The mortgage industry employs quite a few database administrators, network admins, application developers, etc. Many of them will be hitting the market soon … As with anything else, increasing inventory means longer time on market and lower prices.
Some IT professionals are doing very well right now as there is an acute shortage in some specialties. I say “acute” in the medical sense of “severe but brief.” My former employer spent beaucoup bucks on $150/hr consultants … they dressed nicely, talked a great line of bull, but didn’t accomplish much. (One day I actually caught one of them reading a “PHP for Dummies” type book.) I’m guessing your McMansion acquaintances have some sweet consulting gig like that … where the important skill is self-promotion, not technical expertise.
I’d say that mid-career professionals are in the best position. They have the experience to be productive, and the stuff they learned in school is still fresh and relevant. Me importantly, management thinks they’ll settle for a modest salary, and they pose less of a threat to the people making the hiring decisions.
But as others have mentioned, entry-level work isn’t easy to come by. Most employers would rather wait months or years to find the perfect candidate rather than take a chance on some kid fresh out of school. Skills are hard to assess from an interview, and a large percentage of resumes are padded or fraudulent, so many jobs are filled through the buddy system.
If you really want to go into IT, consider government work. You’ll have some job security, a long-term career path, and a secure pension plan, even if the pay is low. That’s what I did … I even passed up a counteroffer from my old employer and a standing offer at a big defense contractor.
For education … depends on what you want to do, but I’d consider an accredited four-year college or a good community college myself. Last I heard Palomar had an excellent program. As does Saddleback College in Mission Viejo.
Some of the vocational schools are good, but some are wretched … and they’re all expensive. And the crash programs have a reputation for “teaching the test” … just enough information to pass the certification exams, with no real hands-on experience.
And don’t go into IT if you’re sensitive or thin-skinned. People in other departments will treat you like ****, send you profane e-mail, steal your parking spaces, etc. and your managers will expect you to put up with it for political reasons. Think of yourself as the office janitor with more pay. Speaking of which, you’re likely to make good friends with the janitorial crew as you’ll be working during the same hours.
Are there rewards? Certainly. There’s the satisfaction of a job well done. There’s the chance to work around people with sharp analytical minds. And there’s the camaraderie … no one in my department ever stabbed me in the back for a promotion or a raise. (Probably because there were no promotions or raises to be had.) Just don’t go into this for the money.
