What Does Being an IT Pro Really Mean?

In case you missed it, our Vice President of Online Strategies has her own blog called “The Millennial Executive.” Since the SOM blog (Samantha on Monday) started on this site, we don’t want our readers to miss out on her newest article!

The article is published over on The Millennial Executive and has been partially reproduced here with permission from the editor.

Below, Samantha is telling you what the heck being an IT Pro really means:

What is an IT Pro: Finding Meaning in IT Job Titles

Imagine with me that you know little about IT. All of sudden you take a seminar on improving your business. The expert on stage tells you that you need “the cloud.” Next thing you know you are Googling “cloud experts” and you come across a listing for an “IT Pro for $10/hr.” Of course, you are on a budget so you call the person up and they explain they are an IT Professional and they understand your needs. Heck, the price is right so you hire them (remember you don’t know the correct questions to ask nor do you really understand what IT you need).  Next thing you know, this IT Pro has spent thousands of your dollars on a system that doesn’t work.  You are stuck with a system that doesn’t work and no money to fix it—how would you feel about “IT Professionals”?

Let me guess, you have heard a story like this once or twice in your professional life. If you are anything like the IT Pros I know, stories like this piss you off. Thanks to one person, your career and expertise has been undermined. This individual will never fully trust an “IT Pro” again.

Perhaps the problem is standardization. Unlike other industries, the IT world does not have standard titles for particular jobs. In healthcare, you know a radiologist is a radiologist regardless of the hospital. However, in IT, a system admin at one company may just be help desk support at another company. This lack of standardization means that many people are being hired for jobs that are either beneath them or above them. And I am not even mentioning the pay structure of these titles.

You can find the whole article (including more ways you can get over yourselves and resume living the American dream) by clicking here.