IT Salary Survey 2010 Results

computerworld.com — Trapped between flat salaries and ever-increasing workloads, IT professionals are about to explode, according to a survey of nearly 5,000 IT workers. IT staffers are being hit with a double-whammy -- more work and flat pay. Not surprisingly, job satisfaction for some is falling.
Click here for IT Salary Survey 2010 Results
 

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Meet Marko, the 9-year-old systems engineer

by Ina Fried

from: http://news.cnet.com

Marko Calasan, a 9-year-old from Macedonia, is more than just a kid who's into computers.
At age 6, he got his first systems administrator credential from Microsoft and, last month, he became perhaps the youngest Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer.
"I must say that from the technological point of view, Marko is definitely a wonder child," said Matej Potokar, the general manager of Microsoft Slovenia. Potokar said in an e-mail interview that he first heard about Marko two years ago and was eager to get the chance to meet the young prodigy.

Images of a 9-year-old IT administrator (photos)

"When we were informed that he is coming to Ljubljana (Slovenia's capital) and would like to meet with people from Microsoft Slovenia I was looking forward to meet him," Potokar said. For a half an hour, Marko made a presentation to Potokar and his team about Active Directory and its benefits and challenges.
"It is amazing how much time and energy he dedicated to study this complex and extensive material. On the other hand, I hope that...he still finds time for his second biggest love, which is football."
Marko already has his first gig as a system administrator, remotely managing a network of computers for a nonprofit that works with people with disabilities.
"The employees...are very glad that there is a good administrator," Marko said in an e-mail interview. "I think that it's true, but who knows."

"I do not play games on computers because there is nothing serious about playing games on computers...If you want to play, go outside and play with your friends."

--Marko Calasan, 9

Marko said he typically spends about four hours a day at the computer, but concedes that it is sometimes 10 hours or more.
Marko is also a teacher with his own computer lab on the grounds of an elementary school where he teaches 8- to 11-year-olds the basics of computers. The lab houses 15 PCs provided by the ministry of education. That's on top of the five computers already in the Calasan home--Marko's dad is also an IT systems manager.
To allow him more time with his computers, Marko has permission from the government to attend school infrequently. Sometimes it's only several times a month. And he also has a set of keys so he can go into the lab at any time.
"Sometimes when the other classmates are sleeping, I go and practice in my lab," Marko said in an e-mail interview.
His latest project is trying to devise a way to send high-definition television signals over a comparatively slow network infrastructure. To support his effort, a Macedonian telecommunications company has given him a direct connection to its network backbone.

Marko proudly says that even over a basic DSL connection one can get HDTV without glitches. "The buffering will be very short," he said. Marko hopes to demonstrate the technology at this year's CeBIT show in Hannover, Germany.
The one computer-related activity Marko is not all that into is video games.
"I do not play games on computers because there is nothing serious about playing games on computers," Marko said. "If you want to play, go outside and play with your friends."
Although he is something of a celebrity in Macedonia, Calasan said he really wants to move to the United States to be closer to the latest technology--and to Microsoft itself.
"That's my biggest wish," he said. "I want to live in America because there are the highest technologies."

The 10 Best Cities to Find Tech Jobs

New York City, Washington, D.C. among areas with most jobs available.

Denise Dubie, Network World

Top Spots for IT Jobs

Some signs of economic recovery are emerging and a variety of organizations in some of the biggest U.S. cities are seeing demand for IT professionals, according to high-tech career industry watchers. Here we list cities currently in need of IT professionals (according to Dice); salary information for the areas (according to PayScale); and a few reasons why IT pros might want to search for work there.

Atlanta

City/metro area: Atlanta

Available IT jobs: 1,372*

Average salary for IT project manager: $80,798**

Local attractions: Not only is Atlanta home to major league baseball's Braves, CNN and the Carter Presidential Library and Museum, the city also features the Atlanta Botanical Garden, a 30-acre spread that includes the country's largest orchid house.

*According to jobs posted on Dice as of May 1, 2009** According to PayScale, May 2009

Boston

City/metro area: Boston

Available IT jobs: 1,902*

Average salary for senior software engineer/develop/programmer: $92,630**

Local attractions: Can you say sports? With the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots and Red Sox near the top of their games, any high-tech sports enthusiast would welcome the chance to spend their downtime in Beantown.

*According to jobs posted on Dice as of May 1, 2009**According to PayScale, May 2009

Chicago

City/metro area: Chicago

Available IT jobs: 2,056*

Average salary for IT consultant: $70,337**

Local attractions: IT pros taking a break from work can stroll along Chicago's Magnificent Mile, which offers visitors more than 3.1 million square feet of retail space, 460 stores, 275 restaurants, 51 hotels, 2 unique museums and flower-filled medians that reflect the changing seasons.

*According to jobs posted on Dice as of May 1, 2009**According to PayScale, May 2009

Dallas

City/metro area: Dallas

Available IT jobs: 1,451*

Average salary for senior systems engineer (computer networking/IT): $88,327**

Local attractions: The Dallas/Fort Worth area in Texas provides more wildlife than just what you'd find at a rodeo or on one of the many guest ranches the state features. The Fort Worth Zoo boasts more than 5,000 animals and the Dallas Zoo offers a peek at exotic and endangered species.

*According to jobs posted on Dice as of May 1, 2009**According to PayScale, May 2009

Los Angeles

City/metro area: Los Angeles

Available IT jobs: 2,022*

Average salary for system administrator (computer/network): $62,302**

Local attractions: Film buffs would revel in the chance to work among the stars in Hollywood, catch random celebrity sightings, take in a premiere or two, and visit Mann's Chinese Theater to view the hand and footprints of silver screen legends such as Marilyn Monroe, John Wayne, Jack Nicholson and The Olsen Twins.

*According to jobs posted on Dice as of May 1, 2009**According to PayScale, May 2009

New York/New Jersey

City/metro area: New York/New Jersey

Available IT jobs: 5,341*

Average salary for systems engineer (computer networking/IT): $69,700**

Local attractions: New York City offers visitors a view from The Empire State Building, The Statue of Liberty or Central Park. Among the city's many cultural draws are The Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Broadway's many theaters.

*According to jobs posted on Dice as of May 1, 2009**According to PayScale, May 2009

Philadelphia

City/metro area: Philadelphia

Available IT jobs: 1,557*

Average salary for IT specialist: $51,912**

Local attractions: As one of the nation's older cities, Philadelphia features a lot of historical landmarks that include the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

*According to jobs posted on Dice as of May 1, 2009**According to PayScale, May 2009

Seattle

City/metro area: Seattle

Available IT jobs: 1,195*

Average salary for database administrator (DBA): $73,716**

Local attractions: The Space Needle isn't the only draw to the Pacific Northwest city. Seattle also is home to the Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame, which features exhibitions on Jimi Hendrix: An Evolution of Sound and Jim Henson's Fantastic World.

*According to jobs posted on Dice as of May 1, 2009**According to PayScale, May 2009

Silicon Valley

City/metro area: Silicon Valley

Available IT jobs: 2,534*

Average salary for senior engineer (San Jose): $83,842**

Tourist attractions: San Jose's Tech Museum of Innovation includes interactive exhibits on advanced technologies. The Tech was created as a resource to serve people of all ages interested in technologies, but also to help inspire youth to innovate on technologies for the future.

*According to jobs posted on Dice as of May 1, 2009**According to PayScale, May 2009

Washington D.C./Baltimore

City/metro area: Washington D.C./Baltimore

Available IT jobs: 6,817*

Average salary for IT director: $110,028**

Local attractions: The nation's capital offers a range of activities beyond the obvious entertainment and education of historical tours. The city offers fine dining at a slew of restaurants, an active nightlife and plays at the Kennedy Center and the Shakespeare Theatre Company.

*According to jobs posted on Dice as of May 1, 2009**According to PayScale, May 2009

Boy, 8, becomes youngest IT professional

An eight-year-old boy has become the world's youngest IT professional after passing an exam with Microsoft.

Marko Calasan, from Skopje, the capital of Macedonia, has become the world's youngest certified computer system administrator.

"I'd like to be a computer scientist when I grow up and create a new operational system," he said.

Marko, whose favourite subject at school is mathematics, learnt to read and write at the age of two, which was when his interest in computers began.

The news of his achievement has turned him into a celebrity in Macedonia.

His mother Radica, 37, said that her son displayed "exceptional learning abilities at a very early age" and that she and her husband, who run a computer school, call on Marko to help solve technical problems when they crop up.

"He is obviously extraordinary gifted, but children above the age of six could learn much more about computers than generally assumed," she said.

Marko is also fascinated by physics and astronomy and struggled to sleep the night before the launch of the Big Bang experiment at the underground facility of the European Organisation for Nuclear Research in Switzerland.

Marko said: "The media said it could cause the end of the world, but there was never any danger of that."