This story is for the people who doesn't have any experience in IT industry, whether you are completely new to job market or have some experience in other fields yet want to start over a new career.
Sometimes you just feel lost when starting out a career. That happens to most people too. These steps will help you to get a glimpse of what to do when you are starting to look for an entirely new position in the IT industry.
Make a list for the positions you think is interesting
Before anything, you need to be prepared for the journey you are going to take. And first thing first, you have to pick a career that may interest you.
- Software developer
- Front-end or Back-end engineer
- Business analyst
- System analyst
- Project manager
- Network engineer
The purpose of this step is to get to know you. Let's assume that you never have any experience related to information technology industry; then you may not know what these positions are, or maybe never even heard of it, and you need to take a look a little bit a what do they do before jumping into one career. You never know that maybe you are a talented guy for the position you never heard of!
Set goals
We all know that goal setting is important, yet sometimes we overlook this important process. Knowing what you want will escalate your learning progress and it will be more satisfying if you know that you are getting closer to the goal.
In order to get good at something, you must understand how to achieve that. Write that down on your sticky note or you notebook. The point is to make it visible everyday, so you don't ever forget why you are doing that. Also, you need to make sure that the goals are achievable. If you got a big goal, or maybe the goal is a bit overwhelming, you can start breaking it down to smaller, achievable ones.
Internet is your friend
Internet is the most underrated source of study that even professional software developers still use to look for codes they don't understand. Honestly, they even use it to get job done for the most basic things you may find it silly.
However, you must understand that there are ups and downs by learning from the internet.
The good thing is:
- You don't need a degree to get a job
- Internet is free
- Information technology is closely related to internet
The bad thing is:
- The information is scattered
- Too much information could be overwhelming at the beginning
There are a few courses you can find on the internet, starting from free to paid services. If you are on codes, you can start by looking at the documentations of the language, which will be really helpful. Take a look at these websites:
- codecademy.com
- w3schools.com
- edx.org
- udemy.com
If you are a non-code guy, you can start by learning how to make flowcharts with lucidchart.com or visme.com. Trust me, this is an underrated skill that a non-technical guys could have ever had. The point is to get more understanding with learning by doing, so never get stuck on this list and feel free to get more sources if it doesn't suit you.
Get comfortable with codes and current technologies
Whether you are into software, hardware, networking, you need to make yourself closer to the subject you are about to take, especially if you don't have any knowledge in the industry.
Try to create small portfolios or samples, or getting certificates. I personally use this step to get to know the terms that I never heard of before, but it's commonly used by professionals. Aside from getting technical knowledge, the good thing of being familiar with this terms is that you can engage yourself into deep discussions with seniors who you want to get to know!
Find a good support system
This is the most important aspect for everyone, not only when building a career only.
A good support system will help you stand in difficult situations.
Many of my colleagues (including me lol) over stressed ourselves during the first six months into the industry. Some of them almost cried too because of the workload (real story). This is where support system helps you the most, and you will feel glad they are with you.
Lastly, don't give up!
Although starting a career new has always been difficult, no matter what industry you are into, there always be ways to get there. The first step is to get familiar with the positions you are interested into. Then you start making goals for you guidelines. After that, start by learning from the internet as it's a free source of information. Then you should get to know what technology is commonly used by the people of your position. Then don't forget to get a support system.
This steps are not fool proof, so you should improvise whenever needed. Nevertheless, I hope this article helps you to get a gist of what to do when starting a new career in the information technology industry.
Cheers and good luck!