Once, I was invited to my girlfriend's sister's wedding as a witness. We had a pretty good time, had fun during the witness presentation, and the groom even made sure that "The Imperial March" from "Star Wars" played during my entrance. Interestingly, people there constantly referred to me as an IT guy; please never call people in Ukraine that, it’s very annoying + it’s a Russianism, the correct term is — IT specialist. It also felt like there was a different perception of me as a person, a kind of peculiar curiosity, obviously shaped through the lens of stereotypes about IT specialists as such. So, by the end of the day, the bride's grandmother approached me and said:
— Igor, I never thought you were so cheerful, when they said you were an IT guy, I thought you were, you know, like they say, a computer worm, but you turned out to be a normal guy, such a team player!
This phrase really impressed me, and I remembered it long enough to tell you.
So, even now, the perception of some people about this profession is based somewhere on the image of this guy:
Of course, you (most likely) don’t think so, but I would like to tell you a bit about what types of IT specialists exist and who, besides the guys in glasses in front of screens with a waterfall from the movie "The Matrix," can also call themselves IT specialists.
IT is, first and foremost, an ecosystem where the ability to think, communicate, and learn is important.
In our world of consumer users, IT specialists create digital products that people will buy, which are convenient and pleasant to use, which meet certain needs or solve specific problems. Thus, the cycle of creating these products consists of a fairly wide range of activities.
Besides classic development, some specialists engage in strategic planning, marketing, analytics, design and visuals, operational processes, finance, system administration, hiring processes, legal issues, testing, security, and in companies that value reputation and positive perception of their brand, there are roles like brand awareness or brand employer managers, event specialists, etc. If all these people work in one IT ecosystem and have common goals, then it is logical that they are all IT specialists.
I would also like to outline for you what modern IT looks like in my view, but here it is worth making a certain distinction between the Ukrainian and foreign industry, as well as dividing it into product and outsourcing.
When we talk about American and European companies, their approach to hiring, attitude towards work, and treatment of employees, although it varies from company to company, is generally more strictly regulated than ours. They ask for diplomas that confirm the necessary competencies for the position. There, a Junior is considered to have 5–7 years of relevant work experience. How to gain it? They themselves don’t know 😁
People work in small businesses or mini-startups, go through internships — and then, perhaps, at 25–28 years old, they become Junior specialists. Probably, it’s better in non-technical specialties, but the trend is similar. In addition, some technologies develop so quickly that last year's skills no longer work as they should — and one has to learn new ones. It’s a constant race against time. Just think of those job ads for AI specialists with 10 years of experience when the general masses learned about Chat GPT only 3–4 years ago)
As for Ukraine, we are indeed a country of opportunities. Here, with a few pet projects and internships under your belt, you can get a Junior role in a decent company. These technology races still exist, but you don’t even necessarily need to have a higher education diploma to start working. Given the overall quality of education, it’s not surprising that employers are more interested in what you can actually do and what skills you can apply at work, rather than your theoretical knowledge about the profession 🤭
Product or outsourcing? In my opinion, this choice will significantly impact your future career. Here’s how I see it:
In outsourcing, what’s most important? A satisfied client and the corresponding profit for the company. Usually, there are very few opportunities to push your ideas and bring creativity into what you create. Often, the product is simply handed over, and then the team takes on the next project. For some, this is absolutely fine: work is work, the main thing is to get paid.
In outsourcing, it’s important for everyone how quickly you perform your work, and in larger outsourcing firms — how well. I am not in a position to say this for all outsourcing IT specialists, as I am sure there are those whose values align with mine. However, a significant percentage of outsourcing companies put time trackers on work laptops to monitor your time; they don’t hire people who might potentially suggest any changes in work, any creative ideas, because this could potentially affect work speed. Such companies will try to pay you less, reduce payment for any of your minimal mistakes, to earn more. Unfortunately.
There is another path. It’s harder to get on. Often, it requires more knowledge and expertise, but I believe it’s worth it. Of course, I’m talking about product companies. Again, what I say next does not necessarily apply to all, but it’s a personal observation. In product companies, people mainly engage in creativity based on their experience and skills. Of course, there is management, a global strategy for the company and the product. However, often the corporate culture is aimed at ensuring that as many team members as possible are heard. There is more room for maneuver here; to implement more ideas if they positively impact the product. Creative approaches and leadership are valued here. Because this company is also the client.
Considering the above, you can already draw certain conclusions about what to choose for yourself, but I highly recommend not to take this as the ultimate truth, but only as one of the opinions. In any case, IT has always been about solving problems and meeting user needs. Which path to take? It depends on what is important to you. If you have a passion for creativity and bringing your own ideas to life, then product is definitely for you. But if you are okay with always having clear tasks and completing assigned work without deviating from the specifications, then outsourcing will be a good option.
So who is this IT specialist, and what should they be able to do?
An IT specialist must be able to communicate, solve problems, find solutions, think comprehensively, be able to perceive constructive feedback and give it correctly on their own. It is important to be able to avoid conflicts in crisis situations, which can be a challenging task.
Before taking on any task, it’s important to ask "what for?". It’s important to understand why certain things are done, how relevant they are for the product and for the business as a whole. No matter who tells you, no matter how many times, knowing English is very important, it’s a 100% must-have. Even more important is the ability to learn.
In addition to all this, you need to keep an eye on trends. Not only on TikTok but also on technological trends. For example, there has been an explosion, an AI frenzy. Everyone is trying to stuff more AI into their apps and websites, often even without understanding the need and how it works. However, a new skill that every IT specialist must develop is the ability to work with AI, formulate correct queries, and, preferably, have a basic understanding of how it is structured.
A moment of seriousness: AI, by definition, has not yet been invented. It’s marketing nonsense.
Of course, depending on your field, there are also a number of technical skills. For example, my role in my main job is Software Engineer (Cocoa). This is about developing macOS and iOS applications. In addition to what has been mentioned above, my responsibilities include writing code in Swift and Objective-C, writing unit tests, writing technical documentation, reviewing code from other developers, participating in various types of planning, interacting with other teams as needed, CI/CD (Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery), and also communicating and assisting the support team. So, for an engineer, writing code is probably only 30% of the job.
In conclusion, IT is much closer than it seems. I hope that by sharing a bit about my experience, I was able to inspire you with some ideas and conclusions about this industry.
Make decisions thoughtfully and independently. Even if the choice turns out to be wrong, your experience will not go anywhere. It will definitely help you more than once in the future. And may the force be with you!
