The Flip Side of Tech

One warm afternoon, I walked into the dining room for lunch and got the shock of life. Mom said it was rice and stew for lunch, so I was in a good mood. The smile on my face disappeared when I lifted the lid. That wasn't rice; it couldn't be. Rice is white, so why on earth was I seeing black grains?

That's how I came to learn about black rice, but that's not what you're here for. You see, like me with the rice, many people think there's only one side to the tech industry.

The New Gold

Tech is the new gold. Where there used to be oil and gas, we now have tech. And it’s understandable, right? The tech industry is a massive one with amazing perks. For starters, tech dominates the whole world now. Whether it’s crypto, social media, or finance, tech is at the heart of everything. Truly, nerds run the world. 

The money is also good. I mean very good. Google employees, for example, earn at least six figures per annum. That sounds insane, but there’s a catch.

As amazing as that sounds, there’s always a catch. That’s what I’m here to talk about. I don’t need to tell you about the huge paychecks; you already know that. But there’s a flip side to every coin.

So what is the flip side of the tech industry?

The Flip Side

Mental Health and Burnout

One of the most important lessons about making money is that there’s no such thing as legit, easy money. Making money is hard work whether you’re an entrepreneur or a 9-5 worker. The tech industry is no exception. Tech professionals can sit at their computers for hours in one go, only getting up for the occasional trip to the restroom. As glamorous as it looks, many tech professionals eventually suffer from burnout.

According to a study, about 2 out of every 5 tech professionals suffer from burnout and just over 40% of them said they will quit their jobs within the next six months. From the outside, it may look like these people are ungrateful for the opportunity to get paid so much. Life is much more than just the money and sometimes it takes getting there to learn that.

If you’re on a journey to becoming a tech professional, be deliberate about your mental health so that you don’t end up washing out.

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Work-Life Balance and Flexibility

Don’t be fooled by the remote part of many tech jobs. Working remotely has its advantages, but there’s always a flip side. The fact that you work remotely doesn’t necessarily mean that you can lie in bed all day and still get paid. Remote work is still hard work. I’m sitting at home right now typing this for you so I know what I’m talking about.

Working remotely can also blur the lines between work and personal life because you’re always on the clock. Whether it’s nighttime or the weekend, you’re always “on call”, as the doctors put it. You must be deliberate to have time set apart for your personal life or you’ll just realize that you’re at home all day but never really at home. This is especially important if you have a family.

Tech jobs promise flexibility, but sometimes it’s a sham. The flexibility ends up being more about where you can work, not if you will work. Then, they use that same flexibility to give you tasks at odd hours. You can work anywhere; you can work at any time. Sounds good until you start working everywhere, all the time. 

Pay attention, my friend.

The Money Isn’t THAT Good

For all the noise about how lucrative tech jobs are, it can be quite disappointing once you see it for yourself. Like with any industry, the quality of your pay depends on many things. How big is the company? How important is your contribution to their growth? These are all factors that affect how much you earn. Entry-level jobs often aren’t that lucrative. Not everybody works for Google, my friend.

We are in a generation where you can make money doing anything. Tech pays well; eventually, that’s true, but it’s the same for other industries. My advice is that if money is your sole motivation for dabbling in tech, prepare for disappointment. Your tech journey will involve plenty of rough periods that will require more than the hope of getting money someday.

The money is good, but it’s not THAT good. At least, not at first.

Huge Competition and Constant Change

What do you think happens when a goldmine is discovered? That’s right, a rush. Millions have flooded the tech industry looking to get a piece of the cake. The competition is thick and the people keep coming. In the beginning, all you needed was interest. Companies were happy to employ and train new professionals. That’s all changed.

Today, you need a healthy portfolio to land a proper job. This means you have to go a while without any of the perks. Hard work, long hours, and the only reward you get is more experience and a few extra lines on your portfolio. And when you finally get your dream job, there’s no such thing as breathing a sigh of relief.

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Now, back to what I was saying.

Tech professionals are cursed to always improve. The technology is always changing, getting better, and evolving. You only have two choices. Constantly improve yourself or get left behind. So get this.

You’ll work for a spell without any reward while keeping up with an ever-evolving industry. When you finally get the job you’ve worked so hard for, there’s no rest for you. So, it’s massive competition in an ever-changing industry. 

Gear up, my friend.

Job Insecurity and Career Uncertainty

Within the last two years, thousands of tech professionals at Twitter (now X), Facebook, and other big companies received marching orders out of the blue. Good for them; they have severance packages and whatnot. Most tech companies don’t have all that. You might have been working a job for years, but there’s always a chance that one day you’ll get fired, and that will be all.

Don’t take any job for granted. Always have a plan B. Sleep with one eye open. These are all prices to pay in the tech industry.

Final Thoughts

Your mental health will be at stake, you might experience abuse and discrimination, work-life balance will be a problem, the money doesn’t just fall out of the sky, and your job is never safe among other things. In all this, however, hold fast to your reason for being here.

The tech industry is amazing otherwise I wouldn’t be here. That said, I hear people talk about it sometimes and smile at their ignorance. If you’re stepping into tech, I welcome you with open arms, but I also owe you the truth. It's a really nice coin, but…

Come prepared.

PS: If you want to stand out from the crowd, you need an excellent resumé. Optimize your chances with an AI-powered review today.