I usually tell folks I work in IT, specifically IT for HR.  This draws a lot of interesting questions, mostly along the lines of “what is that?” or “why IT for HR?”.  I’ve always had an interest in IT, stemming from computer games as a kid and expanding into wanting to know more about those magic boxes.  My interest in HR IT was piqued working at a small business and watching the owner run payroll. She would end up in tears trying to get it correct, and wasn’t frustrated because it was confusing, but because she knew she had to get it right on my behalf.

What disturbed me about this was that her passion wasn’t running payroll (or even running a business), it was teaching kids and adults self-defense and confidence.  Wanting to do right by her employee (there was just one of me!) took a significant amount of focus away from her passion, and that struck me as wrong.

I’m in HRIT to help others focus on their passion.  Software engineers shouldn’t have to worry if their paycheck is correct, they should engineer more amazing software.  Internal auditors shouldn’t struggle with an LMS, they should focus on helping us stay compliant. New hires shouldn’t be concerned if they’ve signed up for healthcare, they should ride the wave of excitement at a new job.

HRIT helps with all of these things (and more).  My role isn’t to install software, or clean database tables, or project manage.  It’s to help my fellow employees explore their passion to the fullest.