Every few years, the technology industry goes through a contraction — layoffs, hiring freezes, pessimistic headlines — and people who were considering an IT career change start asking whether they’ve missed the window. The question deserves a direct answer.

The short answer

Yes. IT remains one of the most reliable career paths available to people without a four-year degree in a high-demand specialty. The demand for IT workers in Texas is documented and structural, not cyclical hype. The industries that employ IT workers — healthcare, energy, financial services, government — are not going away, and their dependence on IT infrastructure is increasing, not decreasing.

The more honest answer

The easy money in consumer tech is harder to access than it was in 2021. The companies that were hiring engineers with minimal experience and paying San Francisco salaries for remote work in 2021 are not doing that anymore. That specific moment is over.

What hasn’t changed: the demand for infrastructure IT work at the organizations that run the actual economy. Healthcare systems need IT support staff. Energy companies need network administrators. Financial institutions need security analysts. These employers were hiring IT workers before the 2021 tech boom and are hiring them now. The glamour has declined. The employment has not.

What makes IT a good bet specifically in Texas

Texas’s economic growth is not correlated with the fortunes of Silicon Valley. Dallas, Houston, Austin, and San Antonio are growing cities with growing enterprise sectors that need IT workers. The cost of living relative to IT salaries makes Texas IT employment more economically viable than comparable employment in coastal tech hubs. And the training infrastructure — grant-funded programs at zero cost — means the barrier to entry is lower in Texas than almost anywhere else in the country.

The window is open. The question is whether you’re going to use it. Infotech Academy’s Pre-Apprenticeship Program is free for eligible Texas residents. Check your eligibility at infotechacademy.online/pap.