The IT elephant

The story of the elephant still strikes me, and perhaps even more now that I am looking into IT careers for my students...

Outside the main tent, a big circus elephant is tied to a small pole fixed on the ground via a chain. A child passing by asks his father: "Why does not the elephant break from the pole?"

The father could have answered in many ways, but reminds his son that from early childhood, when the elephant was small, it became 'trained' not to break away. A small elephant could not have broken away, but what about a big elephant?

The big elephant still thinks it cannot break away.

Professions in information technology are a double edge sword: If you are enthusiastic and capable, you can become an expert in what you do, and be recognised as such.

However, this can also become your own 'chain', and you can find it difficult to break away from a 'pole' (your own IT niche).

When we start our careers, we might feel like the small elephant, without enough 'force'. But as time goes by, we can become too comfortable living in our own 'tent'.

How can we break away then?


I do not have answers but perhaps more questions:

Why is it that we feel too comfortable where we are? Is it satisfaction, or is it an easy life? Satisfied people might not need to move on.

Why cannot we try something else? Are we paying too much attention to other people's advice?

And finally, is it that we want to follow a path that is not ours?