Beware The Cloud - It Brings An IT Workforce Tornado

 

I'm  moving to Charlotte, NC and, to my surprise, into the middle of a tornado heading directly at the IT workforce . The outwards sign now is a corridor of server farms supporting cloud computing. Not that threatening.

In the past, we have seen IT replace many non-IT workers. Now the cloud is uprooting the IT workforce:. According to this article from Rethinking IT Infrastructure. "...those football field-sized data centers between Charlotte and Asheville may herald an era of increased competition for fewer traditional IT jobs." 

Here are some examples of the type changes to expect:

• Reduced Employment: "Workers who maintain IT infrastructure such as servers within a central data center"
• Increased Employment:  System architects, security experts or other types of computer cloud-related specialists
• Increased Projects and Higher Priorities: To transfer hardware, software, documents, etc. to the cloud

This situation reminds me of an article by Seth Godin back in 2000. He talked about how Walt Disney saw major social changes coming and adjusted so that his business capitalized on those changes - three times. His capitalization resulted in a theme park empire, a movie empire and then a television empire.

You must plan for these changes so that your career is not blown away by them. You must plan to capitalize on them. The changes will come. Businesses are already looking for advantages to the cloud - and finding them. Here is an example. IT organizations may not be the major driver here, having established there power and prestige in t previous years. Business leaders will drive the changes that will rip through IT organizations that are in denial.

Maybe the cloud is not  causing  changes as big as Walt Disney capitalized on, but there are certainly going to be some rifting opportunities for you.

• Identify where the growth is going to in your industry or area of expertise. Be prepared to make your move. What projects will be common? What skills and experience will you need manage those projects?  What do you need to do to get those skills ad experience? What companies do you need to work for? What companies and projects do you need to avoid?
• If you are not already in cloud computing, start building up your network.
• Determine how else can you grow your career given the changes that you foresee. Start your own rifting!