I’ve worked in IT or adjacent to IT for most, if not all, of my career. Over the years, I’ve kept track of all the questions, small nuances, and observations about how different teams cooperate with IT. I’ve worked with mentees who have asked me several questions that you may ask yourself if you’re pursuing a career in IT or if you’re already in IT and wondering if you should stay.

“Do I need to know how to code to be in IT?”

Not at first, but it will come in handy later as you progress. IT managers will always leverage technicians who know some scripting (think bash/python), and IT organizations will always try to fill roles that are 2-in-1 or even 3-in-1. What do I mean by that? If you have a few scripting languages under your belt, great. If you’ve developed software and understand the development lifecycle, even better. If you’ve done all of the above AND consider yourself an expert in topics such as containerization, you’re a unicorn in their eyes. Especially with today’s needs, if companies can get the most out of you with one salary, they’ve done their job. However, that doesn’t mean you have to take a role that requires you to wear many hats; that’s just the nature of things at a small start-up. Larger enterprises can fill specialized roles, but that’s neither here nor there. The bottom line is, if you want to stay at the Helpdesk level, then I believe bash/python are awesome-to-haves, but you can always learn on the job.

“If I don’t need to know how to code, do I have to be good at math and science?”

Hell. To. The. No. And I say this with conviction because I never use my STEM degree, ever. There are many ways to approach an IT-related task, and in most circumstances, the key is asking as many questions as you can. If a problem is staring in front of you, tinker around with it. The longer you stay in the field, playing “Detective” will become second nature to you. Natural curiosity is a good friend, and if you’re afraid of asking the wrong questions, provide some context. State why you’re asking this question before they even ask it. Most of the time, your manager will give you advice on how to approach things appropriately.

“I identify as a woman, will working in a male-dominated field hurt my chances for success?”

That depends. I’ve asked myself that question every time I’ve received a job offer or a promotion. If we take a step back, ask yourself what your definition of success is. I like to make two-year plans and set goals for myself within that timeframe. Those goals don’t necessarily mean a promotion; they might involve things like:

• Becoming a better communicator with leadership
• Demonstrating my technical skills
• Obtaining a new certification If I’m able to achieve two out of those three goals, I consider myself successful. If I don’t, I ask myself if there were other ways to better approach the goals I have and try again in the next two years.

If you’re in a company with 20,000 employees and you want to be CEO in 15 years, it’s not impossible, but it’s highly improbable. It’s painfully obvious that the tech industry is sometimes (nope, actually most of the time) a boys’ club, and sometimes even companies unintentionally perpetuate that environment. However, that doesn’t mean it’s a complete loss. Understand your strengths. There are growing women-owned tech companies that are certainly looking to diversify as they grow and can provide networks of other companies looking to hire to even out the numbers.

If you’re in a role that allows you to work on things you’re passionate about, such as finding ways to automate certain tasks (managers love this), paving the way to sell your company’s services to an untapped market, building in-house tools that make team communication efforts much easier, or achieving an awesome work-life balance so you can spend time with your family, I consider that a major success.

“Will there be office politics in IT? If so, can I escape it?”

Yes, there’s going to be politics and no you can’t escape it. There will always be company politics, no matter what industry you’re in. If you’ve heard the phrase, “I don’t want to deal with politics, my work should speak for itself,” then those people are in for a world of hurt. Technically speaking, work doesn’t speak, you do. Your colleagues do. While you can’t control what they’re going to say or do, you can speak for your work and control how you react in certain situations that make you uncomfortable. If you want that promotion, ask for it and explain why you think you deserve it. If someone feels like they need to gossip to get ahead, that’s… their problem. The only time it becomes your problem is when the gossip is about you and you don’t work with your manager/HR to address it. I can say with certainty that I have plenty of colleagues who don’t like me, either due to my lack of technical skill or because I can come across as too critical or harsh. Those criticisms are totally fine. I can accept that because I’m no technical genius, and I sometimes have difficulty finding ways to incorporate tech jargon with colleagues I find just as abrasive. The key thing here is that I’m working on it. I am always, always, always working on it. So while we can’t escape politics, we can always master the skill of navigating our way through them.

“Are the perks of working in a startup worth it?”

Personally, I don’t think beer in the afternoon is an activity I enjoy during the work week. If you’ve received a job offer that has below-market pay but offers things like free massages, an open bar on Fridays, foosball in the break room, or perks that have nothing to do with compensation and/or health and wellness, that’s a huge red flag. Booze and massages can be considered business write-offs and can cost the company very little. Know your worth and make sure the company pays you for your time. There are other red flags I can show you, but that’s for another post.

Those are just a few questions I’ve been asked/thought about myself over the last decade. I’ve learned more about what I’m capable of technically and have gained more emotional intelligence working in IT than I have in Cybersecurity (so far). If you’re curious, take the leap. Apply for the job. Work on that project.