Break into IT   Grads Grapple with Slowdown     If Offshoring, Then What's Next?     Web Services     Help Desk     Certification Quiz

In occupations with histories reaching back generations -- medicine, for instance, or even public relations -- professionals have been able to look to senior personnel for guidance about career paths. Not so with information technology, an industry of relatively recent vintage. But understandably, IT professionals still wonder what to expect if they choose to devote their entire careers to IT.

In fact, Monster's Technology message board, one Monster member asked: Is it possible to have a lifetime career in IT?

"Can anyone imagine retiring from a 30 or 40-year career in IT at age 65 with distinction and accomplishment? With a comfortable retirement?" wrote Monster member EsTeeJay, who initiated the discussion.

There are lots of different answers to these questions, but IT professionals generally say it requires savvy career management, networking and maybe some luck to thrive as a computer professional over the long-term. What's more, unless you know a specific industry very well, such as defense or healthcare, or choose to move into management, a lifetime career path may be an uphill struggle. Some techies are pessimistic about their prospects, citing outsourcing of IT projects overseas and workplace competition from H-1B visa holders. Others see this pessimism as a symptom of the current economic downturn.

But others see economic factors working against the idea of a lifetime IT career.

Linda Nesheim has been in the industry for 26 years, consulting for the last 19 of these as a mainframe programmer. When she got started, no one who was her age, she says, was working as a programmer. And she doesn't think US citizens will be doing so 10 years from now. "Because of the H-1B and offshoring, I don't believe my job will be around," she says.

Monster member EsTeeJay pointed toward the "exceptional volatility" of the skills being valued by companies as one factor making it difficult for individuals to stay in the field.

One key to longevity in the IT industry may be an ability to take charge of your career, no matter what the state of the economy or your current company's business. "You have to keep yourself trained even if management will not pay for it," says Edward Pilling, who participated in the Monster discussion. "You have to have one critical skill set that is in need."

IT Career Tips

Individual goals may vary, but here are some general tips for managing an IT career:

• Industry-specific knowledge: You need more than an IT specialty.
• Training: Keeping skills current is a given; if yours are lagging, seek training.
• Management: Even techies pessimistic about the industry see management as one route to a long-term career.
• Business know-how: IT professionals sometimes solely focus on technical expertise. Understanding business processes and goals, including your value to your employer, is essential to building a productive career.
• Free agency: For some techies, working independently may be the answer. Margaret Bartley, a specialist in office automation projects, has been working in IT since the '80s. Starting out in COBOL, she now uses Visual Basic and sees a renewed effort at marketing her skills as one of the keys to success. "I'm making the switch from letting someone else find my work to finding my own work," she says.
• Community: Relationships are at the heart of any career.