IT FIELD: Help with finding a niche?

[INTroJect]

Hello Fello INTJers. I am currently a business analyst for an IT contract. The specific job that I am doing is very tedious with the federal and state laws and procedures and the classifications for specific case data that is all just very...specific. I can do ok at it but it feels like pulling teeth to get my mind to focus on this material and it is never ending. I'm probably bothered by this because I can't see where this is going to apply to anything except to keep me sitting here at this very desk, forever, with a future of nothing more than charity for pay raises because this knowledge applies nowhere else but this (and the fact that I am just not that good at it).

I have been working on the Project Manager Certification and I do like project management. We also have .NET programmers and a group working with SAS. I am not Mr. Mathematics, in fact I'm 26 and I have always had trouble with my Left and Rights and I still use my fingers to do simple calculations. In the general sense I do like IT a lot for the human engineering aspect of it but I am not going to be content with stumbling around with these details for much longer.

Any IT experts out there who can help with doing an analysis of this and pinpointing a direction to get things to where I want them to be? After I finish the project manager certification a co-worker/friend of mine said that he would help me with learning ASP.NET and I have the front end of a simple application designed that, later, I can do the backend programming. I also really like the SAS application, a lot, that the company is working on for another project but I dont know if I would feel the same way about programming.

We INTJs are the best at taking in this kind of information and knowing what direction people should take. Could someoen out there help me out with a little reverse analysis? I'd rather stay where I am than waste this company's time by saying "I want to do this" them transfer me and then I get there and feel just the same.

Tnx.

[HackerX]

Forget programming. Become/stick with being a BA and/or project lead. Look into systems analysis.

You'd probably find the same role, in another company more rewarding.

[iamnotspock]

Any IT experts out there who can help with doing an analysis of this and pinpointing a direction to get things to where I want them to be?

Tnx.

I can. I've run a web dev business for ten years. We built apps in ASP, PHP, and Perl on SQL Server and Sybase. In addition to programming I've done the E-R modeling, T-SQL coding, RAD docs, UI design in HTML/CSS, the whole works. As well as sysadmin on *nix boxes. My primary role was consultant and project manager but since I owned the business I had to attend to all aspects and got my feet wet in everything. So here are a few thoughts for you:

First off, you have a job. That is good. Don't bail on it until you line up something better. Take your time. Appreciate the paycheck.

Second, figure out your industry. On Wall Street, Sybase still rules. On the web, it's often Postgresql or MySQL and PHP. Corporate environment wants J2EE. Gov often goes .NET and C#. RAD shops might use Ruby on Rails. It pays to know the technology of the industry you are targeting.

Third, keep in mind that at the programming level you compete globally against kids in China India and East Europe. You have to make yourself unoutsourceable. That means more like writing specifications than writing code. But, to be good at that level, you do have to understand programming.

Most important, to be any good in this industry takes time. Hacking together some code is not where it's at. You have to understand the concepts and create a reusable, maintainable architecture. These days, UML design, Object Oriented programming on a Model View Controller Frameworks is standard practice. One advantage of this approach is that if you use an Object Relational Database you may be able to skip dealing with SQL and it's many flavors. In other words, you can specialize in this area.

In fact, if I could do anything now I would play with Ruby on Rails. It's OO, MVC, ORM, RAD, and a bunch of other hot acronyms, too. Ruby is sexy. And you can build stuff fast to bulk up your portfolio. Even if you never use it again, you'll improve your OO approach. And object orientation is here to stay.

This is all from a web dev perspective, though. I don't know anything about SAS or that kind of stuff. But I would say, find something you really enjoy doing, keep working on it, and you will get good. Then you will be valuable. And then your job security and salary go up.

Feel free to ask questions...

[INTroJect]

This must be what its like to have angels falling from heaven. You are full of answers here to things that I have been flopping around trying to get a grasp on. I wish that we could talk in person because I have a lot that I would like to understand.

What got you into the web development business? I am glad to meet an INTJ who is into the business side of things.

In the ultimate sense I am definately happy that I have this job, no plans on bailing out any time soon. Everyone who I work with here is great and I enjoy being around so many smart people. I'm just not too sure about having my future to be dependent on how many years I have been showing up and sitting at this desk...whats the purpose/benefit of pushing myself to grow when a lot of times it seems that the main focus is "how many years have you been doing this?" rather than "what can you do?" Maybe its because its a government T&M contract.

Also, I would like to push myself into a direction for personal development (I just certified as a project manager and am now starting to learn .NET and will be starting on an IT masters program in a few weeks) but I don't know what area to familiarize myself except to just pick a direction and start moving. Why would someone pick one industry over another and what criteria do you use? I am eligible for Spanish citizenship and would really like to move back to Europe...how would you go about this?

Why is it that these different industries pick different technologies? I have never even heard of Sybase or J2EE, would .NET just not work? I've mentioned SAS to people before and it seems that it is not a very well known language but here on the project and in this company its SAS SAS SAS all the time. Why do you suppose that is?

Being an INTJ, how do you go about business development?

[Kingmannie]

I'm a computer games programmer. For me programming is very rewarding because you are always learning. I find new things out and i will always be learning, i am a good programmer because i like to solve problems, i like to be able to do this to a high standard because i feel like the people around me respect me for it.

Because I'm a solid programmer i can be a games programmer, you cant be a mediocre programmer and be a respected programmer if you are on a games project.

Another thing that pushed me into game programming is my interest in it. I worked in an office for a year and a half before it and i worked in a call center for a year after that. I give up on office work and decided to take a trade up, that failed and i was left in the same situation you are in now.

Look first to your interests in the I.T field and figure out what the problem really is.

Maybe it is just your colleagues because thats what pushed me out of my first job. If it is your colleagues then i don't think you like your job as much as you should and maybe a job change is what you need.

Were only on the planet for a certain amount of time and a job is a big part of your life, you need it to be what you want so if a job change is necessary your better just biting the bullet.

My 2 cents

Simon

[iamnotspock]

Well, glad to be of some help. My own path: I started messing around with computers when I was about 12. I was usually the resident computer guy for stuff. I did tech support jobs in high school, and then got into a database programming job in college. After college I simply learned some HTML and chased after any contracts I could get. Eventually I learned ASP and then Perl and then PHP and JavaScript and SQL and started building "real" web apps.

In order to get business I called classified ads in papers, got business cards and called people, and told everybody about what I did. Once I had some good clients I worked to increase those contracts rather than chase new ones.

As far as where you should start, there are three things to consider. First, where could you get in the door? There could be opportunities around your workplace to get hired. Or contractors who might hire you if you had the skills. Or you could just look at want ads for entry level positions.

Second, what kind of skills they are asking for? You don't want to be expert in X if all they want is Y. Might as well learn something in demand.

Third, what would you really like to do? You have to love programming to be good at it. It's not a 9-5 job. You love doing it and you are happy to get paid for it. So what would you love to do? Look at some different types of technologies and play with them. What intrigues you?

Ultimately, you are looking for an overlap between what you can get, what is in demand, and what you like to do. That way, you end up with a job you enjoy. Makes sense?

Lastly, keep in mind that it takes time to work your way up this industry. If you start doing stuff now, gain some credentials, skills, etc. and you are focused in the right direction, you will sooner or later find an opportunity to get paid for it. That's pretty much how things evolved for me. People saw I could do what they needed done, I liked to do it, so the pieces fit.

[errrzarrr]

Forget programming. Become/stick with being a BA and/or project lead. Look into systems analysis.

You'd probably find the same role, in another company more rewarding.
Hey! what's BA¡!?

I am Telemathics Engineer btw. I know about Electronics (just the basics to understand comunications), Digital/Analog telecommunications, Networking (routing and that stuff) and programming.

On the Programming side I do prefer and like Web Developing area. But I am something like confussed, I ended the University and I havent started to work, because of that confussion. I like programming but i think with time it becomes like slavery, besides I dont know if improve the PHP area, the Ruby area or the ASP or the JEE, studyng all of it is not a good idea at all. Then there's the IT area, Networking, maybe it is better but I have to take a decision and certificate on CNNA. Besides, I am thinking to fly to Spain (I read TheLoneINTJ said something like that)

[Siegfried]

Am 26 and being generation Y, I was in a similar situation a while ago - worked as a Product Manager, BA, Project Manager - always trying to figure out where I fit the best and never being happy.

As Kingmannie pointed out, you first have to figure out what it is that you are really happy doing (or you think you'll be happy doing) and then finding more about it and in the best case, trying it out to see whether it fits. As INTJ you can overanalyze alernatives, not being able to decide, which you should try to avoid.

I like to solve problems and constantly enjoy keeping pace with the latest stuff in IT, which is a real challenge. Early on, I got really interested in the human aspect of high-tech companies and being a problem-solver I started to think how to solve "soft, but hard problems" such as motivating people, building great teams, designing an enjoyable workplace, adapting useful systems etc... I started reading up more about the subject and slowly realized that I found something where I can combine my intuitive skills together with an engineering attitude to solve problems.

For a while now, I've been working as a head of operaions of a small software startup, which has been a great experience so far. It is really stimulating, but sometimes I only wish I stayed with rela development a bit longer and got more exposure to the code, since it certainly helps later on.

So my 2 cents would be - keep learning, even if you think it's not important, everything you learn will slowly lead you to something you consider important and will thoroughly enjoy.

As for your interest in coming to Europe, this is certainly a good time to come over - there is an acute shortage of qualified IT specialists in many European countries, but it's quite region specific (Europeans aren't that mobile), so make sure to do your research - just contact a bunch of headhunters in places you want to go to and ask about the market.

[errrzarrr]

uh, thanks a lot! I've heard about that shortage. Where in Europe do you live? Could you name me those specific regions ?

[Siegfried]

Hi errrzarrr,

I live in Rhein-Main area of Germany, close to Frankfurt.

Specific regions include those in high-cost countries, where there is high demand for IT services, since there are either big IT companies in the area or just large multinationals that always need IT folks.

I personally know that the following regions have this problem:

- pretty much all large cities in western Germany: there simply aren't enough skilled IT graduates to fill the demand. Just in our region, we're competing with the likes of SAP, Software AG, Deutsche Bank, Commerzbank, Siemens, BASF etc... It's ridiculous, we're registered with several headhunters and there are simply no CVs coming in

- London - European financial hub, but not sure how the current financial climate will affect IT market there this year

- Brussels - lots of large companies and multinationals

- Ireland - many companies from US setup their European HQs there for tax reasons and this triggered quite a demand for IT specialists

- Switzerland - many large multinationals, population of the country is relatively small and wages of other professions too high, so outsiders are in need

I don't know that for sure, but my good guess would be that Netherlands is in a very similar situation to the countries above. There are probably many other regions in a similar situation, maybe someone else on this forum can comment on that.

I don't know much about Spain. :-(

[errrzarrr]

I appreciate your information. Something similar happens in Spain.

[INTroJect]

I do know from when I was living there that the main concentration of IT work is in Madrid and Barcelona. Sadly, not much of anything in the other parts.