Moving from the tech side to the business side

[DieScum]

Has anyone else moved from the pure tech side of IT to the business side?

I've made this transition over the past few years and it's shockingly great. It's hilariously easy and the pay is just as good if not better.

I spent 15 years doing tech stuff. Starting off as a helpdesk money and progressing through to solutions architect for infrastructure stuff. Lots of good times but overall I'd say it was stressful and thankless.

Due to the complexity of IT work it was often stressful. Running through treacle while carrying incompetents on my back. You can do everything competently and then some unknown pops up and you're running around putting out fires till midnight while business people scream down the phone at you. Then Darren the PM gets the thanks for it.

I'd have packages of work come through with no requirements.

I could do good work but because the people who mattered didn't understand it they couldn't differentiate between doing something easy and doing something hard. So you'd get praise for an easy fix but dumped on for taking a time to complete extremely complex work properly.

Now I work on the business side. I get paid more... and it's so easy. It's common sense. Do some powerpoints, some documentation, share info, understand the detail and bigger picture. You are completely in control of the quality of the work and praise is heaped on you if you're sharp with a good work ethic.

It pays just as much, often more.

Most of the skills are generic. So no more laundry lists of tech skills which go out of date after a few years.

I sometimes browse through confluence and just wince at what the devs, consultant and support staff go through. Today they were openly fighting on a mailing list due to project stress, the support notes contain things like "We all know this is a difficult time, but focus on keeping our heads, do one job at a time properly. We will increase head count and get through this busy period", the entire systems went down for a bit last week and devs were running around putting out fires.

I just tip toe through the tulips doing fluffy, subjective stuff that is under my control.

It's hilarious, but someone has to do it. It's valuable and required.

Anyone else moved away from pure tech?

[Troll]

Yup

Got tired with keeping up with the latest techie bolloxs

Now just manage the techies, lots and lots of presentations, author beautifully crated documents & then get all the credit for deliveries plus get to knob all the pretty young girlie graduates

(one of those was made up)

[DimPrawn]

Excellent post. My intention if plan b fails is to move to the business side of things. Having worked with some management in my last contract, it's amazing how easy and how little they actually do. The pay is on par with top contract rates but with an incredibly easy life.

As you say, creating powerpoints, jawboning in meetings all day, updating information on confluence and jira, video conferencing to other managers, all pretty easy stuff.

Any advice how to make the transition?

[PurpleGorilla]

Excellent post. My intention if plan b fails is to move to the business side of things. Having worked with some management in my last contract, it's amazing how easy and how little they actually do. The pay is on par with top contract rates but with an incredibly easy life.

As you say, creating powerpoints, jawboning in meetings all day, updating information on confluence and jira, video conferencing to other managers, all pretty easy stuff.

Any advice how to make the transition?

Wear a suit, connect with all the management via LinkedIn, and start using the executive's printer for all your work.

FTS.

[DieScum]

Any advice how to make the transition?

I just starting applying for stuff that sounded like the path I wanted to go down. I was coming back after a big gap (16 months mainly due to waiting on a visa). Spent four months applying for stuff but decided that I didn't like what I was doing before and may as well go for the more business side. Took a lower role, fixed term contract, and within a couple of years worked my way up to a decent level.

Very hard to go through actually, but once you're there worth it - and now I seem pretty set.

[DimPrawn]

The world of tech is looking like this:

[SimonMac]

The world of tech is looking like this:

Who signs the timesheets though?

[vetran]

Who signs the timesheets though?

the monkey throws fresh Faeces at you, attach to timesheet = double win.

Its not like the management team know what they want.

[unemployed]

Has anyone else moved from the pure tech side of IT to the business side?

I've made this transition over the past few years and it's shockingly great. It's hilariously easy and the pay is just as good if not better.

I spent 15 years doing tech stuff. Starting off as a helpdesk money and progressing through to solutions architect for infrastructure stuff. Lots of good times but overall I'd say it was stressful and thankless.

Due to the complexity of IT work it was often stressful. Running through treacle while carrying incompetents on my back. You can do everything competently and then some unknown pops up and you're running around putting out fires till midnight while business people scream down the phone at you. Then Darren the PM gets the thanks for it.

I'd have packages of work come through with no requirements.

I could do good work but because the people who mattered didn't understand it they couldn't differentiate between doing something easy and doing something hard. So you'd get praise for an easy fix but dumped on for taking a time to complete extremely complex work properly.

Now I work on the business side. I get paid more... and it's so easy. It's common sense. Do some powerpoints, some documentation, share info, understand the detail and bigger picture. You are completely in control of the quality of the work and praise is heaped on you if you're sharp with a good work ethic.

It pays just as much, often more.

Most of the skills are generic. So no more laundry lists of tech skills which go out of date after a few years.

I sometimes browse through confluence and just wince at what the devs, consultant and support staff go through. Today they were openly fighting on a mailing list due to project stress, the support notes contain things like "We all know this is a difficult time, but focus on keeping our heads, do one job at a time properly. We will increase head count and get through this busy period", the entire systems went down for a bit last week and devs were running around putting out fires.

I just tip toe through the tulips doing fluffy, subjective stuff that is under my control.

It's hilarious, but someone has to do it. It's valuable and required.

Anyone else moved away from pure tech?

got any jobs going

[DimPrawn]

Who signs the timesheets though?