IT Geeks - Entrepreneurs or Drones?

As we slowly climb out of a global recession the idea of being a corporate drone is becoming less appealing. The truth is that somewhere between 7.2 to 8 million people lost their corporate-level job, most which were from large companies.

Researchers are finding that trends are showing that I.T. professionals are beginning to work for themselves in higher numbers, securing their futures and allowing them to control their own destinies. Geeks, hackers, and I.T. entrepreneurs have been doing this for years, but not in these numbers. While many people think of IT workers as firefighters who fix the everyday absurdities caused from techno-weenies, this is becoming decreasingly true.

While some I.T. professionals have chosen to toil away in poverty stricken anonymity being I.T. drones for large corporations, others have found ways to become I.T. entrepreneurs.

Is I.T. then the entrepreneurial career of the future?

IT Contractors

IT workers, especially developers are beginning to work at home (or the hot tropical country of their choice) due to the highly technical nature of their work and their highly developed specialized skills. As contractors they are entrepreneurs as they lack the full-time tax status of regular workers. These contractors then have the ability to take on multiple jobs, thereby diversifying their career and ensuring higher stability. The top careers for I.T. contract workers are graphic designer, system architects, and programming.

Developers

Developers are the newest form of I.T. entrepreneurs. Consider the explosion of Apps available for iOS and other smartphone and tablet apps. By creating a mindless app like the drunk dialer or the iBanner you can create an on-going income with minimal effort. Others creating larger scale apps like Zuckerberg are able to retire from their innovations.

While none of this is breaking news as every I.T. enthusiast has long been jealous of Zuckerberg’s billion dollar fortune, as trends increase more I.T. workers will be looking to become contractors and developers. I.T. may be one of the first careers to focus more on innovation combined with entrepreneurial skills than on actual work.

For those who think they do not have the resources available to them then consider Fritz Ekwoge, a Cameroon born and based programmer and develop who created iYam.mobi, a mobile phone based directory. Or, look at 15 year old Lachy Groom from Australia who is on her 4th tech startup with her newest project dubbed the iPad Case Finder.

This is exciting news for current I.T. workers who are bored to death at their jobs. The recession is providing the kick-in-the-butt that many high-tech workers need to begin working for themselves, as full-time jobs are decreasing. The good news in this scenario is that most techies already have all the tools they need at home to launch their own entrepreneurial career. So, what is stopping you?