...while loops and do...until loops. I can write an XML DTD... and tell you what those acronyms stand for.
The life of an IT geek has its perks. For example, the pay is generally pretty good. People who aren't as computer-literate ask you questions and value your opinions. You're able to read articles written by Bill Simmons before the link is posted to the ESPN Page2 homepage.
But there are downfalls. You get typecast as someone who has all of the episodes of Star Trek Voyager memorized. Breaking into other careers is difficult, people assume that you can't transition from technology to a different field very easily. Eye strain. And who knows what sitting next to a computer and monitor for 8 hours a day until retirement will do to your insides?
I majored in Political Science and Economics, not very technical fields. I took my first job as a computer consultant because a) wadE worked there and (mostly) b) it paid well. I don't regret anything about it. I think, though, that one lesson I want to stress to my kid(s), though, is to choose your vocation based on your interests instead of salary prospects. As much as I (um) love writing technical requirements and buzzing around mainframe screens, I can think of more personally rewarding careers. I guess that's why many IT geeks get paid well, so we can marry teachers who get paid squat but are actually doing some good for the world.
Do I have a point? Not really. I guess it would be something about how knowing about parameters, arrays, and DHTML isn't all the glitz and glam it's cracked up to be. But it's probably better than being a Political Scientist. Or an Economist.
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feedback. Maybe we'll even run your letters in future Gambits. 'The Daily Gambit' is updated every weekday.
