Then there are the IT converts, who despite the dot-com doldrums see that the IT and networking fields still promise lucrative careers. In the United States, we'll need to fill more than 130,000 IT jobs each year for the next 10 years, according to the Department of Labor. And nearly 850,000 highly skilled positions in the IT field are yet to be filled, according to the Information Technology Association of America (ITAA). The number of workers entering the IT field rose 4 percent from last year, raising the total number of IT workers nationwide from 10 million last year to 10.4 million this year, according to the ITAA.

Thanks, Uncle Sam Click here to enlarge

One interesting program for IT training is MetroTech, a work-force-development initiative funded by the Department of Labor for those who work in the Washington area. MetroTech helps existing and newcomer IT professionals get jobs, and helps employers find them. The Washington area ranked as one of the best-paying areas for IT manager and staff salaries in a survey conducted by Network Computing in conjunction with an analysis by the Software Industry Center at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh (see "The Best Cities To Work In").

MetroTech got Ed Biehl into the IT profession. When Biehl's employer went under in 1999, Biehl bought his first computer and started learning the ins and outs of computing, reformatting and rebuilding his own PC. Biehl, whose employer, Rogray, of Rockville, Md., made exhibits for trade shows and museums, knew he wanted a job in the IT field, but he had no formal training. So he took about $10,000 worth of training through MetroTech, including about 35 hours a month of classes to prepare for the A+ computer technician certification and the Microsoft Systems Engineer Certification. MetroTech paid for his IT training in exchange for his agreeing to work at Hood College in Frederick, Md., in computer tech support. Biehl jumped at the opportunity. "I didn't have much experience," he says. "The pay wasn't great, but the training was worth it."

Biehl worked at Hood College for a year, moving from computer tech support to a network administrator position as his skill set improved. Today he is an operations manager for Logistics Engineering and Environmental Support Services, of Huntsville, Ala. Biehl oversees graphic, print and audiovisual services for the company's contract with NASA, at the agency's headquarters in Washington.

Drastic Changes

Tom Evans is an extreme example of this new generation of IT professionals. The former police officer decided to leave the force after he responded to a call in April 2000 that turned out to be the suicide of a fellow cop. "I turned to one of the other cops at the scene and said, 'That's it, I'm getting out of this field,' " says Evans. He decided to turn his hobby of doing "neat tricks with computers" into a new career.

Evans attended the New Horizons Computer Learning Center in Chattanooga, Tenn., where he took courses to become a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer. After seven months, six full-time classes and $12,000 in tuition, Evans passed his MCSE exam. "It was a $12,000 gamble, but it was the best decision of my life," he says. Last October, less than a month after he started looking, Evans secured a job installing networks for Comcast's Internet division.

FYI Non-IT companies will see 302,853 IT jobs go unfilled this year because of a lack of applicants with the requisite technical and nontechnical skills; IT companies anticipate a gap of 122,505. These numbers are down 51% and 47%, respectively, from 2000. -- ITAA

IT career changers come from all kinds of fields. Former news photographer Barry Shapiro was always interested in technology when he worked at the Marietta Journal in Marietta, Ga. "The potential for a lucrative career led me to switch gears," he says.

But it takes more than just showing up at a few classes to move into the IT arena. "You need to commit to complete and total immersion," says Shapiro, who went to class from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on weekdays, then devoted several hours a day to homework and labs. Two weeks after he completed Chubb's eight-month course, Shapiro was offered a job writing Web applications in Visual Basic for Atlanta-based Georgia-Pacific's intranet.

But some career changers are finding the transition into IT even more challenging. Ralph Platt, who owns a lighting company in Verona, Pa., is eight months into online training with KnowledgeNet.com. He passed the N+ certification test but failed the Microsoft 2000 Professional certification examination. "When you don't have on-the-job experience, it can be hard to put it all together," says Platt. Still, once he gets the Office 2000 certification, he believes he will be able to secure a job in IT, and he plans to pursue his MCSE certification, too.

Technology writer Mary E. Thyfault is based in Fairfax, Va. Send your comments on this article to her at mary@thyfault.com.