IT Employees - How Tough Is Your Job?

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kvikram

kvikram

Forerunner
To give some perspective, I'm doing BE Computer Science and am in my second year.

Till now I've heard of people earning a lot of money in IT and having really great lives. But I've also heard these 'horror stories' of people getting really frustrated by their jobs, having to work 12 hours per day, often having to work into the night.

I probably have a very vague perspective on all of this. So I would like to ask you guys at TE (who are mostly IT employees), what are the realities of working in IT? Also, do you intend to work in jobs forever, or will you start a business at some point in your career? If so, at what age?

Thanks. :)
 
First of all, the pressure and horror stories do exist, but depends on the company. If you are into TCS, CTS, IBM, Wipro, Siemens etc. be prepared for it. At a point of time you'll have to face it. But you should note that, the pressure depends on project. Once the project gets completed you can rest :D

The same point doesn't applies to SME's. There are small / medium companies too, they generally have normal workflow, that much pressure doesn't exists. But this is not a thumb rule, there are many small web design and development companies, where a huge amount of pressure is there.

So the thing DEPENDS.

Same is the case for business. Many people carry out their freelancing work and later with friends create a company.

Like, I'm working for 3 years and have carried out freelancing work as well from home. Now I have a small business too with two other friends. Though I don't focus on that much. Means I haven't shifted to business completely. One can do that after the business gets stable.
 
@kvikram

IT industry has its pros and cons. I am working in this industry since last 7.5 Years and have a fair idea of what and how it is.

Pros as per me:

1. You get decent (not great) pay compared to other industries i think but it is not very very high. Some companies are pay masters and they mainly are MNCs. Don't expect comparable salaries in Indian companies like TCS, Wipro, Infy etc.
2. If you like to see different parts of India, you get to travel for project work or get to stay outside your home if the company is not in your city. Like i am out of my house for past 7+ years as my home is in Mumbai actually.
3. You get to see the world but yes there is always fight for the same as everyone wants to go onsite. I have been fortunate to see 3 different countries in 2 different continents thanks to my company.
4. Once your Onsite doors open, you will keep getting chances later on as well.
5. Better standard of living and better purchasing power due to decent salary but that comes at a price of not so healthy work life and lesser work family balance.

Cons:

1. Hectic work, not always but many a times. It is a very much variable factor and YMMV.
2. Office politics is there as in other industries and managers favor subordinates who are his/her chamchaas.
3. High disposable income sometimes gets into head of people, not generalizing but this happens. Learn to save and spend your money wisely.
4. Some say that people start smoking and all but that us bit entirely true. I never did.
5. Not so active life as one does not always get time to do physical activity. Not applicable for people who are adamant on doing their workouts daily.

I am sure there are lot of more things to tell and will mention as and when i get them in my head.

I am not sure how many IT people will agree with me but i personally would be happy if i can avoid my daily travels and always do work from home.
 
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@OP..

I know like atleast 10 people in my company back home, who is still in office. Its like 10.45pm in india i guess. They will be there for atleast 4 or 5 hours. :)

Just one team I am talking. So many are there. Its not just pressure of work sometimes meetings, hazard reviews, delivery issues & pressure, time difference. Yup girls will be there. Doesnt mean, it be like in movies.
 
Take my advice and do not ever check back this thread. Do what you are doing, study hard/smart, learn everyday and enjoy the college life - just do not waste your time (much). I know all the current and future replies are and will be true but it will affect your expectation. You will be either scared/demoralized or in cloud 9. So stop worrying and pay attention to your present. And when the time comes, try to choose a job where you really might be excited to apply your skills/passion if you have a choice. Everything will compensate in the longer run. :)
 
@kvikram did you chose computers because you love computers or due to "any" other reason. answer this question to yourself.
 
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IT industry got two major categories
* service based companies - most Indian companies comes under this. Infy, TCS, Wipro, satyam, mahindra etc and even mnc's like IBM, CTS are the same. Here money is mediocre - work pressure medium to high and very bery high.
* product based - Not many Indian names here - Flipkart etc. Else, Microsoft, Amazon, Google, Ebay-paypal, Samsung, Adobe etc got huge employee base in India. Money is good - work pressure low to medium (mostly).

These are what seen from outside.

But when actually working for any company - various factor matters - Money, Technology, Project peers, career growth scopes - and since all these choices varies to persons and places, the whole scenario cannot be generalized.
"a perfect job is a paid hobby" - well, I am sure more than 90% of the IT folk ain't doing the perfect job.
 
Agree with mathrisk. Been in both types of companies.

Service based companies take the juice out of you. Most of the times you will be present even when you don't have anything to contribute at the moment - your help might be needed in the near future. That is the most frustrating part.

In general, Product based companies have fixed timings, clearly defined roles and good pay too. And most of them are foreign based MNCs, so lots of exposure too (not to be confused with going on-site).

For me, I have noticed that foreign based MNCs are much more professional. Or it might mainly be the company I am in right now. Others with broader exposure can contribute.
 
mathrisk said:
IT industry got two major categories
* service based companies - most Indian companies comes under this. Infy, TCS, Wipro, satyam, mahindra etc and even mnc's like IBM, CTS are the same. Here money is mediocre - work pressure medium to high and very bery high.
* product based - Not many Indian names here - Flipkart etc. Else, Microsoft, Amazon, Google, Ebay-paypal, Samsung, Adobe etc got huge employee base in India. Money is good - work pressure low to medium (mostly).

These are what seen from outside.

But when actually working for any company - various factor matters - Money, Technology, Project peers, career growth scopes - and since all these choices varies to persons and places, the whole scenario cannot be generalized.
"a perfect job is a paid hobby" - well, I am sure more than 90% of the IT folk ain't doing the perfect job.
Click to expand...

Those product based companies are not "IT". Sure they have their own internal IT works, which is usually outsourced to the service companies, but that is not their specialization. IT != Software.
 
tifosi said:
Those product based companies are not "IT". Sure they have their own internal IT works, which is usually outsourced to the service companies, but that is not their specialization. IT != Software.
Click to expand...

In India IT is a misnomer for ITES .. - IT Enabled Services. All major domestic brands are IT Service companies ..

Software Companies by definition make Software .. MS, Adobe .. also called "Product Companies" .. because they engineer and maintain their own Software n IP.
 
Sei said:
For me, I have noticed that foreign based MNCs are much more professional. Or it might mainly be the company I am in right now. Others with broader exposure can contribute.
Click to expand...

That is true. I mainly have experience in product based US MNCs but I was in an Indian service based company for 3 weeks and the first thing that I noticed is that in an Indian service based company the right hand does not know what the left hand is doing probably because of they have 1000+ employees.
 
raksrules said:
@kvikram

IT industry has its pros and cons. I am working in this industry since last 7.5 Years and have a fair idea of what and how it is.

Pros as per me:

1. You get decent (not great) pay compared to other industries i think but it is not very very high. Some companies are pay masters and they mainly are MNCs. Don't expect comparable salaries in Indian companies like TCS, Wipro, Infy etc.
2. If you like to see different parts of India, you get to travel for project work or get to stay outside your home if the company is not in your city. Like i am out of my house for past 7+ years as my home is in Mumbai actually.
3. You get to see the world but yes there is always fight for the same as everyone wants to go onsite. I have been fortunate to see 3 different countries in 2 different continents thanks to my company.
4. Once your Onsite doors open, you will keep getting chances later on as well.
5. Better standard of living and better purchasing power due to decent salary but that comes at a price of not so healthy work life and lesser work family balance.

Cons:

1. Hectic work, not always but many a times. It is a very much variable factor and YMMV.
2. Office politics is there as in other industries and managers favor subordinates who are his/her chamchaas.
3. High disposable income sometimes gets into head of people, not generalizing but this happens. Learn to save and spend your money wisely.
4. Some say that people start smoking and all but that us bit entirely true. I never did.
5. Not so active life as one does not always get time to do physical activity. Not applicable for people who are adamant on doing their workouts daily.

I am sure there are lot of more things to tell and will mention as and when i get them in my head.

I am not sure how many IT people will agree with me but i personally would be happy if i can avoid my daily travels and always do work from home.
Click to expand...

This pretty much is true. I have been in IT industry for 5 years now.
By IT I mean IT Consulting and not Product Company.

The company culture varies. I have worked in a French MNC and an Indian MNC.
I found the work culture to be totally different. While the former had simple and very few policies and was very employee friendly, the later is the very opposite. So that matters a lot too.

Work pressure is highly variable. For me at times I have worked for 18 hours and have gone home, slept for 3 hours and have come back to office. The last year was very hectic, as I was shifted to a new Product itself and I had a lot of learning to do. I was clocking around 12-14 hrs everyday and lots of weekends too got spent working :(
But since the last 4-5 months things have cooled down and i work around 9-10 hours.
I have rarely been on bench.

I have also seen people on bench for a max of 1.5 years. You can imagine their condition reading novels and playing sport. Its like Paid vacation :D

Onsite opportunities depend a lot on company again(Indian MNCs give more chances), the technology you are working on and some other factors too.
I got opportunities to go to 3 continents.

Pay again depends on the companies with Foreign MNCs offering more than the Indian MNCs.


On a side note please make sure that you get some physical activity, else you might end up having a big tummy. :P
 
Ask any IT guy and you will hear almost exact same stories.
Btw when you get into this industry, i strongly suggest that you try being content and satisfied and save yourselves from frustrations.
I have (i think) learned that to some extent. People here are more frustrated almost all the times.
Cursing managers, cursing policies of the organization, cursing lack of Visa initiations and onsite opportunities, cursing work load, and as an anecdote, people on bench curse the fact that they have nothing to do all day, this happens.
Also learn to live without getting recognition, yes that's true and will be applicable in lot of scenarios. No recognition of work and appraisal not what you expected and dumb justifications from your manager for bad ratings.
Don't come to IT if you don't think you are made for this industry. I know someone here who is leaving the company and even career because he says he does not like this industry. To each to its own.
 
I guess IT or NON-IT(Marketing,finance etc etc) all are in similar situations. It all depends on the culture you fit in.
Also with my experience i've learnt that very few people do what they actually wanted to do, because 90% people never know what they actually wanna do :P. So just chill and flow with the flow. :)
 
It actually depends on the quality of the organization.

I would not name the same but some organizations are thrashy, with bad culture, bad employee management policies and bad pay. Mostly they are the Indian body shop's and you know their names. I left the IT industry, did my masters and now am decently happy. Look kid, irrespective of whatever anyone says it makes no sense working on weekends or working 16 hours a day. You get nothing out of it. I have done that and I gained nothing but lost a lot (time and the age being the most important). People from my college joined as Investment bankers, had more pay a year, then they would ever want and still left the same because they are working 18 hours a day which is senseless and stupid.

My point - try finding a place where you have work life balance. The job will just pay for your bills. With the balance time that you have, do things that you enjoy, go on a trip, see new places, dance, learn photography, play games whatever you like.
 
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