Boredom
Working for a long time in the same job can make the routine functions, duties, and responsibilities mundane. Network administrators, for instance, may become bored with monitoring networks and the responsibilities involved in keeping them running. Similarly, PC repair technicians may become bored with troubleshooting the same errors over and over. When boredom hits, job performance often falls and daily tasks and responsibilities can suffer. Rather than looking for a job elsewhere, consider asking for more or varied responsibilities for your current role. Chances are if you're the type of person who bores easily, you may just as quickly become bored with one job as another. Consider taking a proactive approach to create additional or diverse responsibilities to your role.
Lack of Upward Mobility
If, after working for a company for some time, it becomes apparent that the job lacks any possibility for advancement, it may be necessary to change jobs to meet your career goals and keep your skills current. The possibility for advancement is more of a concern for some IT professionals and not for others. You may not want to work towards being the senior database programmer responsible for the entire programming department in a large company. Knowing your career goals is the answer to the advancement issue. Look carefully at your current company and see whether there are other departments in which advancement is possible. Alternatively, consider a path toward a managerial position that may be available. Many large companies offer managerial training programs, and encourage current employees to take part in these programs.
Money
Lets face it, the possibility of earning more money can provide strong motivation for a job change. No doubt about it, jobs in IT can be financially rewarding. If your company doesn't offer a competitive salary and benefits package, an experienced IT professional should not have a problem finding a higher-paying job elsewhere. IT professionals should keep in touch with the value of their skills and experience. Ways to do this include monitoring online employment agencies and reviewing what other IT professionals are earning for similar job responsibilities. If you can prove that you are being underpaid, broach the subject with your manager. Be prepared, however, for the fact that your manager may not see things in the same light that you do.You also may want to factor in some things that you might perceive as an added value to your straight salary-things such as benefits, work environment, opportunities, growth prospects, the size and type of company, and how this all sizes up in light of your needs.
Dislike of the Job
Some people spend considerable time and money training and becoming certified for a particular occupation only to discover they really don't like it. Unfortunately, you may make this discovery only after you are actually doing the job. If you continue to work at something you don't like, even though it offers good pay and an opportunity for advancement, you are wasting your time and are working below your capacity. Although this can seem like a no-win situation, there are often changes that can be made to allow you to continue in your current technical field, while at the same time changing the way you work. For example, if you have a few years experience in a given field, you can consider becoming a trainer or try and get a technical sales role.You may be surprised at the demand for technically capable individuals in these fields, too.
Self-Employment
Many IT professionals choose to take the skills, knowledge, and experiences gained from working and use this to start their own businesses. In fact, some businesses and companies prefer to hire freelance IT contractors rather than permanent IT professionals on regular payroll. However, self-employment in the IT industry is not necessarily your ticket to easy street. Permanent positions often come with a string of benefits which, as a self-employed professional, you must obtain and purchase for yourself. It is also worth mentioning that often people find themselves uncomfortable with the fact they are no longer guaranteed a paycheck each month.
Businesses today require a constant stream of self-employed individuals to contract new IT business.Therefore, as you're working on one project, you need to be thinking about what other contacts you need to make to secure yourself with future projects. Many IT professionals fail as freelance contractors not due to technical skill, but to a lack of business savvy. If you are considering self employment, consider all the things you don't get by being self employed, such as pensions, health and dental plans, and other corporate benefits. If it is possible to do so, assign a dollar value to each of these things and add up the total. You might just be surprised at how much extra money you need to make as a freelancer to pay for all of these benefits.
If you do decide to become an IT freelancer, you should approach the situation with caution. Find out what other professionals with skills and experience similar to your own are earning, and try to ascertain how easily they are finding work. Also consider that the fluid nature of an IT contractor means that it is often necessary to relocate, sometimes frequently, to find suitable positions. Relocating may not be as much of a problem if you live and work in a large city. If you live in a smaller city, however, it may be an issue.
What many people forget when they decide to become an IT freelancer is that the work does not end when you finish at the office. Tasks such as accounting and bookkeeping must be done after the normal work day. Although you can offload much of the related paperwork on agents and accountants, all of these tasks cost money. You may find yourself paying out more than you expected, eroding any financial advantage that you gained from going freelance in the first place. In addition, keeping your skills up to date can prove to be problematic. No one can do that for you, and you need to consider that every day spent away from work on a training course is lost income, not to mention the fact that you now have to pay for the training course rather than an employer.
Having said that, if you can gain a financial advantage, don't mind the extra work, and can cope with the fluid work situation that freelancing brings, it may be right for you. Many experienced IT personnel have made successful careers as freelancers. If you want to know what it is really like, it is worth talking to a freelancer to gain a deeper perspective.
