Many factors push people to change their field of activity. These are, for example, dissatisfaction with their level of earnings, unwillingness to be tied to a workplace or a certain schedule. Also, the thoughts that it is time to change something can appear under the influence of external factors, such as the decrease in certain professions’ popularity due to the automation of many processes. Sometimes the skills acquired in a previous occupation can be advantageous in a new activity and push a person to develop a career in the right direction. There are dozens of such stories today, and most of them are related to the transition of specialists to the IT-sphere.
Today, companies are actively looking for personnel whose competencies are related to new technologies. Many young people choose promising future professions for themselves. Still, both those who have recently started working and those who have years of work experience can adapt to the changing labor market. To build a successful career in an intensively developing IT field, it is not necessary to study programming. Companies and private businesses require different types of professionals who can offer comprehensive services. The development process itself also requires the participation of not only programmers but also business analysts, managers, financial specialists, etc. Therefore, it can be confidently said that the door to IT is also open for specialists without technical education.
But if you decide to become exactly that “real” IT specialist, you need to set yourself up for a long process of learning the basics and continuous self-study throughout your career. This advice can be given both to people who want to move into this area from another activity and those just starting to study and work.
Where do you start? For starters, read the information about what exactly each specialist does and decide on the specialization. Then, pay attention to your talents and weak sides. For example, if you like writing code, making websites, and creating programs for operating systems, consider the profession of a front-end developer. On the contrary, if you have a well-developed aesthetic flair and visual talents, why not design and develop website designs, logos, etc.? This decision will be the starting point for the learning process.
As mentioned, you will have to learn a lot, not only programming languages or auxiliary programs. If English is not your first language and you do not know it, at least at the upper intermediate level, you will not be able to build a career or even count on a junior job. English will be needed both for work and communication itself, as well as searching for information on the Internet in English, reading technical documentation, and so on.
Depending on the choice of specialty, draw up a study plan for yourself and select free (optionally paid) sources of knowledge such as books and websites. Yes, before you go to online or classroom courses, it is advisable to learn your future work’s basic terms and processes. Do not assume that someone will put all the knowledge into your head. You need to show more initiative yourself in order to succeed. Moreover, even in the courses, teachers rely on the fact that their students already have a certain knowledge base, although you do not yet have the skills.
The IT sphere is an ideal area for self-taught people. Of course, you can always retrain and change your profession at any age, but you must remember that this is a long and difficult process. The decisive factor here is motivation and a sincere interest in what the person has decided to study. It’s no secret that programmers and other IT specialists have one of the highest salaries, while the demand for such specialists is constant and is not going to slow down. However, it should be remembered that your success depends on whether you will give up in the process of training and job search and the quality of services you will be ready to provide after training. So choose the activity that appeals to you most, and good luck!
