So you think that you want to work in the IT industry? Great, good choice, salaries can
become very high as you work your way up through the ranks. The business
press has stopped treating techs like the geek who got left off of the party
invitation and is now touting the many, many top-notch careers availble for
those with tech education, IT training, and computer and systems skills.
When you have 5
or more years in the industry you will be much sought after for your
sage-like knowledge and razor-sharp skills. But, right now you need to
concentrate on some of the crucial questions about which sector of the IT
industry to target, what type of training to undertake, and what else you
could be doing to make yourself a desirable package to a potential employer
Let's run through a few bullet points:
-
Be honest, is IT really what you want to do, what inspires you and what you
feel is your natural 'home', or is it a fad you picked up from someone else?
Are you excited about the challenges of working through complex, repetitive,
problems with few reference points and little support?
-
Do you feel 'at home' sat in front of a computer using applications, or are
you more comfortable connecting computers and peripherals together, and
configuring operating systems and applications?
-
Are you inspired by the thought of managing an IT project from beginning to
end, documenting every stage and reviewing and reporting each twist and
turn?
-
Does the idea of working in a highly structured environment, with daily
scrums and endless meetings turn you on?
-
Do you get all shivery when you contemplate sitting for hours and hours
writing JAVA, VB or C++ or whatever code?
-
Does the idea of working for days in a freezing cold, and very noisy, server
room press your buttons? (just kidding on this one, kind of)
If you said yes to all of the above, you are in urgent need of psychiatric
help! No really, some of these things are just part of the
everyday routine for an IT professional, especially in the early years.
IT is an industry, a profession. For
some, it may become an total way of
life. Make sure that when you start
to contemplate a career in the IT industry that you are completely honest
about why you want to be there.
To make IT a good choice you, take
time to make your early choices
about exactly what you intend to do and which tech sector you intend to make your
home.
What not to do:
Be careful of oversold of IT training company claims.
IT training centers will tell you how incredibly
important an MCSE is, or how useful an A+ or Server+ is. Any kind of certification that is
relevant is useful, but most recruiting
companies are looking for enthusiasm and passion for IT, real and basic
understanding of systems, some experience in
the particular technologies pertinent to their own companies and
departments.
Put together a CV that catches their eye.
Doesn't hurt to be able to put a couple of MCPs on the CV. But if the job is
working with UNIX or open-source, an MCP is hardly likely to get you
noticed.
Do not forget an important thing:
Keep and open mind and a flexible attitude. What skills you do not have, you can
learn. For example, if you are not conversant on Microsoft products, remember
that not everyone uses Microsoft products. In fact, most Internet
network systems are Open-Source, most heavy-weight database systems are
UNIX. Video editing and desk-top publishing may be done on the
Macintosh or SGI systems.
Don't take too seriously anyone who spouts techno-babble. They have probably
just read an IT magazine, been to their favorite IT web site, or it's their
first month working as a help-desk operator for a local call-centre, or
treading the boards in PCWorld. The fact is they know 'squat' and that is
exactly what you will learn from them. You don't need techno-babble, you
need to listen to someone who can relay anecdotal experience and information
to you. That's the best way to learn about the industry. You have to make
the effort to find the information you need, as it is unlikely to suddenly
appear.
Don't bother getting a part-time job shifting boxes of computers around, or
humping crates for a computer auction company, or working in a retail
computer shop. You'll learn nothing and probably end up with a strained back
or a headache. You have to go 'industrial strength' if you want to have a
well paid IT based career. If you can get a job working as an assistant to a
networks engineer, or network administrator in a company with more than 5
servers, you may learn something useful.
What you can start to do:
Talk to people who are actually working in the industry and have been for
more than three years. Less than three years and they are still juniors
themselves and will not have been around enough to have any well formulated
opinions based on fact and experience. They only 'think' they know. That's
not good enough for your purposes. Someone who has worked in a few different
areas and has a global view of the IT industry is much more valuable as a
resource.
It's not always useful to talk to someone who has been in the same company
for many years. They may be loyal workers, but their knowledge of the IT
industry and technologies will be blinkered. In IT today you are expected to
move on after two to three years. If you don't you will be out of touch with
developments. Moores Law states that our industry goes through a technology
change every eighteen months. My 'Law' says it's more likely to be nine
months. Some Gartner and IDC analysts will tell you it's now down to six
months.
Read the 'serious' IT magazines, not the PC Plus, or Active PC type of
'user-end' mag'. I would advise that you subscribe to Computer Weekly. It's
quite clued up and the people who write articles for that magazine, tend to
be the more experienced person rather than the more excited, if you see what
I mean. There are some very useful web sites that you can join as a member.
IT Toolbox is very good and informative, so is TechRepublic. You have to
move away from the PC world of gadgets and gizmos, and into the world of
serious industrial strength technologies. IT subjects, articles, and
discussions can be very 'dry'. It helps you if you make an effort to
research the issues that are being discussed. Get involved, some of this
stuff is really quite interesting!
Get used to learning and doing in-depth research. I spend 30% of my time
learning about new systems and technologies. I research them even though I
may not use them. Being informed means you have something to say and you can
take part in discussions with some idea of what is being discussed. Be 'worldly'
about IT. You might find that there is more to IT than just machines
connected with wires. IT is very, very deep and very, very wide. So, getting
used to the jargon and the topics of the day are both important assets for
someone wanting to be taken seriously by their industry peers.
Realize that the industry is divided into sectors: Hardware, software,
design, support, administration, security, storage, Internet, object
orientated and service orientated architectures. There are many
sub-divisions. You will have to investigate and determine which interest you
enough to want to work in that sector for years. Be sure you understand how
each one works and how it interrelates to others.
Should You Take
IT
Training Courses?
Is training useful? That is difficult to say. It would depend on what you
want to do in relation to the training you are or have undertaken.
This writer advises strongly AGAINST boot-camps. You need a very high level of
knowledge to get anything useful from a 12 hour-a-day cram session.
Boot-camps can be productive for people in the industry who want a quick-fix
shot of hot knowledge. But for the beginner, not a useful
experience.
Getting any kind of certification from such places is like
collecting waste paper. No substance, all rubbish. You won't actually learn
anything useful, you will just get crammed full of disjointed facts and
figures. Making sense of them, or trying to apply them is pointless. If you
get a certificate, well done. Now bin it, as you have nothing to back it up
with. Any astute interviewer is going to know that within 5 minutes of
technical questioning.
Don't waste your time and money embarking on a long and expensive training
binge. It's true, some folk become training junkies. They don't feel
fulfilled unless they have signed up for another obscure course that
promises a job and a certificate.
If you decide to do a training course make sure that:
it is relevant to your target sector
has a practical and hands-on approach
is an accredited company (accredited to whichever vendor technology you are
addressing)
the training company has been in business for at least three years
you can talk to someone who has completed a course with your chosen training
company
you can visit, look around, sit in on a class and talk to the trainer/s
the course doesn't last for more than three weeks each session
the course is over in less than six weeks (courses that last for 5 years are
not serious)
the course is not run by your local college of FE (they don't have the
industry expertise)
course is NOT correspondence based (these courses are useless – take too
long – no industry expertise available – support is intermittent)
there is after-care and a possible job placement (make sure the job
placement is relevant)
the certification is internationally recognised by the IT industry (not just
the training company's own certificate)
you have the basic technologies under your belt before you start the course
Quite a lot to think about isn't there? But it is crucial that you do the
thinking as an informed choice is, usually, a logical and productive choice.
What about University IT degrees? Teaching is usually academic, rather than
hands-on. Most Universities and colleges do not have the cash to install
racks of expensive servers, Fibre Channel, other technology boxes and so
forth. Neither do they have the skilled and experienced teachers. University
IT courses are more suited to those who are aiming for a career in Project
Management, Business Impact Analyses or some such managerial practice. If
you want to go the University route, make sure that the course is relevant
to your needs, has appropriate funding, has the ability to interface with
the IT industry and that the tutors have a solid IT systems engineering
background, or at least ten years as a Project Manager in a FTSE 100 or
Fortune 500 IT company. IT is not algebra. If the tutor rides a bike and has
a pony-tail, think seriously about your position.
What can you do before you start your course, or apply for your first IT
job?
Get as much hands-on experience as you can, with servers. Workstations are
not really important. Everyone uses one and most companies are only
interested in data storage, transmission, security and so forth. The
PC/Workstation is considered to be a mere terminal that is easily replaced
and a not very important part of the infrastructure. Rolling out desktop
operating systems is usually automated and centralised. It's unlikely that
you will ever use the experience you gained at home installing and
configuring your PC.
If you can build a small network at home, which includes at least one
server, then you have the opportunity to simulate a corporate network. The
principles and protocols you will use to build this network are exactly the
same as those you will use to build a corporate network. The differences
will lie in methodology and costs. By designing and building your own
network you will gain very useful experience and skills that will supplement
any certification training course you might attend. It's these skills and
knowledge that matter. Always remember that certification is a means to an
end, not the end in itself. There is NO replacement for experience.
If you would like to ask a question, get further help and advice, ask about
industry and technical matters, please visit my web site www.1techguy.com.
It contains much that will be of use to you during the early stages of your
career. Everything is free, so it will provide you with a useful resource.
Writer
Robb Kimmer is a network systems engineer, infrastructure technical
architect, senior technical consultant and technical writer. Feel free to
contact him via his web site.
Good Luck!
