IT Professionals are in high demand these days, want to know how to get started in IT? The industry has been booming for years, and it’s not showing any signs of slowing down soon. This means that there will always be plenty of opportunities around if you’re looking to get into IT work!
Most IT jobs come with great pay and benefit packages
The pay can vary depending on what position you take; however, most positions offer benefits like excellent salary packages plus flexibility regarding when/where to work (office hours versus home-based). It certainly isn’t hard finding jobs either.
The global IT industry is one of the fastest-growing in the world. It means IT employees don’t have much to worry about when it comes to career opportunities.
The IT Industry is a competitive field
However, precisely because so many people are interested in starting a career in IT, competition for tech jobs is fierce. This means that if you want to make a successful transition into this field, you need to have the right skills and qualifications.
So how do you go about starting a new career in IT? In this article, we will explore some tips on how to make the switch and land your dream tech job.
How do I break into the IT field with no experience?
What if you had to figure out what type of job was right for your skills? How would that work, anyway? Well in my case, I wanted something technical so when speaking with co-workers from the IT department at our company I found out they were all aware that college degrees weren’t necessary.
It turns out these folks have diverse backgrounds and varying levels of experience and education; some only have finished high school while others hold doctorates! This gave me even more insight into where and what best suited me. There’s no one size fits all solution here, each person must decide on his/her own career path based on those details alone.
Here is what I did to get started in Information Technology with zero Experience
- I volunteered my help to the current IT folks at my job at the time. This is a good starting point for anyone.
- I learned about the IT system at the Company. I figured out what made it possible for me to log in to the company computer.
- I built a home lab and hone some core technical skills
- I took some free and paid online courses.
- I worked towards one IT certification exam and applied for a new role.
- I found a new IT role in under a year and everything took off from there.
Here is what I would do today if I wanted to transition or start a new career in IT
Most of the large tech companies have certificate programs. They facilitate anyone interested in the tech industry to get the skills they need to get there
- I would complete a Google certificate program that closely fits my career goals.
- I would complete an Amazon certificate program that best fits my career roles.
- Sign up for online courses that align with my interest and watch demonstration videos on YouTube.
- I would complete hands-on labs on technologies that interest me, there are a lot of free resources on this.
- I would attend tech conferences and networking events about technology that interest me.
- Lead with my soft skills, such as communication skills in the meantime I build core tech skills.
What Education is needed for an IT career?
The basic qualification to get started in IT is a high school diploma and a certification, but there is something you need to know before you make that jump into an IT career. Technology is ever-evolving and will continue to do so for ages to come. This means you have to be committed to being a continuous learner if you want to have a successful career in IT.
You may not necessarily need an associate degree or a bachelor’s degree but the learning does not stop. With every major release of any piece of software, you would need the take the time to learn it. This does not mean that you have to earn a certification every time there’s a new technology out there, but you have to learn it anyway. Do you still want a career in tech? Playing the devil’s advocate, it’s “fine” if you’re not into continuous learning, but you would also need to settle with being stuck in a role.
Do you need a computer science degree to work in IT?
I got my first job and second tech job before completing my Bachelor’s degree.
Simply the answer is no. I hold a bachelor’s degree in computer and information science and I sometimes regret putting in all of the hard work and effort into obtaining that degree. I learned from that experience, (buyer’s remorse). if you want to get a degree just go ahead and do it, but it does not have to be computer science. Many of my past managers held an English literature degree but went back to school while on the job to earn a masters in IT, which is what I wish i did.
Is having a college degree worth it to get into tech careers?
Here are the advantages of having a degree: It allows you to be more flexible in your job search. A degree establishes a baseline for you as a professional. If you want to look for a role outside of your current company a degree would be helpful to eliminate the competition in the early stages of the hiring process.
If you were to leave your geographical region or relocate, a degree will be helpful as well but this vary as well with the hiring managers.
Here are some tech career paths I would get into right now to get in the tech industry.
Software Developer
if you like to create computer programs or fix bugs in existing computer programs software development may be the right career path for you and require good tech skills. People in this field are mostly self-taught
Web developer
if you’re into creating applications or programs used on the web this may be a great field to start a career for in.
Web designer
Are you into designing great web interfaces for users to have a great experience on the web? This career journey may be worth it for you.
Project management
Are you an organized person or can you be organized? Are you comfortable working around deadlines all the time? what about people and communication skills? if so, this IT career may be a good fit for you but it often requires project management certification and sometimes a college degree.
Information security
This IT job can be extremely rewarding, both financially and emotionally. It can also be very demanding, requiring long hours and a high level of dedication. Information security is not just about tech skills. It also requires strong soft skills, as you will often be working with other members of your team to resolve issues.
Data analyst
Data science offers many desirable benefits, such as a high salary, the opportunity to work from home, and the chance to make a difference in the world. However, before you jump into a data science career, it is important to understand what the role of a data analyst entails.
A data analyst is responsible for organizing, cleaning, and analyzing data. This data is then used to support decision-making in an organization. In order to be successful in this role, you must have strong technical skills, as well as the ability to effectively communicate your findings to those who are not data experts.
Systems administrator
SysAdmins are responsible for the day-to-day operation of computer systems and networks within an organization. In order to be successful in this role, you must have strong technical skills and the ability to effectively manage and troubleshoot complex systems.
Entry-level jobs and computer support specialists
If you want to start a career in tech, but don’t have a degree in computer science, don’t worry – there are still plenty of great tech jobs out there for you. One of the best entry-level tech jobs is that of computer support specialist.
In this role, you will be responsible for providing technical support to computer users. This can include anything from troubleshooting software issues to setting up new hardware. In order to be successful in this role, you must have strong technical skills and the ability to effectively communicate with users.
Do I have to be technical to start a career in the tech industry?
If you’re not an IT expert and want to get started in the IT field don’t worry, There’s something for you too. Here are some of the tech jobs and career paths for non-technical job seekers to land their dream job.
Sales roles in IT
If you are interested to start a career in information technology and are not technical, there are many great sales roles available to you. Sales roles in the tech industry can be extremely rewarding, both financially and emotionally. They can also be demanding, requiring long hours and a high level of dedication.
Some of the best sales roles in information technology include positions such as system account representative, and pre-sales engineer. In order to be successful in these roles, you must have strong soft skills and the ability to effectively communicate with customers.
You must also be able to understand customer needs and find solutions that meet those needs. You will undergo “Tech sales training” to fill the gap in your lack of technical skills.
If you are interested in a sales role in the IT industry, it is important to do your research and find a role that best suits your current skills and interests. You don’t have to be extroverted, as long as you’re one of those introverts who “like” people this may be perfect for you.
Learning consultants
If you are looking for a career that involves teaching others about Creating curriculums, then a career as a learning consultant may be right for you. Learning consultants work with clients who want to create courses, and learning paths to improve the current tech skills of others.
Nontechnical Project manager
Another great option, for those who want to enter the tech industry but don’t have a tech background is IT project management. While some project manager roles require some technical knowledge a lot of them do not. In this role, you will be responsible for planning, organizing, and overseeing IT projects. To be successful in this role, you must have strong organizational and project management skills, and the ability to effectively communicate with team members and stakeholders.
IT strategist
This role is responsible for developing and implementing technology plans and strategies for a specific team at a company. In order to be successful in this role, you must have strong business skills and soft skills. The ability to effectively communicate with stakeholders.
If you are interested in a career as an IT strategist, it is important to do your research and find a role that best suits your current skills and interests.
Final thoughts
Starting a career in tech can be an extremely rewarding experience, both financially and emotionally. However, many people are under the misconception that you need to have a college degree in order to pursue a career in tech. This is not always the case. There are many great tech jobs available for those who do not have a degree in computer science or have very low tech skills.
You still have to learn new skills
You do have to learn new skills for all the technology careers out there. Create your own path. Plan at least the next two roles you’re interested in, and how the first one will help you land the second one. Hopefully, this blog post was helpful. Good luck with the job search process, and don’t forget to subscribe for some more helpful tips.
