Five Reasons Not to Work in IT – For a Small Company
We figured that if people are educating themselves in Information Technology, they might want to know why it’s not such a good idea to get involved in an IT position for a small business or in a small office environment. Here is a list of 5 reasons you should never work IT in a small company:
1. You will likely be completely on your own (no team) and be responsible for everything IT-related (hardware, software, networking, EDI, datasynchronization, email, internet… you name it).
2. Not only will you handle all IT, you will be given responsibilities dealing with the operations of the company, usually for the departmnet that shares the same manager as you (as if you don’t already have plenty to concentrate on).
3. No one will use a form or email to notify you of their issue or request (no matter how many times you ask), they’ll call or come over or just catch you in the hall or department – of course, when you are already busy working on something else.
4. Since your job is usually “as needed” (which translates to all of the time), managers tend to come to you to handle special tasks (un-related to your job) because you have the most “flexible” schedule. Nevermind the many projects you are constantly behind on from having to set aside your time for everything, as you have become the “catch-all”.
5. You just shouldn’t. The only way it would ever be worth it, is to work as a consultant, setting your own hours and rate. Unless you go native, you would never have to worry about being used as a catch-all and you wouldn’t have to trouble yourself with handling any of the operations of the company.
There you have it. No working in IT for a small business, period.
