The highs (and lows) of the tech industry

SO, IS TECH FOR ME?

The highs (and lows) of the tech industry

There is a lot of good things about working in technology, especially in this vibrant digital age. However, as with most things, there exists a dark side to tech. You won’t be adequately prepared to start working in this field until you know what to expect from the best it has to offer, as well as from the worst.

LET’S START WITH THE ‘GOOD’! Tech is cool!

This is probably one of the most compelling reasons to pursue a career in tech. Whether you’re developing a cuttingedge mobile phone application or coding for a famous company like Facebook, there’s no denying that tech has the ‘cool’ factor. If you’re lucky, you won’t even have to feign interest in your daily tasks because they’ll be intrinsically fascinating. Tech is a great career for people who love gadgets, technology and thinking about the future of computing.

It’s a fast-growing industry

According to the Australian Trade and Investments Commission, Australia’s tech market is worth nearly A$100 billion, making it the fifth largest market in the Asia-Pacific region and the 14th largest in the world. Importantly, the industry is growing faster than Australian universities can produce new tech professionals. In other words, talented tech graduates will be in high demand and can reasonably expect to find themselves in stimulating positions at organisations poised to continue growing.

The pay can be great

In 2016, Seek Australia reported that the average salary for an Australian employee was $80,196. By contrast, the average salary for tech professionals was $101,273. Even more promisingly, the average salary for employees coming from a mathematics, statistics and information sciences background had grown by 12 per cent from 2015, amounting to $106,970. All of this means that graduates recruited into tech positions can look forward to being well-remunerated for their efforts, as they progress in their careers. Of course, salaries will vary depending on role, seniority and type of company, so keep that in mind.

There are great perks

Top companies offer their employees excellent benefits, including free fitness classes and meals, paid sabbaticals,

on-site medical care, extended maternity and paternity leave, and complete medical/dental benefits. Some other perks are just plain fun, from annual ski trips to paid leave on your birthday to bringing your pet into work!

...AND NOW THE ‘BAD’ Constant – and competing – deadlines

The flip side of working in an industry that’s constantly growing is that tech professionals will be expected to keep up. That means meeting deadlines, sometimes on several competing projects. While this definitely contributes to the exhilarating experience of working in tech, don’t be too surprised if you occasionally find yourself working late to finish important projects on time.

Gender equality has a long way to go

A 2015 report by the Australian Computer Society (The Promise of Diversity—Gender Equality in the ICT Profession) noted some troubling trends in the tech industry. For example, the authors observed that women are significantly underrepresented in the tech profession, ‘accounting for only 28 per cent of workers, compared to the broader workforce where women comprise 43 per cent of all individuals in professional roles’.

As mentioned earlier, there are encouraging signs of positive change. For now, gender diversity and equality still remain unresolved in the world of tech. Don’t let the lack of diversity hold you back, though, many companies are working towards creating more opportunities for women across the sector.

Tech changes constantly

Just because you’ve graduated, that doesn’t mean your education is over. Technology is constantly changing and improving. Throughout your career in tech, you’ll need to stay up to date with new technologies by attending courses and conferences, as well as by renewing your certifications or earning new, in-demand accreditations. You’ll also have to work hard to ensure the skills you already possess remain relevant and well-developed.

Throughout your career in tech, you’ll need to stay up to date with new technologies by attending courses and conferences, as well as by renewing your certifications or earning new, in-demand accreditations.

It’s a sedentary life

How unhealthy is it to sit down all day? The research tends towards one conclusion: sitting for too long is linked with a number of health concerns, including obesity, metabolic syndrome, chest pain, an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer. Health concerns aside, you might find yourself frustrated by the long periods of ‘screen time’ that most tech professionals are expected to endure. That being said, there are definitely ways around this if you make an effort to keep yourself fit and healthy. For instance, get used to looking at something other than a screen from time to time!

You will spend the rest of your life thinking of excuses to not fix somebody else’s computer

Unfortunately, there’s no way around this one! We can almost guarantee that as a tech professional, everybody will ask you to solve their computer problems, from your best friend’s mum to your colleague in HR. You can either accept this, or get your creative thinking cap on and start putting together a list of plausible ways to get out of it!