IT and software jobs: choose between building, running systems and leading teams by your style

Many people go into IT for the pay and the chance to work remotely, then discover in year three that they do not enjoy writing code: they prefer keeping other people's systems stable, or talking to customers rather than facing a screen. IT is wide enough to hold every style, if you know yourself early enough.

Four paths in IT

• Building (developers, system design, product): matches the creator, who sees work as finished pieces, and the sage, who likes going deep into technology.
• Running systems (operations, security, databases, cloud): matches the builder, who is comfortable when everything has a procedure and a measurement.
• Analysis and data (business analysts, data, QA): matches the sage and the builder.
• Leading teams and customers (team lead, project manager, pre-sales): matches the commander and the connector.

See your work style and compare it with the path you are on. If your main style is connector and you have been coding alone for three years, that may be why you are tired, not a lack of ability.

When to move from building to leading

The classic senior developer question. Your 10-year path helps: if the theme of your current period is "position and responsibility" and this year is open, taking the team lead role will run smoothly. If the theme is "output and creation", staying on the building path and asking to become the architect may pay off better than a day of meetings.

Working remotely from a place that supports you

IT is the field that most lets you work from anywhere. Use the places map to choose the province to live in, then search postings marked "remote" in the filters. Companies in Chiang Mai, Khon Kaen and Phuket hire remote staff more every year.

Search IT jobs that fit your element.