Written By: Naomi Gong
Every industry has its pros and cons. For one, the tech and engineering industry is a booming and innovative market that is always providing consumers with something new. As interest in this industry grows, it is important to assess its pros and cons.
Pros:
1. Tech and engineering jobs pay well.
Tech and engineering jobs are in high demand as many companies seek to innovate their work environment and logistics. Companies are looking for experienced coders and engineers to help them expand, so they pay well for these jobs. For example, as of 2018, the average wage of tech jobs was $86,320, while the average for other industries was $38,640.
2. It provides great job security.
The tech and engineering industry is growing; companies are always looking to expand and innovate. In fact, tech and engineering jobs are expected to grow 12% in the next decade. As tech industry expands, new job openings will be created such as that of cyber security.
3. There are many opportunities to work abroad.
Many companies assign their workers to take part in conferences, meetings and jobs abroad. Therefore, there are many opportunities to travel and see the world. For example, Google often instructs their workers to work abroad in China, Taiwan, England and other countries.
Cons:
1. Constant Learning
Since new coding languages, techniques, and software is constantly developed, workers need to be up to date with the latest technology. They must acquire new skills and learn new languages in order to keep themselves competitive in the job market. Thus, this constant thinking of "you don’t know enough" can be incredibly stressful and exhausting for some.
2. Time Management
Tech and engineering workers follow strict deadlines and schedules. Moreover, cyber security breaches, bugs and other tech issues may disrupt consumers. Therefore, workers may sometimes be put on-call to deal with emergencies at any given moment. It is similar to being a firefighter.
3. High Competition
Age discrimination is common in the tech and engineering field. Many workers who are at the age of 50 or above are pressured to retire or face intense competition from undergraduates. Workers in their 20s are novel to the industry, which means they provide a new perspective into projects. Since they are younger, they also tend to work at a faster pace which companies admire. This causes some older workers to feel marginalized.
With the positives and negatives in mind, future workers, CEOs, and students can make a better judgement of their future careers. Even with the possible setbacks, anyone can possibly make a pro a con and a con a pro. It is all up to one’s determination and hard work!