It seems that, nowadays, everyone wants to begin a career in the Information Technology (IT) industry. No matter their age, education level, or past work experience, many seem to be gravitating towards this booming industry.

Why choose a career in IT?

• Job stability.
• Low-cost training opportunities
• Constant evolution

You will learn from this article:

• Research roles and positions
• Create a short list
• Learn to code
• Work on an open-source project
• Enroll in education
• Network with IT professionals
• Freelance for experience
• Tips of building a career in IT

The field of IT is a diverse one with many specialities. Some of these include positions like systems administrator, network engineer, software developer, Develops specialist and more. Researching the roles and functions available allows you to identify interests and skills that are a good match for an open position.

After creating your ideal job list and choosing your first roles, you can continue to research the qualifications necessary for each of them. By doing this, you can focus your education and training to prepare you for the positions you desire.

HTML is often the first coding language people learn because it’s easy to pick up, has a small learning curve, and is used in many different types of projects. Other languages you may want to learn to include JavaScript, Java, C++, Python and Ruby. These are considered more advanced languages and require more formal training to learn. Online classes and tutorials make it easier for anyone to access educational resources on popular coding methods.

Open-source projects can provide you with experience in coding by creating or contributing to them and sharing your knowledge with others. By contributing to an open-source project, you not only gain skills but also can display those skills on your resume and portfolio. To contribute to an open-source project, follow these guidelines:

• Get known with open-source platforms. Open-source platforms are tools that allow developers to contribute to or start new projects. Learn about the most popular open-source platforms, along with their communities.
• Decide whether you want to start a new project or contribute to an existing one. You can make your own projects or contribute to existing ones. Choose the type of project that best suits your skill level.

Enrolling in education will allow you to solidify your candidacy. This could mean taking a formal coding course or enrolling in an associate degree or bachelor’s degree program. Whatever path you choose depends on what role you want to achieve. For example, a computer programmer may need just a few courses or to pass a certification exam in order to become certified, while a systems administrator or network engineer would need a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science.

Before you take the next step on your IT career path, make sure to widen your networking contacts. Attend networking events where you’re likely to meet other IT professionals, and you’ll increase your chances of getting a job referral. By making a referral, you can expect the person to be treated with special consideration in a competitive field. You can find networking events by contacting local professional associations, business publications and chambers of commerce.

When you have worked on applicable IT skills and built a network, you can often gain experience by freelancing. For instance, an aspiring software developer can offer freelance development services to the public while also getting paid for his or her work. Freelancing is an excellent way to break into a field because it allows you to gain experience and also earn money for your work.

• Consider getting a certification. Some popular certifications include Microsoft, Oracle, CompTIA, CEH (Certified Ethical Hacker), CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional), CISM (Certified Information Security Manager) and ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library).
• Seek a relevant degree. A bachelor’s degree in computer science is a good place to start, but you can go even further by specializing in one of these related fields:(CIS) computer information systems, (CE)computer engineering, information science and mathematics applied sciences and more.
• Update your social media pages. When looking for a new job, it is important to appear professional and competent to potential employers. Update your social media pages online to reflect your interest in technology.

Reference:

https://www.wikihow.com/Start-a-Career-in-Information-Technology

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