Respect in IT

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So I am going to community college to become a network and systems administrator, I worked odd jobs and I am tired of being paid dirt without being respected.

Do people who work in IT get respect for what they do? I understand that at some companies you may have really stupid people who expect too much from technology but I am willing to deal with that since that is true about almost anything else.

I realize being a system and network admin may require odd hours but could I avoid that by working for a company where the hours are strictly from 9am to 5pm instead of places like a hospital that are open 24 hrs. I really like having free time during the night to do whatever.

Great my last avenue as a career option is just a different level of hell then? What if I'm not with a company that does sales, or like a library, I would be willing to work at a hospital and endure odd hours as the system admin if that happnened only once and a while

I think it depends where you work. I feel like I get respect where I work, although it is true that our department is somewhat under-funded because we are not a "revenue-generating unit". It is also true that higher-ups sometimes make technology decisions without consulting us when they don't even understand the issues. Those are negatives, but not deal-breakers. I do feel that my work is appreciated by my fellow employees however. That is one thing I really enjoy about my job- I fix problems for people and make their lives easier, and they appreciate it. I think it's better at smaller companies, where employees get to know each other. If you work in a big anonymous company, you are probably less likely to get respect.

II have worked for some of the Forbes "top 100 companies to work for," and had a nightmarish time. I've worked for companies that I know sucked rocks, and had a great time. What really matters, IMO, are three things in this order: 1 - your immediate co-workers; 2 - your immediate supervisor/manager; and 3 - your manager/supervisor's supervisor.

That's it. If your immediate superiors up two levels and your co-workers all feel like they're in the same boat with you and handle issues cooperatively and with a sense of humor, almost any job can be rewarding and enjoyable to go to. If any of those elements are missing, it easily falls apart. Of course there are other issues like turnover. I was hired by a manager who definitely "got" me (even when I sometimes didn't), but then he was immediately replaced by someone who was a complete and total a**hole to me. To this day I still refer to him as "weasel boy."

So looks for the three things and relative stability in IT personnel. There are no guarantees, but that will give you the best chance.

I'm a database developer for some pretty ambitious projects that our CEO has cooked up. I have a very hard time getting any useful information out of anybody above me on the chain of command.
All I get is generalities and vague concepts and they expect me to build databases around that because they have no concept of what I do or how important my role is in the scheme of things. Out of the soon to be 5 of us crammed into our little IT department I'm quite certain I am the least paid and the hardest to replace.
The CEO and VP actually drove 6 hours to Atlanta to recruit this latest "IT Director" who really has no clue about anything but can convince management she does because they're clueless. So she gets the big check and to be buddy-buddy with upper management and us underlings get to do the real work and to be treated like children who need supervision.
Maybe I'm supposed to step up and get on the BS train with her and the other managers in order to get anywhere (I'm actually the only one out of all of them, including the CEO, who actually has a Business Management degree) but that's not me. I tell the truth and I don't flap my jaws 24/7. It probably is my Aspergers because I they sound like they're all just talking jibberish to me. I've been getting headaches almost every day since she's started with the company 2 weeks ago.

Hi
I cannot talk for all people within IT since it is so broad. I am working as a programmer in a research institute in denmark and people are looking up to me for my work.Some of the post docs have pleage that I should not leave my job because they are so much depended on my work. That makes me happy.

I think that if you are working with humans as a support units then it might have another view.