[Wylug-discuss] What Distro to give away....

[Lee Evans]

>And my advice to people considering a career in IT? Don't do it unless
>you have a real passion for it, the starting salaries are poor and the
>work menial, it can take 10 years, and a real talent, before you start
>seeing decent money.

This is one of the daftest comments I've ever seen on the Wylug lists - an
incredible generalisation, and an inaccurate one that that.

This would be a terrible message to give out to young people who are
interested in a career in any industry, let alone IT; I sincerely hope the
OP didn't pass on your sage advice at the careers event. Of course no career
choice is without it's downsides - a job in IT may well entail, for example,
long hours at times, but that often comes hand in hand with a lot of
flexibility and personal responsibility.

To start with, I'd second Chris Brown's email - people should have a passion
for whatever they decide to do. The same goes for any other career. Unless
you'd recommend somebody does something they *don't* have a passion for?!

There are plenty - hundreds of thousands - of well paid, interesting,
engaging and rewarding jobs available in the IT industry.

If anything, IT is one of the most meritocratic of any industry where people
who demonstrate talent and ingenuity can absolutely enjoy well paid, diverse
and thoroughly interesting jobs without facing some of the traditional
barriers to progression found in other industries.

If low pay and years of menial work have been your experience I'm inclined
to believe this is more of a reflection on yourself than the IT industry as
a whole.

Regards

Lee
-- 
Lee Evans