Re: tell us about your job
What do you do? Technology Analyst With a Big 5 Consulting Firm
Do you like it? Not particularly, but I get by
What makes you in particular well-suited or poorly-suited for your work? I graduated from a relatively well known school with a degree in physics. I had very few skills that related to this line of work but that apparently did not concern my company when they hired me.
What kind of people do best in your work? People who are really into and motivated by IT stuff like information management, data warehousing and other non descript business speak phrases like that. Good people skills are also important as is the ability to navigate a lovely web of office politics. Must enjoy travling, living out of hotels and working non standard hours from time to time.
What qualifications are necessary for people considering work in the same field as you? I would recommend some background in CS or IT related fields. In reality you mostly need a tech/engineering/science degree from a top school to get an interview and then you prove yourself from there.
What is a typical day like? Get in around 9:30 email, google reader, 2+2. Meeting with my team, talk about stuff, write some test scripts, execute some test scripts check status of defects for the application we are developing and maybe test some of those to confirm they have been fixed. Lunch was in there somewhere, more meetings, chat with my entry level co-workers, watch some Daily Show clips online, chat with friends, another test script or two. Go home 6:30. (This is a standard day recently, sometimes I'm actually really busy all day and don't leave until 9+) (I also seem to have a relatively relaxed gig compared to a lot of my friends on other projects)
What kind of problems do you encounter? I
Dealing with miles of bureaucracy and sometimes mind boggling inefficiencies in the work place to actually get some work done from time to time. Managing client expectations and demands when it is of course clear to us that we know exactly what is best for them.
What are the biggest (most common) sources of frustration and elation? Dealing with boring work that I really have no motivation to do. The more I test, the more problems I find that I have to retest later etc. Annoying people towards the top of the chain that can be condescending and like to talk about 'building my network' and 'growing my career'. Having to sit around to look good for the clients when there's really no work for me to do at the moment. Being forced to travel to a out of town project every week when I could do most of my work from home. (Although I do like the travel...see below)
On the plus side of travel I get firm subsidized (up the the approx cost of my fight home) weekend flights to locations of my choosing...this is probably the main reason I am still here. I also have practically no living expenses, other than rent for an apartment I hardly see, because everything is taken care of when I'm on the road.
How much do you make? 57k + all the various perks and rewards (airline mileage, hotel points, per diem, weekend flights) that are hardly insignificant.
How much can one expect to make in your position? This is a pretty standard salary in this field, for a new hire it is essentially non negociable out of school cause there are like 12 million of us starting at the same time. Other firms pay from 50-65k, as you move up you can expect yearly raises of 6-15% based on performance until you hit management positions in 7-8 years where there's probably some kind jump.
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