How to change your job profile and start building a career in the IT industry

The IT industry tempts primarily by the vision of high earnings, stable employment, and the possibility of self-development. There is still a shortage of workers across Europe and Poland in this labor market sector. That’s why many people consider transferring to IT. Is entering the industry easy? What does it take to become a developer? How to get your first job in a new profession? We advise!

IT – one of the most popular directions of professional development

The dynamically developing IT market and its diversity mean that virtually everyone, regardless of previous education or professional experience, can try their hand at an industry that has been facing staff shortages for years. No wonder we often hear stories of people who decided to become a programmer (or other IT specialist), previously doing a completely different job. What matters most is the willingness and hard work.

Changing to IT – where to start? Knowledge of languages

Are you wondering which programming language to choose? It’s a critical decision that every future IT specialist must make. There are many possibilities – JavaScript, Java, C ++, C #, Python, and Swift – these are developers’ most popular development directions.

English skills are also mandatory in programmer work since all kinds of technical documentation or comments in the code are based on it. The ability to speak fluent English is equally important, which will be helpful in everyday work with the development team. Verifying English skills is a part of every job interview in IT.

First steps in IT – learning programming

Switching to IT is popular among people working in various professions – mainly due to the relatively low entry threshold. IT studies, although certainly very valuable, are not necessary, especially since they involve the student for several years. A good and, at the same time, much faster introduction to IT are face-to-face and online courses provided by programming schools. Industry adepts used to learn to program from online tutorials.

The ability to code is not everything – who is IT working for?

The IT industry is undoubtedly one of the fastest growing sectors on the labor market – and one of the best-paid. No wonder more and more people want to connect their future with programming. However, coding is not enough. Soft skills are also valued when working in IT, which can help a future programmer find a job. These include, above all, the ability to think analytically, work in a team, goal-orientation, willingness to constantly learn, good organization of work, and accepting and giving criticism.

First job in IT – how to get it without experience?

IT companies constantly conduct recruitment processes, therefore qualified specialists with experience do not have much difficulty finding a good job. What about novice programmers? In the beginning, it is worth creating a few of your projects to put them on GitHub, which will showcase a young developer. We can search for job offers for juniors on popular websites – both general and thematic for the IT sector.

If you are looking for your first job in IT, it is worth visiting social networks such as LinkedIn and signing up for thematic groups regarding work in IT. It may also be a good idea to establish direct contact with a recruiter specializing in the IT industry – such a person will be a great partner in building a career for a newly-fledged programmer.

Not only programming – other paths to a career in IT

Working in the IT industry is not only about programming. Manual and automatic software testing and UX design are also viral. Technical documentation specialists, i.e., people dealing with technical writing, cannot complain about the lack of work. Other industry development areas include project management, IT support, and business analysis.

Are you planning to change to IT? Remember that finding your first job as a software developer or specialist may take some time, and the industry requires constant training and broadening of knowledge. Good luck!