Starting a career in IT—Employment
Today, the IT field is one of the most attractive for job seekers, and interest in it continues to grow. People are attracted by prospects, high salaries, professional and career growth, and comfortable working conditions.
If you are thinking about starting a career in information technology, but work in a different field, then it will be useful for you to understand the specifics of the transition.
In this lesson, we will look at important points that are worth considering in order to build a career in IT.
Planning the transition to the IT sector
You need to plan your transition to the information technology sector using the following steps:
- Learn what the IT sector is:
- Study the labor market: what specializations are there, what companies work in the IT industry and what vacancies they offer
- Start to navigate the terminology and work tools
- Assess your current experience and create a profitable offer for the employer
- Collect your first portfolio
When you understand the IT market, terminology and work tools, then it will be easier for you to evaluate your professional experience. If you understand the employer's requirements, you can correlate your experience, knowledge and skills with them. This way you can figure out which experiences will be interesting and which ones will not. And having a portfolio will make your resume more popular and interesting to the employer.
Let's look at each step of the transition to IT in more detail.
Step 1. Study the IT field
To study the IT field in detail, you need to become familiar with the labor market, as well as the terminology and tools of this field.
Labor market research
Let's imagine Ivan, who is 25 years old. He worked as a sales manager and had a humanitarian education. No experience in the IT field. At the same time, Ivan wants to maintain the salary level of 90,000 dollars/month. For this, he decided to become a developer, since they have suitable salaries. There is no portfolio, but he is considering the TOP-20 software development companies in the industry for employment.
Ivan’s chances of getting a job with such input data are minimal. Entry into the IT field depends not only on a person’s education and experience, but also on what position and what company he plans to get into.
The IT labor market is very diverse, for example: software developers, sellers of computers and other technical devices, analysts, customer support specialists, game creators and many other specializations:
Understanding trends in the IT field helps to build a career transition plan, saving time and money for this stage in your career. If you don’t navigate the IT labor market, you risk wasting a lot of time. Sometimes the transition is delayed or becomes impossible.
It is worth knowing not only the obvious advantages of the IT sector during the transition, but also the features:
- Junior positions pay little
- It is important to constantly improve your skills to maintain a professional level
Nowadays, the IT sector is not experiencing a shortage of personnel, and competition is inevitably increasing. Therefore, in order to get an offer, you will have to fight.
A picture of the labor market would help Ivan see other professions in IT. If the field is suitable based on interests, professional inclinations, and not just salary level, then the employee develops faster. This makes it easier for him to adapt to the IT environment and quickly move to the Middle level and higher. For example, Ivan has strong negotiation skills, which opens the way for him in other professions in IT.
Orientation in professions helps determine the right direction for transition, where it is easier to express yourself and develop. If you have experience in a different direction, then you are not starting from scratch. This means that the accumulated experience and skills can be successfully integrated into a new profession.
For example, an applicant with a financial education, his work is related to analytics, knows programs that simplify working with data. Such experience will be useful in building a career transition, for example, to IT analysts.
There are many career options in IT analytics:
- Systems Analyst
- Business analyst
- Data Analyst
- Web Analyst
- UX Analyst
- Product Analyst
To choose the right path, it is worth understanding the differences between one profession and another and building a clear career path.
Understanding terminology and work tools
This is an important condition for finding a job and adapting to a new professional environment. Understanding the terminology and work tools helps you speak the same language with your colleagues and employer and navigate new information. This simplifies the interview negotiations and onboarding process.
Ways to obtain such knowledge:
- Read professional articles
- Mark unclear words and see their meaning
- Ask for advice from a professional person
- Get specialized training
- Register in a professional community or social network
Step 2. Evaluate your experience
To evaluate your current experience, follow the following algorithm:
- Go to a job search site
- Find ten offers for the job you are applying for. It is important to choose the appropriate level: Junior - entry level, Middle - average, Senior - high
- Write down the requirements for experience, knowledge, personal characteristics from the vacancies found
- Check your experience to see what fits this description.
For points where experience or knowledge is lacking, a development plan can be drawn up. This is a list of actions that will help fill gaps in the required knowledge and skills. This list could include specialized articles, training, conferences, skills training, portfolio work, or meetings with a mentor. Thanks to such a plan, development will be predictable and clear.
Step 3. Compiling a portfolio
A portfolio increases your chances of moving into the IT field. It can be done in a separate folder or posted in specialized social networks. networks and groups. For example, developers use GitHub to work, designers use Behance.
- Study the IT sector: labor market, terminology and work tools
- Assess your current experience and create a profitable offer for the employer
- Collect your first portfolio
Independent work
Key points for moving into the IT field:
- Start with an analysis of the IT sphere: it is not limited to one development. It is important that your future profession develops your strengths
- Learn the terminology. This will allow you to speak the same language not only with HR during the interview, but also with colleagues and customers
- Rate your professional experience for your chosen profession. See what strong knowledge and skills you already have, and what is still missing and needs to be replenished
- Be sure to collect a portfolio: it can be in the form of finished works, projects, or in the form of a demonstration of your skills, abilities and knowledge