| December 2006 |
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| By Nathan G. Jensen |
This is for all you accountants, sales people, mathematicians, project managers and school teachers who have been looking dreamily through the glass at the IT field and wondering how you can break in. You see the excitement and the pay and the growth opportunities of this industry and ask, "Why not me?".
I have made this career change journey successfully, broken through, and landed in a sunny spot. By learning the secrets and following some basic steps you can become the next IT success story.
First, in the words of a recent commercial, let’s have a quiet conversation. If you want to break into IT there are two absolute requirements. You must passionately want it and you must be willing and able to learn fast. If you’ve passed these prerequisites be assured that you can do this! Let’s begin.
The three rules of IT success: knowledge, knowledge, knowledge!
In IT it’s not who you know, but what. It doesn’t matter where you went to school or if. All that matters is what you know. Period.
Which IT Area Suits You?
The most popular areas of IT are Software Engineering, Network Administration, Database Development/Administration, Testing, Tech Support and IT Management. Find information about each of these areas and if possible speak with acquaintances who actually do that kind of work. Merely knowing that you want to be “in IT” is far too broad. You’ll need to figure out where you want to end up and what sort of work you wish to do. The daily work of a Network Administrator is drastically different from that of a Software Engineer.
You Need More Education, Not More Schooling
A common misconception and perceived barrier to entry of making a career change into IT is that you have to go back to school. The thought of starting all over—perhaps mid-life—with homework, exams and collegiate stress is enough to make just about anyone give up before they’ve started. Not only is more schooling unnecessary, it wouldn’t help you much anyway. And online courses and education aren’t much better if you’re looking for the fast track. That route is just too long and drawn out.
A few hundred bucks in the book section of Amazon.com will buy you a better education than twenty thousand dollars at your local university. Once you have chosen an area of expertise, buy relevant books in that area that have received many good reviews. Most IT books will contain hands-on practice sections that help you try out what you have just learned. Don’t skip these sections, they will help you immensely. Read and study these books carefully and cover-to-cover. This is your education—don’t cheat yourself by skimming.
Get Certified
Certification exams are a great way to prove to your prospective employer that you have the right kind of knowledge. These certs can give you a competitive edge in the job market and can be a mitigating factor for your lack of experience. Certs exist for virtually every area and focus within IT. Find the ones relevant to your path and begin serious study.
The fast track to certification is as follows:
- Buy a test bundle from a cert study retailer like GetCertify4Less. For a nice discount you can buy your test voucher and an electronic practice test from SelfTestSoftware or Transcender. These practice tests are your ace in the hole for passing the exams.
- While you are going through the practice tests, have Google standing by so that you can search on keywords and study more on those subjects. If you’re studying for a Microsoft exam, use the MSDN site to round out your knowledge of topics and keywords being studied.
- When you reach the point where you can go through the practice test in Certification Mode and get 95% correct, you’re ready to take the real one. The two certs I took using this approach landed me a 90% on the actual exams (only 70% was necessary to pass). Find a local testing center and schedule the exam.
The work force is waiting and you are ready!
Now that you’ve read four or five books and passed some certs you will need to complete your training by landing that first job and grasping the holy grail of workplace success- experience!
Getting Experience
Perhaps everyone has felt trapped in that cruel catch-22: Nobody wants to hire you unless you have experience, but there’s no way to get experience unless someone hires you. Consider a few proven techniques and principles for breaking in to the industry while remembering this precious truth: after your first job in IT, the battle is over and it’s downhill from there. Landing that first job is the paramount struggle, so you’ll be amazed how easy it is to get your next job after that.
- Get your stuff together. As in, put together a sharp resume and hone your interview skills. Dice has some great articles on these topics. Take a look.
- Don’t be picky. This first job is your key to the castle. Do whatever it takes to get in, including taking a less-than-ideal job or less-than-stellar pay.
- In the interview, make it clear that, in addition to your breadth of knowledge and your certs, you’ll compensate for lack of experience by working harder and learning faster than anybody else on the team. Employers admire this kind of passion. Make sure you actually live up to this after being hired. The last thing in the world you need is for your boss to feel buyer’s remorse after hiring you.
After beginning your new job (congratulations!), find a mentor at work who will answer your questions and help you avoid the mines. Now that you’ve walked the path and landed the job, your future in IT will be a sunny one!
Nathan G. Jensen is a Lead Web Developer living in Salt Lake City.
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