Will Cloud Computing Put Older Techies Into Retirement?
David Linthicum- Monday, November 26, 2012
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I’m often asked about the affect of cloud computing on those already in the IT workforce. GigaOM asked that very same question last week.
Considering that I’m no spring chicken, I’m often fascinated by how IT staffers evolve, or not evolve, around emerging technology. This includes PCs, distributed computing, networking, the rise of the Web, and, now, cloud computing. Some thrive, some simply survive, and some fall by the wayside. The path you take is really up to you.
The reality is that IT is always quickly evolving. That’s why I’m in this business. The quick evolution and testing and re-testing of existing concepts, and finding new approaches and methods, makes this a very interesting industry to be in. However, for many, change is bad, it should be feared. Those are the people, young and old, who eventually move on to other things.
Cloud computing is really a rather simple shift, considering past shifts. The existing patterns remain, such as storage, compute, databases, etc., while only approaches to consumption, provisioning, and a few other tidbits are evolving. Thus, it should not scare those with a few grey hairs.
I suspect that cloud computing won’t displace many IT staffers. Indeed, if you’re willing to put in some extra time to learn about this technology, it could be a way to reinvent your IT career and perhaps put a few extra dollars in your pocket. If you have the skills, it won’t matter how old you are. You might even want to put off retirement for a few years.
