How Experts Recommend To Start Your IT Career
The IT sector is the fastest-growing industry globally, and countless jobs are added to the fold every year. One major reason for it is that Information Technology is applied in nearly every industry, be it accounting, finance, healthcare, education, sports, medicine, manufacturing, and many others. Therefore, you won’t be short of a job if you join the IT sector. According to a projection, IT sector employment is expected to grow by 18% this decade, which is faster than any other industry.
Not everyone makes it big in the IT industry. The high influx of jobs also means increased competition in the field, and you have to strive to make it big in an industry where new technologies and breakthroughs are made almost every day. Thankfully, you can turn to experts who can guide you on hitting the ground running. This article covers guidelines by experts that you can follow to start your IT career.
Tips on Starting Your IT Career the Right Way
There are a variety of jobs in the IT sector because of the wide range of sub-fields that it encapsulates. If you are an IT graduate or have taken online courses, you would know how many different positions you can apply for, which also makes it challenging for you to find the right entry point. Here are some tips on how you can get a head start.
Research Roles and Responsibilities
As mentioned above, there are hundreds of roles and positions in the IT field, which means that you may have a hard time choosing which one to go for. These fields include programming, design, web development, database, network administration, DevOps, and several others. The first thing is to do is to go online and research everything you need to know about these positions, as well as the responsibilities they entail.
Once you have researched thoroughly, you will have a better understanding of the positions, and you will also be able to determine which positions align with the skillset that you have. Apart from this, if you have the desired field that you want to penetrate, you will be able to find out the required skills for it, and then you can get to work on learning those.
Prepare a List
This seems like a no-brainer, but when you are done with your research, make sure to shortlist the jobs and positions that capture your attention or seem viable. These may be positions you are interested in but not necessarily have the skillset for or jobs that align with your skillset. Make sure not to go overboard while you do so, i.e., listing down 90% of the jobs you have discovered.
At best, your list should consist of 10-15 positions that may be suitable for you. Apart from skillset, experience also plays a major role. If you are a fresh graduate, list down entry-level jobs compared to those that require more knowledge. Plus, if you have prior experience, even if it is from another field, you may be able to find jobs that align with your skillset and experience.
Learn Coding
Learning to code is another no-brainer, but nearly every seasoned professional and expert will recommend that you do this, even if your core competency doesn’t lie in programming. Coding is an effective and fun way to develop problem-solving skills, and it will give you the aptitude and confidence that you need to find solutions to problems you may face at your job daily.
Usually, most people start with HTML, a common web programming language. Apart from this, you can also try your hand and familiarize yourself with C++, Java, Python, and Ruby. These languages are much more advanced, and if you get a handle on them, you will be one step closer to landing your desired job.
Work on Open-Source Projects
Tying in with the previous pointer, you can always download open-source projects from GitHub, SourceForge, or other repositories and understand the coding syntax and structure. You can start with beginner-level projects and modify them to get a different output. This goes a long way towards strengthening your knowledge of programming languages and also gives you the confidence to contribute to existing projects.
Some open-source projects may be more advanced and complex than others, and looking at them may give you a headache at first glance. Therefore, you should always start with something easier and more comprehensive and make your way up from there.
Enroll in Online Courses
Another fantastic way to develop your skillset is to enroll in online courses, which provide you with relevant knowledge on different topics, fields, and areas of IT. Moreover, if you have a working or practical knowledge of IT but no degree, you can also benefit from enrolling yourself into an associate or bachelor’s degree program, which would take your learning and aptitude to the next level.
The level of education you wish to receive also depends on the job role you are eyeing for yourself. For instance, some jobs may require a bachelor’s or master’s degree, while others may only ask for certain certifications and courses.
Connect with IT Professionals
According to experts, the best way to kickstart your IT career is to get in touch with them, i.e., the IT community. You can do this by attending IT events, including seminars, conferences, lectures, etc. Moreover, you can also read up on IT journals, where researchers and computer scientists publish their research and valuable findings.
Apart from this, you can also connect with IT professionals through social media and specialized platforms that connect like-minded people, such as IT forums. This way, you will have a flavor of the real world before getting into job hunting.
This concludes our guide on expert recommendations to start your IT career. By following these guidelines, you will prepare yourself for a rewarding and illustrious IT career. Apart from these tips, make sure to ask lots of questions and open your mind to receive knowledge, wherever you may get it from.
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