4 Steps for Building Career in IT

If you have made up your mind to join the industry of Information Technology then you would be glad to know that there are a lot of opportunities awaiting you. Currently, the future in IT seems to be very bright as the industry is moving from the traditional computer or web based solutions towards the novel, innovative and unconventional solutions.

After the boom created by Cloud Computing and Big Data, the Internet of Everything (IoE) has hit the mainstream; many companies have already started to act upon it and are building up their arsenal for getting a head start. The advent of Google Glass, the launch of smart watches like LG G Watch, Samsung Gear Live and the rumours of Apple iWatch proves that the future of wearable technology is promising too. That’s not all, the Phonebloks, the concept of modular smartphone designed by Dave Hakkens, all add up a great value to the world of technology.

With so many technological advancements queued up, the future seems to be no less than any science fiction. All of us are indeed very fortunate to be a part of such a great technological era.

So, how to utilize this opportunity and get the best out of it?

      

      1.       Acquire Education

Having adequate thorough knowledge of a certain domain is the most essential thing for getting any kind of job. People would trust and give you an opportunity only if they feel you are capable with the requisite skills and knowledge. Attending a University is one of the most popular, easiest and the most trusted sources of getting yourself certified in a particular field.

Earning a graduation degree/diploma majoring in IT, Computer Science, Electronics and Telecommunication, Computer Information System, Computer Networking System, Software Engineering, Software Systems, etc., may help you land an IT job. For most of the companies your scores do matter; as it provides a yardstick to measure your abilities with respect to your contemporaries.

Some employers, like Google Inc., hire people purely on the basis of their skills and knowledge rather than their educational background. According to the stats, about 15% of the employees in Google are either college dropouts or have never attended college. Fifteen percent is a very small population when compared to the 85% of the graduates in Google. And not every dropout turns to be Steve Jobs or Bill Gates. So, a degree earned does increase your chance of getting a job.

Hints & Tips: While your degree is the gate-pass to the IT industry, your knowledge is the widget to grow. So, ensure you study and acquire knowledge while you obtain your degree.

      2.       Get Working 

After earning a basic knowledge through a degree or diploma in computers, you are all set to enter into the IT world. There are many ways for getting yourself employed.

Here are some of the popular ways of getting a job.

      3.       Build Network

Believe it or not, a person with stronger professional network finds more and better opportunities than a person with weaker professional network, irrespective of their knowledge and skills. While knowledge and skills are required to prove yourself at various opportunities and get to the top, good professional networking skills help you get those opportunities.

According to the Forbes, a professional network is required not only for your growth, but also your survival. A good professional network allows you to gain more knowledge, increase your visibility and advance smoothly in your career.

Hints & Tips: Do not hesitate to meet people, talk to them and know more about them. Allow people to speak more and express their ideas. Connect to everyone you know on Internet via LinkedIn and Facebook. And most importantly, always try to help others by solving their problems. Generally, people remember those individuals more who readily help rather than those who often ask for help.

      4.       Get Specialized Certifications

Certifications from renowned sources act like elevators in your career. Certifications enable you to market yourself, demonstrate to others that your skills are up-to-date and at the same time allow you to stand out from the crowd.

Getting certified requires you to register yourself with the certification provider. Once you get registered, you need to prepare well and attempt to clear the exams. Some of the certifications, like PMP (Project Management Professional), require you to continuously practice what you have acquired to hold them on.

Hints & Tips: Attempt certifications only after you acquire a couple of relevant years of experience in your domain. There are multiple drawbacks of getting certified early: you may not be continuing in the domain you have got certified, you may have lost interest in what you are doing and are thinking to switch, you may not be able to easily relate the things in the course of the certification, and/or you are not getting the opportunity to grow in the field you are certified. Go for a certification when you believe you have got adequate knowledge and experience, and you are really thinking of growing in the same field. Getting certified is not enough. You have to update your certifications by either getting a higher level certification or by practicing it, whichever is required by the certification provider.

Please do not hesitate from sharing this article to help others if you have found it useful J

7 Ways of Getting a Job in IT Industry

Today, the world of Information Technology has grown so big, that many are lured to get into it. But very few might know the various opportunities that could be sought for making an entry into this world.

Here are some of the popular ways of getting a job in IT industry:

                                i.            Campus Recruitment

This is the simplest way for any student to get hired. Most of the leading companies send their scouts on an annual basis to find a bunch of raw talent from some acclaimed institutes. Many institutes have tie-ups with companies that allow the institutes to exchange their educational services with companies’ on campus placement drives.

Hints & Tips: Many a times these drives are open to students of all the institutes irrespective of where it is being conducted. So as a student, it is very important for you to make friends from different colleges and keep yourself updated on these drives.

                              ii.            Walk-ins

If you aren’t fortunate to be selected in any of the campus interviews, do not be disappointed or worried. There are many other small capital companies who conduct walk-in drives for the freshers. Not many of the big companies hold walk-in interviews for the freshers.

Hints & Tips: If you have a choice between a large capital service company and small capital service company, do go for small capital one. The main reason being your job would be well defined in the smaller companies even before you join them. Most of the bigger companies hire resources in bulk and place them one by one in open requirements even if they are not interested to work there.

Also in smaller companies, you get to learn the end to end process of your work. The sole reason for this is that there are fewer employees employed in a smaller company which in turn creates more transparency in the processes compared to a bigger company.

                            iii.            Internship

This is one of the best ways of getting real time experience while you are still learning. Many companies offer internship opportunities to students to get their jobs done at a lower price.

Hints & Tips: Internship is indeed a blessing in disguise for any student who wishes to take it seriously. The initial years in an industry should be towards accumulating knowledge rather than wealth. Once you become master of your domain, success ought to follow you. 

                             iv.            Referrals

Although this is not a preferred way for a fresher to get hired, it is potentially one of the sources which may help you get a job. Not many would recommend you for a job until you are experienced.

Hints & Tips: Do not rely on anyone to recommend you for a job. Very few offer jobs to freshers based on recommendations. Always look for better alternatives even if people are ready to endorse you.

Also, beware of fraudulent people or agencies that provide assurance of finding you a job. Nobody would put their efforts for free to get you a job.

                               v.            Freelancing

There are many technical jobs around the globe which people think are not economical to be outsourced to an IT organization; and which can be done economically through freelancers in the field.

Hints & Tips: Many small-scale retailers, wholesalers, service agents, etc. would like to have their own a websites or at least would be interested in advertising about themselves on the Internet, but a are holding back either due to lack of knowledge or inadequate funds to outsource it to renowned sources. You can build your opportunities by enlightening them and getting the work done at reasonable costs. And the best thing about freelancing is you can continue with it even after you get a job.

                             vi.            Winning Challenge Cups

This is the one of the latest trends of hiring employees. Many companies host coding contests or quiz competitions for obtaining the crème de la crème resources. Since these contests are hosted over the Internet and are open to all, you would find many people competing against you and chances of your winning might be just one in a million. Nevertheless, if you practice well and win some of these, you could get a dazzling start to your career with lucrative job offers.

Hints & Tips: Many sites like techgig.com and hackerearth.com conduct these contests on regular basis on behalf of reputed companies. You may just need to follow these sites, practice well, and keep attempting till you hit the bull’s eye. You do not need to agonize even if you cannot make it to the summit as you have nothing to lose. You can also enrich your resume by comprehending some of your best results of these competitions which will definitely impress your potential employers.

                           vii.            Startups

This is the most difficult way of getting started with your career. However, it is always better to create a job than to find one. If you feel that you have a good business idea and are ready to take the risk, you can always opt for your own startup. But you need to keep in mind that not all startups turn to become Google or Facebook. Sometimes you may need to bare heavy losses and quit the idea of continuing with your business.

Hints & Tips: Two major instruments for starting any startups are ideas and funds. Since raising funds is comparatively easier than having a unique idea, you may need to concentrate more on planning your business than finding an investor. If you have a great and unique idea, I suggest you to patent it first before you enter into the market. This will enable you to start small and compete with bigger fishes in the ocean.

                Please feel free to share this article and help others :)

Wanna build career in IT?

It all started when I advised my younger brother not to join IT industry instead to start looking for other sectors like merchant navy where he could earn more money. To my surprise, my brother refused to accept my advice by saying, “I may earn a lot of money there but I won’t be happy. Technology is my passion and I love to spend time on computers.” His reply provoked my thinking and I ended up writing this blog.

Fortunate is the man who has found his passion at an early age. Now, he can build his career fearlessly following his passion.

If you are planning to build your career in the Information Technology or the IT industry, you may have to think over a few points before you finalize your choice. It is better to think twice than to repent later.

1. Would you really love to spend all day "Working" on a computer?

If you want to join an IT company only because you think it will pay you big then you might have to rethink on your career choice. Not all companies pay handsome cheques to all of their employees. I really wonder if there is any company which pays high to each of its employee. "IT industry and rich employees", is arguably a myth. I say arguably because there are employees working in IT sector who earn big bucks, but they are few and far between.

Your pay cheque depends on many factors like – your employer company and its turnover, your skill sets and their demand, your job location, current market and trend, etc. Moreover, it is very rare that a fresher gets a good pay cheque. Nonetheless, there are exceptional cases. These are those entry level employees, who have exceptional educational history from renowned institutes or universities, and/or those individuals who are perceived by their potential employers to have knowledge and skills that are rare and would prove to be an asset to the organisation in the long run.

If you think IT means easy money then you should better rethink. You may not be lucky enough to start your career with your dream pay slip. Big packages in IT are like cherries on a birthday cake; not all get them.

If you love computers, like to work on it all day, like to use your computational and logical abilities, love trending technology, then IT is apt for you. Choose a career where you would be happy though you feel you might earn less.

2. Where would you fit yourself in the IT industry?

The industry of Information Technology is as vast as all of the oceans put together. Also, it is so deep that its depth cannot be measured. There are more of the unexplored than the explored. Even if you get into this industry, you need to be very clear where you desire to work. Slogging days and nights in the area where you lack interest would achieve you nothing.

The industry of Information Technology has many jobs to offer you. Moreover, the jobs are trending over the time periodically with the advent of new technologies. Though you would find majority of jobs revolving around the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC), they are not all. There are more where you can fit yourself into.

You have to discover your strengths & weaknesses, likes & dislikes as early as possible. If you think you are creative, can crack puzzles and can come up with solutions to the problems, you can opt for design and development. If you think you are critical, love to break what others build and can find flaws in their solutions, you can definitely be a good tester. Then there are many support activities where you may need to face customers, patch the gap between two or more teams, handle databases, work on customer locations, resolve others’ problems, etc. These jobs are still very generic and each of them has many specialization options. For instance, development can be computer application development, web application development, mobile application development or even embedded systems development; testing can be system testing, end-to-end testing, user acceptance testing, mobile testing and so on.

Apart from these SDLC jobs, you may find many more career options like digital forensics, technical writing, project management, data analysis, data warehousing, cloud computing, big data, research & development, sales etc., which might interest you. The IT industry also has scope for other areas like HR, Finance, Learning & Development, Visa Cell, Hospitality Management and many others that are very much required across all the industries.

It is for you to make the right choice. Making an early right move to your genre can help you reach the top with fewer difficulties.

3. Do you posses keen interest in learning new technologies?

How do you react to the news which says a new Operating System (OS) has been launched in the market? If you yawn over it then IT is definitely not meant for you. If you have interest in knowing what’s new in this OS that is not present in others and are eagerly waiting to use it then you should probably go ahead.

Being curious about the ever evolving technology is very much essential for both your survival and growth in the industry. To be honest, if you stop learning new things after you are employed in the industry, you would be a goner. “Never stop learning” is the mantra of this industry.

If you have been an avid observer of the technological changes that have happened so far, you must have noticed that these changes are more frequent today than they were 10 years ago. Besides, the rate at which the technology is changing now might be much slower than it would be 10 years from now.

If you want to make your career big, you ought to keep up with the pace of the advancing technology. Reading tech-news daily, browsing Internet for new technologies, downloading open sources, freeware or trial versions of your choice of technology, and trying it for yourself are some of the things you should be doing regularly for keeping yourself updated.

Believe it or not, people who often show interest in learning new things grow faster in this world than the rest.

4. Are you ready to work in pressure?

In today’s competitive world everyone has to be on their toes irrespective of their industries and domains. IT world is no different. In fact, it is one of the industries where the environment is often nerve-racking.

The causes of work pressure are manifold and the way it is induced in different people is different. The reasons may be – fear of missing deadlines, working away from the family, inability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously, inability to balance between work & life, badgering superiors, unhealthy relationship with co-workers, etc.

Although some of these factors may be seen more in the IT industry, they are kind of homogeneous and could be found across all the industries. You cannot run away or completely eliminate these factors. Over the period, you need to learn the art of of dealing with them.

I have seen many individuals who have succumbed and opted to quit. Even worse were those who never did attempt fearing the problems. One thing is for sure, wherever you go, whatever you do, whether you opt to do it now or in the future, you cannot be certain that you would not undergo such coercions; there are no easy escapes. If you like something, you should fearlessly go for it as long as you are legitimate.

Surviving and growing in the IT world is no child's play. You need to have interest and love for the technology, zest and appetite to learn new things, and courage to withstand unpropitious situations.

Do not jump into a profession only because you think there is a lot of money involved in it. If in the future, there is a drift in the labor economy that is unfavourable to your job market, you would have nothing to motivate yourself to continue with it.

“Choosing a career based on your perception of income it generates is like traveling in a vessel just because it is strong enough to hold you and not because you have a desire to travel”.

Be calm, reassess your career options, evaluate your strengths and weaknesses, ascertain that you have interest in what you would do or at least ensure that you can develop interest in it and then make your choice.

Hope this article helps you to make a better career choice. All the best, and soar high.