As a fast-growing industry, information technology continues to shape and improve the quality of our life. Hence, more and more individuals are realizing its value in their personal development and career advancement. Further, a lot of organizations are moving towards massive tech shifts to innovate the way they do business.
With these, the demand for IT professionals has been on the rise. Itβs no surprise that a lot of people consider this as a viable career change option, too.
Now, you might be seeing yourself in a similar situation. That said, how should you go about your IT career change? What are the steps you need to take? Heed these practical tips we listed for you!
1. Identify what you want to achieve with an IT career.
Since this is going to be a major transition in your life, sit down and take time to think about your next steps. This includes knowing your goals as you build your IT career, how you will measure your success, and what you are passionate about. Early on, itβs best to set clear intentions to help you move forward easily.
2. Choose a specific area of expertise aligned with your goals.
Since tech is a vast field, you have the opportunity to choose where you can focus your career. With that, you should do some research. Read various IT job descriptions and talk to IT experts to further help you assess which IT job best fits your needs. Get to know the basics of the career options you can possibly explore as you make your IT career switch.
3. Ask around about your chosen field or job.
Check your social media accounts and see if you have connections you can reach out to. Chances are, they have the same job you want to take on. You can then ask them for an informal interview to help you get to know more about their profession and experiences. Moreover, you can get a glimpse of how they got the job you desire and how you can apply these steps in your own journey.
4. Take note of the training youβll need.
In this day and age when you can easily self-study using free resources you can find online, itβs still better if you can get formal training and education needed based on your chosen field. This helps improve your professional background and add to your portfolio, making you stand out from other IT career aspirants. Further, youβll be able to gain more knowledge that you can apply once you switch to an IT career.
5. Work on personal projects.
You may consider trying out new things using your personal computer. Depending on your target career path, have the initiative to work on things that will let you practice your IT skills. These include building a website, experimenting with open-source software, or building a database. Besides, what better way for you to learn the fundamentals of IT than applying them to actual projects through trial and error.
6. Gain hands-on experience.
In relation to working on some personal projects, you can also opt to take on paid or unpaid internships, volunteer work, apprenticeships, and part-time jobs. Reach out to your desired companies that could use your assistance while letting you learn on the job. This way, you can build your portfolio early on.
Lastly, itβs also best for you to integrate your long-term efforts and career goals as you go about this transition. This way, your hands-on experiences and other preparations will be aligned to your dream IT career path.
Ready to build a successful IT career change? Let Bossjob help you! Browse through our available IT jobs and see which role fits you best!
