I remember almost a year ago I googled for article about this. I’ve been a system and network administrator for more than two years in medium sized company, dealing with Windows Servers, Sun Solaris, IBM AIX, Firewall, and VMWares.
Then, for an unknown crazy reason I applied for a programmer position in one of the biggest software house in Indonesia. I was accepted and suddenly had a dillemma of choosing to stay as an administrator or to shift career as programmer.
Being a good information age generation, I looked for what other people’s opinion in online forums. Some are pros for career in sys and network administration, and some others are pros for career in software development.
To be honest, they made me even more confused. But I finally made my choice.
Now after 8 months of work as Java EE programmer, I want to share about what I know about these two IT careers. Please note that I don’t think one is superior than another although during this article I may be a bit inclined to software development career.
It’s Not The Career That Make One’s Success
Like most of the fresh graduates I know, I used to think that success is closely attached to one’s career. That some careers are naturally better than the others. However, through time I realized that this thought is not true.
There are successful administrators and there are successful developers. On the other side, there are also unsuccessful administrators and unsuccessful developers.
What makes the difference?
It’s The Person With The Right Career
In the online forums that I found those who are pros of each side listed the reasons why one career is better than the other. They all speak from their experiences and observations.
Some of the wiser members, however, posted that one should ask himself about what career is more suitable to him rather than only looking for the salary number or future overseas outsourcing trend.
Why I chose what I chose
I accepted the work as programmer and I don’t regret it a bit. It’s not because I don’t like the work as an administrator, but because I enjoy the process of creating something so much.
Making something has been my passion since I was a kid, and now I enjoy making software in every step.
So what should you choose?
Ask yourself this question,
“Will I excitedly wake up every morning to do this career?”
Some of my work colleague said that they actually don’t like coding and it’s really sad. I think they are not only waste their time here, but they also waste their life.
For me, someone can only achieve his greatest potential when he does what he really enjoy. And since life is not as long as we always think, choose a career where your passion is.
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Tags: IT and Apps, software development, system administration
6 comments ↓
Interesting article, I am in same situation, I must choose to learn as programmer or administrator. I will learn 2 years basics for both professions, and then 2 years profession I choosed.
Martin, thanks for the comment. Hopefully you will choose the profession that fits you. God bless!
i am in a similar situation,i must choose between network admin and java EE( mostly web development)
however , i worry about the job outsourcing, i think i like java web development better, what i fear is that if i learn java EE really well,and then dont find a job then i cant just switch and concentrate in networking because i would be unemployed,
so with the Oracle acquisition of Sun, do you think the job market for java EE developers would change? or not?
There are also people who does both programming and System administration tasks. I am working as Linux Consultant, but at same time I work with a team of developers on a few Perl and C based projects, that does not have any negative impact on my performance as some people would think, in fact it even makes me have more understanding about both careers.
Hi Mark,
I still believe that Java EE will still be around for many years to come. It is indeed a vary mature technology supported by IT Company giants (IBM and Oracle).
And also considering that many company have invested their money and time in Java EE, I don’t think they want to switch that fast to other technology.
Regarding your job opportunities, I believe it depends on where you live. Outsourcing may be a factor, but companies are always looking for the people who master their field, and I believe these kind of person will not be affected by outsourcing.
Also think about advancing to the management level immediately because sooner or later we don’t want to be always in the technical level.
Hi Dan,
It’s really great for someone who can do both programming and sys admin work. I believe you are a great value for a company if you are good at both.
However, in some company the work description is already set and developers and administrators are in different group and different responsibilities, so we may need to choose either of them.
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