How to Become an IT Specialist?
An IT specialists are commonly computer support and/or security administrators who assist organisations and companies with managing networking, software, hardware and solving various business problems. Information technology professionals go by a range of titles, such as network administrator, security analyst or even system manager. For an experienced IT specialist, it’s quite easy to find work in a wide variety of industries, like manufacturing, business and government. For that reason, many young people consider getting IT apprenticeships and becoming IT specialists.
When it comes to career requirements, the situation in IT sector is quite unusual. Although most employers prefer bachelor and master degrees in computer and/or information science and related fields, it’s the experience what they are really looking for. The minimum experience for most IT jobs is 3 years, but for upper-level positions, you need to have at least 5 years of experience in the relevant field. Certification in software products is an advantage, although not strictly required.
Apart from degree level and field, there are some key skills that IT sector requires. An IT specialist has to be organisational, analytical, familiar with server operating systems, language platforms like MS SQL, Perl, C++, Web platform development programs, project management software etc. Leadership and decision-making and communication skills are crucial, too.
Clearly, if you’re interested in working as an IT professional, it would be recommended to get the wanted degree level. But, what about the experience? Our tip is: obtain certifications! Although it’s not required for entering IT profession, getting certification demonstrates both your skills and experience. Keep in mind that employers usually require IT workers to have expertise with specific software products.
Median annual salary for network and computer systems administrators is around 75,000 USD in U.S. or £34,744 in U.K. Although salary won’t be the first thing to consider when making your professional decisions, it’s obvious that IT sector is still associated with high pay.
