Do you have an IT career? Are you a boy or a girl? [Archive]

dwarfthrower

10-07-2006, 01:26 PM

Inspired by the Geek Goddesses... (http://forums.zgeek.com/showthread.php?t=54466) thread, I'm interested in seeing how many of us have IT related careers (as opposed to those for whom geekery is more of a way of life than a paycheque) and split it down gender lines.

For the purposes of defining an IT career we'll stick with the fairly broad but easily defined, you have an IT career if your main job function involves the provision of an IT&T related product or service. For the purposes of defining male / female you can look in your own pants. (Students who's studies are targeted towards attaining an IT career feel free to answer in the affirmative)

Feel free to post details if you want.

Tyrany

10-07-2006, 01:34 PM

I've been in the IT industry since 1988. You think I would have learnt by now.

dwarfthrower

10-07-2006, 01:36 PM

Way to make a dude feel young again there mate... I started high-school in 1988 :)

Tyrany

10-07-2006, 01:50 PM

Way to make a dude feel young again there mate... I started high-school in 1988 :)

STFU and bring me my blanket, dagnabit. And my onion. I can't type without an onion.

Pirate

10-07-2006, 01:59 PM

I've been working in IT since 1998 or 99 I think.
Still am, will be forever I hope.

Tyrany

10-07-2006, 02:06 PM

To make matters worse, I started programming in 1982. In those days, it was BASIC on a Tandy TRS-80.

Since then I've worked as:
Computer operator on mainframes.
Systems and Network Programmer on mainframes.
DBA on mainframes.
Operations analyst on mainframes.
PC/LAN support.
Technical IT Manager.
Directories Specialist (Active Directory and eDirectory/NDS).
Server Engineer.
Team Leader.
Technical Architect/Team Leader (current role).

Colonel Kurtz

10-07-2006, 02:09 PM

sperm

10-07-2006, 02:09 PM

thats a tricky one DT

Im a chemical engineer and I commission control systems.
I dont really think of it as an IT industry, especially since Ive never done any formal computer training.

So, i'd have to go ahead and pick 'no', despite I tell people i 'work with computers'

your definition is too narrow.

Buffy

10-07-2006, 02:11 PM

I am not in IT, most of my early working life was IT related. Now I get to look after Pirate and help my mum run her office at the markets. Bananas are hot property atm, and they taste better than a hardrive :nods:

dwarfthrower

10-07-2006, 02:14 PM

Im a chemical engineer and I commission control systems.

you have an IT career if your main job function involves the provision of an IT&T related product or service.

I'd have said "yes".

So, i'd have to go ahead and pick 'no', despite I tell people i 'work with computers'

your definition is too narrow.
Fair enough... telling people "I work with computers" would be grounds for picking "yes".

sperm

10-07-2006, 02:26 PM

I see 'IT' or 'information technology', as more the help desk crew, mainframe support, web developers or base level core programming (all the stuff tyrany does)

Im not that.

ms edeity

10-07-2006, 02:29 PM

I'm a no.

sperm

10-07-2006, 02:39 PM

For the purposes of defining male / female you can look in your own pants.
I'm a no.

:eek:

RedMaN

10-07-2006, 02:42 PM

Been working in IT the same amount of time as Pirate, since approx. 1999.

10-07-2006, 02:50 PM

To make matters worse, I started programming in 1982. In those days, it was BASIC on a Tandy TRS-80.

You got me beat Tyrany... I started coding BASIC on an Atari 400 (http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=76) in 1983 (10yo) and then moved to Applesoft Basic on an Apple ][e (http://www.old-computers.com/MUSEUM/computer.asp?c=83) in 1985... Oh the days of simplicity :clap:

Once I had the taste for computers I never looked back. Now I've been working in web development for 9 years. Fun!

Tyrany

10-07-2006, 02:58 PM

You got me beat Tyrany... I started coding BASIC on an Atari 400 (http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=76) in 1983 (10yo) and then moved to Applesoft Basic on an Apple ][e (http://www.old-computers.com/MUSEUM/computer.asp?c=83) in 1985... Oh the days of simplicity :clap:

Once I had the taste for computers I never looked back. Now I've been working in web development for 9 years. Fun!

I did BASIC fora few years on different machines - TRS-80, Microbee, Sinclair ZX81, Vic 20 and COmmodore 64.

Then I started uni in 1986 and learnt Turbo Pascal on Apple II's and never really touched BASIC again.

dwarfthrower

10-07-2006, 03:01 PM

You got me beat Tyrany... I started coding BASIC on an Atari 400 (http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=76) in 1983 (10yo) and then moved to Applesoft Basic on an Apple ][e (http://www.old-computers.com/MUSEUM/computer.asp?c=83) in 1985... Oh the days of simplicity :clap:

Once I had the taste for computers I never looked back. Now I've been working in web development for 9 years. Fun!
Similar story here too, Commodore 64 in '84 aged 8 for me. 12 and a half years as a programmer / software architect / consultant for me.

imp

10-07-2006, 03:07 PM

I've been in IT since 1998 and have no intention of leaving it. :) I get a kick out of working in IT and I'm now looking at senior IT support roles. It's a big step up from the level 2 desktop/infrastructure support roles i've been in for the past 5 years.

I *heart* being a girl in IT. :)

ShinymetalASS

10-07-2006, 03:10 PM

I'm not in IT but my job could be described as shIT.

jasebert

10-07-2006, 05:02 PM

I am unfortunantly in IT. Sometimes I like it but shit I wish I was actually half decent at something else besides IT and being ridiculously good looking.

Tyrany

10-07-2006, 05:07 PM

I am unfortunantly in IT. Sometimes I like it but shit I wish I was actually half decent at something else besides IT and being good at looking ridiculous.

Fixed.

kiki

10-07-2006, 05:15 PM

I did a diploma in software engineering...vb6, c, oracle, java etc but never work in the industry.

Im now studying a double degree in librarianship and corporate information management and basically its all about databases and metadata...glad the diploma will be good for something...

rusky85

10-07-2006, 05:28 PM

I've been working in the IT industry since 2003 - start off as an Administrative Support Assistance to the companies IT Department, moved on to a Technical Support Office, Managed the Department for a year and now back to a Technical Support Officer.

I first used computers back when I was 8 on my Parents Amstrad - ahh the days of playing Rogue and drawing pictures.

Javaira

10-07-2006, 05:37 PM

No IT career here.

Still studying at UQ, but not IT, electrical engineering instead, sure it could lead to systems design, but I probably won't take that path.

dozer

10-07-2006, 06:14 PM

sadly yes for way too long, i have a 12 month plan to make it a no, and they say accountants are boring.

Faceplant

10-07-2006, 06:41 PM

I used to do all the inter-webby related stuff for a National sports chain over here in NZ, paid well and all the cheap outdoor kit you could imagine.

...then for some reason I quit and become a teacher???

Fucked if i know why, now as part of my responsibilities I'm in charge of teaching the other old technophobes how their laptops can make life esier for them.

...but that's ggetting old, so I think I might just start up my own PR/media/design house for a giggle.

Oh, and in my spare time I help people out by building sites for them.

excalibur

10-07-2006, 06:51 PM

I'm not in IT, but I'm in technology, plasma TV's, projectors, sound systems. AMX control systems (love 'em, ultimate shiny).

Hit And Rum

10-07-2006, 07:07 PM

I am not in IT but I manage an IT recruitment office.

Anyone want a job?!?!?

kiki

10-07-2006, 07:34 PM

I am not in IT but I manage an IT recruitment office.

Anyone want a job?!?!?

not yet but I will :)

kré

10-07-2006, 07:37 PM

IT since 99

Steely

10-07-2006, 08:06 PM

IT since 94/95, but i'd dabbled with "programming" (read typing stuff into the big black box out of the programming book) on the old VZ-200 in about 85/86?, not sure if that counts ;)

Bifrost

10-07-2006, 09:06 PM

I wouldn't call what I have a "career". What I have is a filler until I become a professional fiction writer.

...Yes, I will die an IT worker. :(

Spades

10-07-2006, 10:28 PM

punchcards anyone?????? fucken pieces of shit. Now all development is just code stolen from the web!!!!

PM (mainly IT cause it pays more) since late 90's

stinky

10-07-2006, 10:36 PM

IT since '96 officially, unofficially very early 90's helping my old man with his now defunct second hand computer business.

Am now IT manager of the Australian branch of the world's best independent games developer and plan to be for a long time to come. I wouldn't make games for the world, but there's nothing better than making life easier for those poor souls that do.

Hit And Rum

11-07-2006, 12:43 AM

beowulf437

11-07-2006, 01:06 AM

I graduated with a degree in electrical engineering in 1981. Worked of and on as a component level troubleshooter/technician in the vending machine industry from 1981 to 1997. In 1997 I got a job with a small goverment contractor as a field technician since then we have been bought out twice, but I still have my job.

macgyver

11-07-2006, 01:34 AM

interesting thread, I left school at the end of year 11 (just couldnt take it anymore!) and helped a mate start an ISP back in 96 before the ISP boom in WA, managed between the 2 of us to get it going well by 98/99 and got a few extra staff, bought out multiple ISP's started by mining companies after the bubble burst in 2000.

By then the margins on ISP work and all the headaches attached with thousands of clueless home users started to get to much and we branched out into IT consulting alot more and gradually got this going very well. Did this for 5 years up until now, and I actually managed to get my MCSE along the way just so I could wave a bit of paper around in case I ever wanted a job with someone else.

In the end the thought of having a boss after my whole career of not answering to anyone I decided to leave my job after almost 10 years and go into the wide world of contracting! Its only been 3 months since I started but it was the best move I made - more money, less work, no one to answer to when the projects done - yeehoo!!

That was almost my life story from the last 10 years other than the odd sordid affair and selling my soul to my mortgage manager. hmmm, the joys of adulthood!

bitch

11-07-2006, 08:22 PM

I've been working in IT since 1998 or 99 I think.
Still am, will be forever I hope.

Me too. Same years (got job in 98 / started in 99) and same place - what a great breeding ground it was in those days for interesting people.

Over the years, I've worked my way up and continued to develop my skills. Currently, I'm working for a financial institution (woot!) and have the nifty sounding title of a Systems Management Specialist - which basically means I use my network and server skills to design, implement and bring into this century, their NMS.

To get to the orignal purpose of the thread, I have met very few women in IT that I can respect.

And by no means have they been members of the ACS - actually, I've never met anyone from the ACS that wasn't a fuckwit!

To me, a good IT person is someone who has the skills, while an awesome IT person is someone who both has the skills but also the maturity and communicative nature to explain them and interact well with "the business".

I've worked with lots of guys who have the skills but only a few who can communicate well, I've worked with a few women who can communicate but can't think their way out of a soggy paper bag and I've worked with too many who just make me ashamed of my gender.

dwarfthrower

11-07-2006, 08:50 PM

I've never met anyone from the ACS that wasn't a fuckwit!
Truer words are yet to be uttered.

Vardsy

11-07-2006, 08:54 PM

My father is a member of the ACS

dwarfthrower

11-07-2006, 09:00 PM

My condolences.

jasebert

11-07-2006, 09:09 PM

I was going to say the same thing about the ACS. Talk about an irrelevant 'society'. What is their purpose? The ACS were big in the public service, and I went a meeting about data cryptography thinking how cool this was. It enforced the fact that ACS are so out of touch with IT it was not funny.
Just to clarify my experience (I have had more than one experience with ACS, but I will just keep it to this one) I went to this data cryptography seminar which was suppose to be about different algorithms and their real world uses and how data retrieval is done. For 1 hour it was about this chick, who used to work along side people who did some 'cool' things with 'cool' technology and what it was like to work alongside people who knew about data cryptography and how she managed them.
I was very WTF!!!!! And in the end she claimed she was a data cryptography expert. Very public service like.

Hairyman

11-07-2006, 09:52 PM

Afta Image

11-07-2006, 10:03 PM

Starting on a Helpdesk at my company doing mindless IT support to end user's (the old it's not a coffee holder, its a CD rom drive shit).

I have moved around in my company alot, and current do project management so though I am not technical, I am still working in the world of IT.

To be honest, I thought I would never do this, always be technical but then I realised all the money is in other lines of work.

foolish42

12-07-2006, 10:39 AM

I don't work in IT, I'm a network engineer. IT involves computers, and I do not do computers any more :)

ShinymetalASS

12-07-2006, 10:54 AM

AMX control systems (love 'em, ultimate shiny).

I'm *almost* offended by that :)

Glompbot

12-07-2006, 11:15 AM

I've been using computers since 1992.
I started working in IT based roles since the 1st of May 2002, after I was promoted from Admin Assistant.

The role wasn't heavily techy, it was a combination of tech and data manipulation. I was there until 30th of June 2003

After that (2 july 2003 to 5 august 2005) I worked doing first level ISP support and occasional TSA work and accounts work and sales work for Ozemail and when they got bought, iinet. I supported corporate and end users.

Since the 8th of August 2005 I've been contracted to apple via an agency. Doing first level tech support for apple supporting corporate, education, key customers, and also end users from the whole asia pac region (au, nz, hk)

I'm currently looking for a helpdesk role as opposed to a technical support role... I should have a new job within a month.

dwarfthrower

12-07-2006, 11:22 AM

I'm currently looking for a helpdesk role as opposed to a technical support role.
Seeing as I've not had any experience with either, I'm curious as to what the difference between the two roles is?

Glompbot

12-07-2006, 11:26 AM

Technical support is what I do now
its generally callcentre based, supporting customers who have paid for a product. I guess its a customer service role more than a technical role.

helpdesk roles are generally phone based, or ticket based, but not callcentre, they're supporting internal users (who all work at the same company) rather than customers

dwarfthrower

12-07-2006, 12:03 PM

So tech support would also tend to be focused down a particular stream of products or services while a helpdesk role would see a more diverse range of queries?

Sounds like a logical step up.

Glompbot

12-07-2006, 12:31 PM

I don't know if its more diverse.
I currently support a whole fuckload of products...

Sagacious

12-07-2006, 12:34 PM

I don't know if its more diverse.
I currently support a whole fuckload of products...

Is that a metric fuckload* or are we working in feet and inches?

* acknowledgement must go to dwarfthrower for the metric fuckload reference

plasmo

18-07-2006, 12:46 AM

Mum was a programmer, Dad an engineer, so I too had the Amstrad, the 386.. played hack, then nethack. Sat on dialup hitting redial to login to Mum's uni account. Downloaded games from bulletin boards. Lucky to have access to computers really young.

I did information management, with hons in computing. Entered the full time work force just as the bubble was bursting, and did pretty well as a web developer, then moved into knowledge management. It's a bit of a catch-all of a job.

Oh and Kiki, have you seen that Mahlab just released their 2006 survey? Latest salary tables might come in handy when you have that diploma. :)

dwarfthrower

18-07-2006, 08:14 AM

KM is an interesting field, a lot of the software I write is geared to that sort of space.
(gratuitous plug (http://www.enableapps.com.au/EnableIndex.htm))

plasmo

18-07-2006, 07:12 PM

That's funny dwarfthrower, from past posts, I believe my firm is already engaging your company's services.

Cool to see what you're into.

dwarfthrower

18-07-2006, 07:17 PM

I believe my firm is already engaging your company's services.
Excellent work

intCountWorldDomination++;

metalhed00

19-07-2006, 05:25 AM

Looks down pants.

Sees penis (rather large).

"I am a man."

Get's thrown out of work.

Buffalo

19-07-2006, 12:16 PM

Excellent work

intCountWorldDomination++;

intCountZeppelinHQ++;

Ic3

19-07-2006, 12:29 PM

I've been in IT since 2001 when I started as a web developer. Now working for a nice company as an IT Consultant.

Much more enjoyable. I still get to do my development, but in a range of languages, but also get to interact with clients, write reviews and manage a wide range of different types of projects.

Plus the money is better, but I'm not in it for the money.

t101

19-07-2006, 12:40 PM

After playing around with a borrowed TRS-80 (goddamn Bedlam was fun) when I was a kid (must have been around 1986 or so) I went through a variety of crappy useless 'computers' (broke my ZX-80 playing ZX-90 games on it, and my 2nd hand MedFly Apple ][ compatible really isn't worth mentioning). Started uni in a physics degree, found that to be profoundly boring (and much harder than high-school physics) so changed over to comp-sci. After learning Smalltalk and C I moved over to perl, then got a job as a security analyst/programmer at a small but renowned not-for-profit company.

And I'm still there :)

Hired Goon

21-07-2006, 12:30 AM

I've been working in IT for about seven years. I have most recently been in a non technical role writing business cases, mainly for system upgrades. I thought it would be a challenge, but turns out it's hella boring. so I quit, and now I'm going back to proper IT as technical team leader for the company that made me redundant nine months ago. Should be good.

Ford Prefect

28-07-2006, 10:00 PM

I've been running my own repair business for about 3 years now.....

One day i learn how to do it

still life

19-08-2006, 07:26 PM

Always have been....

.. will hopefully one day retire and go racing instead.

Maleficent

24-08-2006, 11:25 AM

I'm a chick in IT. Funnily enough my position is IT Officer. Only just gotten into the field professionally but personally, I've been stuffing around with computers since I was 10 (soo long ago!). I'm only a TO1 now (Technical Officer) but aspire to be a TO4 one day and do my boss out of his job. Heaps more responsibility but also a nice pay-packet to go with it. ;)