[Closed] How do I get into I.T?

Turn it off and back on again.

really depends on your background. what's your work history

I am also curious. 1991 Maths BSc, various work -> 2000 then LLB & lawyer.

Blag your way in.

The route taken by most contractors!!

😉

Try posting in the right forum

unless you want to be a tech geek which is not a great place to be unless you're very good at it then the business side of IT is a good place and you can transfers management or project skills.

http://www.codecademy.com/#!/exercises/0

M1llh0use - Member
Blag your way in.

The route taken by most contractors!!

So i've heard 😉

- Can the usual wannabe mods please report the thread for being in the wrong category?

First buy an Audi A4.

Then buy an Orange 5...

Make sure you refer to your bike as your "steed", and that you yell "Strava" at anyone riding even a fraction of a mph slower than you as you struggle past them on the trails.

Only then will you be qualified for a career in said profession dear sir! 😉

dammit. I'm clearly no good at IT as I fail on all counts 😉

The majority of people i know in IT are looking to get out of it.

RBS seem to have a large number of jobs listed at the moment in IT stuff but i suspect you would be employed to sack people so you may feel bad about that.

odd. I don't know anyone in IT trying to get out. different sectors maybe?

The thing is, "in IT" covers a massive range of activities. You need to decide what it is you want to do - where do your talents lie?

IT is a broad range of things really, which areas would you be interested in?

I'm guessing the 'driving an Audi, posting "what tyres for my £50,000 bean to cup coffee machine" on STW' sector...

😉

thebikechain - Member
The majority of people i know in IT are looking to get out of it.

Majority of people I know are looking to do something else.

You see that keyboard and screen in front of you? That's where you start...

Sorry, I know it's not helpful, but it made me smile

clubber, you're clearly not trying hard enough! I suggest you re-assess your situation in the morning, and either take a career break to sort things out, or go out and buy the Orange 5 and the Audi you [i]need[/i] to make your life complete! 😉

Move to Delhi....

🙂 @ breatheeasy

mboy - Mrs clubber says no. she's clearly.holding me back /)

don't... been doing it for 20 year and i hate every aspect of it... i'd love to start again but can't take the wage hit to be an apprentice at 36 with a mortgage, wife and child.... fml (i realise this is a 1st world problem)

druidh - Member
The thing is, "in IT" covers a massive range of activities. You need to decide what it is you want to do - where do your talents lie?

Exactly what I was going to say.

Support
sys admin
dba
development
sales
project management.

The list goes on. The only area I know about it development and that in its self is a huge field.

A personal opinion on development is that it is better to have knowledge of an area and then apply some development skills than just develop, this is unless you are reallly realllly good at devel work. E.g engineering know how about a system then get involved with a company that writes software for that industry.

chvck - Member
IT is a broad range of things really, which areas would you be interested in?

Not help-desk.

I don't really know which particular field at the moment. I am good at problem solving, organising events and people and am not afraid to take a risk and make decisions.

I have a background in finance but that has bored me to the point of submission.

ERP finance pays well...

Don't fancy sales. What is 'dba'?

that's not sales 🙂

Applying finance and accountancy knowledge to business systems

FWIW, I was in IT for 33 years in a number of roles and pretty much always enjoyed my job. Some of the office politics were challenging though (but that can be true anywhere). I was eventually glad to get out due to uncertainty over the companies future rather than a dislike for the job.

cheers clubber, i posted the "don't fancy sales" comment after your ERP finance comment 😆

Are you looking for a 9-5 office job with your own desk or do you like to be out and about?
Project work or something a little more predictable?
Do you mind travel?
Why do you want to leave your current job? What do you dislike about your current job?
Why not sales?
How much does money motivate you?

jonke -

I like to be out and about, working independently ideally.

Not shy of a challenge so project work although wouldn't turn my nose up to more predictable roles as a stepping stone.

I don't mind travel although I wouldn't want to be away for weeks (have other half and 2 young girls at home).

I want to leave my current job as it won't take me to where I want to be financially (or not least without years and years of studying anyway). I've ended up doing what I do now (credit management) through circumstances, rather than deliberate choice. It's very predictable.

I'm personally quite to difficult to sell to and wouldn't want to try to sell to someone like myself - I think that puts me off sales. I may have the totally wrong view here as don't have any experience of selling...

Money motivates me 😉

RBS seem to have a large number of jobs listed at the moment in IT stuff but i suspect you would be employed to sack people so you may feel bad about that.

Where do I sign !

I'm in IT - Oracle Apps tech; got to keep learning stuff, SOA next 🙁

Have you thought about taking the business analyst route, using your existing credit skills and then sidestepping into the systems aspect that way? Plenty of work for people who can apply business knowledge into systems, especially on the new banks spun out of Lloyds and nearly spun out of RBS.

I've gone a similar route, but with loans. I'm now a BA on a system migration project and using Business Objects development to move into other DB roles.

My dad was a purchasing manager for Astra Zeneca, had been there 30 years. He got made redundant, got bored, applied for a job doing IT for a couple of local doctors surgeries 3 days a week and got it. Although admittedly he's good with computers, no real experience in IT though. So as above, just apply for the jobs and see what happens. Maybe do an OU course?

I did a similar thing, had a background in science and changed to IT. I did a programming course which included 12 weeks work experience. The course organiser sorted out the placement, so I made sure I was #1 candidate by putting the effort in, might of helped that I was the oldest person of the course, so I took it seriously. Got taken on by someone who appreciated attitude over experience, that was 13 years ago and don't regret the decision. My boss had a policy of hiring people who had made the effort to get into the industry via this sort of route, rather than a classic IT degree route, we ended up with a good team of people with the right motivation.

I did "IT" for 20 years - got a bit fed up sitting in a cubicle and moved on. Starting with the 2 worst aspects -

1- I'd say dealing with managers who are clueless about IT / problem solving and for some stupid reason get paid more for knowing less and generally bogging everything down. The worse companies have 2x managers to anyone who knows how things work.
2- Its now spagetti junction. Even a simple change / development gets 10000x more complicated because everthing has to integrate so testing is by far and away the most important thing. In fact - that's a good foot in the door. Good testers are well paid and worth their weight in coffee / gold.

The best aspects are working on stuff that real customers see / use. So in a typical banking case - good for your moral is customer facing (online creditials , encryption, security, ATMs, Chip and PIN, telephony, ....), bad is MI, securitisation, balance sheet, batch, ....
Similar will be true in other industries.

odd. I don't know anyone in IT trying to get out.

I'd love to get out. It pays well though. Would rather be outdoors now than doing the tedious office life. Got to the point of going contracting though to at least get some independence, control, and get out of the politics. Plus even more money. Got the expensive bike (Cruz not Orange) but no Audi. I do ride the Surrey Hills though 😉

I just need to make my work involve bikes, or photography perhaps, or both.

As a hardware Geek, my advice would be to stay out of the hardware side. Relatively low wages with limited paths for advancement. I couldn't get a mortgage on a house within 100 miles of where I live on what I earn. however I do get to work on some really interesting stuff.
HTH
SM

I did a fine art degree then a masters 1 year conversion computing degree. Now working in Sweden enjoying both work and home. Now specialising in oracle development. Plsql and database work.

I would +1 the business analyst to database professional route.
get sql learnt and u should manage a job somewhere without too much trouble #optimistic 🙂

Tricky.

Loads of "IT" work gets offshored to India etc so perhaps concentrate on an area which is less likely to get hit in this manner e.g. hands-on infrastructure skills. Networking, server configuration etc.

I want to leave my current job as it won't take me to where I want to be financially (or not least without years and years of studying anyway). I've ended up doing what I do now (credit management) through circumstances, rather than deliberate choice. It's very predictable.

Neither did the well paid IT nerds... it's taken us all a long time and some (like me) are not on the 'high paid' scale of things still to this day.

I'd guess anyone earning >£50k a year in IT has plenty of IT related qualifications and many hours studying to get there

It doesn't just have to be a desk job. I install and maintain telephone systems and networks which used to be seen as a separate field, but now is mainly classed as IT. Work has the ability to take me all over the world and easily change direction. I mainly deal with VOIP communications and have the opportunity if I want to work in a variety of industries.

I get to work with a lot of different technologies and have the job security that if I was job hunting I could look at Telecoms, Networking and Linux sys admin roles.

I'm in the process of deciding next steps for myself but I know I don't do very well sitting behind a desk all day and I get bored easily so need to be constantly moving onto the next project.

I'm in my twenties and have been doing this for 7 years. I don't have a degree, but I started in an entry level position (service desk) and worked my arse off in work and studying outside work.

I recommend working out your strengths and gaining experience. Don't be snobby enough to think entry level jobs are beneath you and focus on the end goal. If anyone says you can't do something or it's too late for you then tell them where to go.

You don't have to be Dilbert! 😉

If you want to dip a toe in, try to find a job as a junior project manager involved in IT projects. Either take a course or just read a lot of articles and books and try to apply what you're reading to things you've worked on before. It's not terribly complex to do at the entry level if you're thorough and methodical and a lot of places are far more likely to take on an under qualified PM than they are an under qualified technician/developer.

For me, my route was mostly "traditional". Uni, first job as a PM, then network admin, developer, development manager and then senior management. My recent roles have moved me more in a general direction away from software development but I work solely in technology based business so skills are relevant.

That said, I have employed people with no qualifications who were fantastic, people with Oxbridge degrees who were simply awful and one who did theology at uni then came to work for us but is without a doubt the most skilled dev/systems developer I've ever worked with.

The key is to find an area you can start in then chip away to move to where you want. It's such a big workspace that really, you need to decide what things in work make you happy and take it from there.

One of the big problems with IT is the lack of training from most companies, and the ever changing technology you are faced with. It takes a big commitment to keep your skills up to date, if you are not one of the lucky ones in a company who recognises this, it will steal a lot of your life away outside your normal working hours.

I think you really need to work out what you mean by 'into IT' because with the best will in the world it's unlikely we can help you or offer any meaningful advice until you've got that nailed down...

An IT project manager needs very different skills to a developer, or a DBA, or sysadmin, or network guy, but perhaps unsurprisingly needs very similar skills to a *INSERT OTHER THING* project manager, so work out what you actually want to get into, and why.

I'm in IT too - work for a small highly tech engineering company, so wear many hats - from sysadmin to dba to developer to policy writer.

Very varied work, which is useful for keeping my own skillset up to date. Only problem is, the buck stops with me - there is nobody else in the company to assist when I get out of my depth...

But it's taken years of hard work - starting at the bottom at 1st line tech support on a telephone.

I fell into IT 15 years ago...I haven't escaped yet. As someone who gets bored easily when not learning, I have been lucky to work for organinsations which encourage (and fund!) development and training.

been lucky to work for organinsations which encourage (and fund!) development and training.

Although my current company do so to a certain extent, that hasn't been my experience for most of my career.

Your big decision is to look at technical or management/business analysis type roles. I'd serious think twice about the former, not sure what your salary expectation are but outside of London getting more than £25k you'll need at least a couple of years experience and certs. The money in IT is actually pretty poor compared with a lot of industries, obviously there are exception but there's a massive amount of competition for those exceptional jobs.
You could do well on the project management/business analysis side though and your background would help there. However to me it's an area that as dull as dishwater so if you're bored of finance then it might not provide the challenge you're looking for.

As a hardware Geek, my advice would be to stay out of the hardware side. Relatively low wages with limited paths for advancement.

Where do you work? In Cambridge they can't get enough decent HW / SW engineers and salaries are pretty decent - £50k with 10 yrs+ experience is probably average. Some on a lot more if your skills are rare.

NB I used to run Engineering groups, so have done enough recruiting / pay reviews to know....

Worked in IT for 11 years since leaving uni with a BSc degree in networks and comms. I work for a large global comms company designing, delivering and supporting Cisco WAN and LAN environments.

First job was a support role for a government quango so servers, switches, software, the lot. That developed into a management role encompassing purchasing, policy writing, etc, etc. Then moved to an ISP for more high level technical experience then 5 years in my current role.

To be honest I'm not really enjoying it but it pays reasonably well and offers lots of flexibility. I'm considering taking the plunge and moving into a contracting as the best part of my job is the design and delivery project based work. So I may do this next year. I'm finding the office politics, self management, company politics, etc, etc too much hassle.

Having to squeeze in revision and study to keep up the accreditations is sometimes a hassle too.

I agree with some posts on here. You could probably find yourself an IT role without experience. A support role might be a good starting point and give you exposure to working in an IT environment and perhaps a broad range of technologies. Don't stay in it too long though as it's f***ing irritating if your users struggle to turn a laptop on.

EDIT: If you have a reasonable job now you don't want to start on the bottom support rung of the ladder.

As above, it's a broad church.... my own route wasn't exactly orthodox. I've got a degree in English and was on the dole for about 6 months after graduating in the early 90s. Jobcentre offered me a place on a basic IT course at a local community centre. From that I went to working on the phones at BT for a bit before helping out with producing reports and then gradually moving to more IT focussed roles....it's all snowballed from there really but it really was a case of starting at the bottom.

In the last 15 years I've done data analysis, application development, managed an application support team, project management and a load of business analysis stuff. Worked in telecoms, engineering and travel sectors - both here and abroad - all mainly for big, corporate organisations.

To this day I don't have any formal IT qualifications but have basically learnt everything on the job. I'd say that experience counts for more than qualifications in a lot of respects so I'd be wary of shelling out big bucks out of your own pocket for expensive training without any experience to back it up. Far better to look at getting a foot in the door at a junior level and working from there.

Don't be scared about putting in speculative applications for jobs for which you may not be 100% qualified - a lot of job ads verge into "moon on a stick" territory.

I am good at problem solving, organising events and people and am not afraid to take a risk and make decisions.

A lot of what are classed as IT roles are far more about people than technology...perhaps look at Business Analysis or for a junior Project Management?? Or Service Management??

With regard to those wanting to get out...sure most people feel like that about their jobs at some points... I came to the conclusion that it wasn't neccessarily IT I was sick of, just the corporate environment that I was working in... last year we moved to Devon and I now look after IT for a small travel company where I basically look after pretty much everything with a plug. Much more "hands on" than previous roles (with little in the way of backup support if it all goes wrong!) and if I'm honest I'm as busy as I ever was but I have to say I love it. I also now have an alternative career as a retained firefighter which keeps things fresh!

One thing I'd say also is don't expect a lifetime career in the same company and to be able to specialise in one thing and just kick back. It's a volatile industry, companies come and go, projects end, technology changes,skills deprecated, outsourced to India, and so on. You have to keep up technically or aim for a management career when you can't any more, but expect to be out the door when hard times come. Or just contract, do the work people want for a project, take the money and move onto the next. Though build up a buffer to handle the constant change.Other way is to find a very niche and well paid skill that companies will be relying on for decades because they won't replace their old systems. Take a look at Indian university courses and what their outsource companies offer and avoid these skills, or position yourself as a highly skilled troubleshooter to go in and fix the problems when outsourcing fails (usually does)

Wow! Cheers for all replies so far guys, it really is appreciated. You've given me much food for thought. The first thing i'm going to do is have a quiet chat with the I.T Manager at work and let it be known that I am interested in the next role that comes up...They know me, I know them so a good stepping stone. Next thing is to get hold of some books and take on board what some of the fields you lot have mentioned entail and whether they are what I want.

Nothing to lose and everything to gain. 🙂 💡

I am good at problem solving, organising events and people and am not afraid to take a risk and make decisions.

Functionnal testing

I'd say steer clear of tech roles as they are all off to/already in India. BA is a good call. You've got credit management skills? Look at Experian, Dunn and Bradstreet and Call Credit who are currently recruiting.

There is no point in going into IT if you just want to make money easily. People make good money in IT, but only either really good people with a real interest in something, or managers (who often aren't really anything to do with IT, but sometimes work their way out of technical roles). Most people making good money have been in it for 10 years or more, so have a lot of experience. It isn't a get rich quick career.

For any of the highly technical development jobs (software/hardware development etc.), I would ask the question - what related stuff have you done for fun. If you haven't done any development stuff for fun, then there is no point in applying for anything development-wise. You will be applying against a load of people for whom it is a vocation, their one true calling. Particularly for the really well paid and/or interesting stuff. Any thing else will not be super well paid or interesting, which kind of defeats the object of a complete career change.

There's network admin type things, which are pretty generic and easy to learn, but first jobs will be extremely poorly paid, particularly outside London, and some companies at least are fussy about qualifications and certificates for this kind of job.

I don't really know which particular field at the moment. I am good at problem solving, organising events and people and am not afraid to take a risk and make decisions.

That kind of non-specific sounds like you want to be some kind of manager, not a technical person. Personally I don't see any reason to restrict yourself to IT if you want to be a manager - it is a pretty generic thing to do, and managers in IT can come from an IT background or a management background (and both can be equally bad or good in my experience). Why not try and make management in your field (or move up the management pole).

I like to be out and about, working independently ideally.

You've just described being a consultant.

I don't mind travel although I wouldn't want to be away for weeks (have other half and 2 young girls at home).

You've just described the exact opposite of being a consultant.

You've just described being a consultant

Or a project manager working in a consulting/professional services organisation fits the bill also. Good pm's are as rare asrocking horse poo - and thats not something thats so easy to offshore (altough i have seen some businesses try and near shore).

Everyone is so down on management but middle management can be a deeply unpleasant no win place to be. That said - to paraphrase something someone else once told me - when someone in a technical team gets promoted to the management team, the average IQ of both groups goes up 🙂

Good pm's are as rare asrocking horse poo - and thats not something thats so easy to offshore

+1 on good PM's

Off shoring of the PM role does happen a fair amount, and is equally ineffective as of shoring the technical roles, in my experience. Filling the diary of everyone on the project with loads of meetings/conference calls and constantly badgering people for updates is not project management, although that appears to be the approach that all India based PM's work to. Not sure if its a culture or education style thing, maybe a combination.

unless you want to be a tech geek which is not a great place to be unless you're very good at it then the business side of IT is a good place and you can transfers management or project skills.

Oh how I love our service managers etc who declare themselves to "work in IT". No, you work FOR IT.

footflaps - Member

As a hardware Geek, my advice would be to stay out of the hardware side. Relatively low wages with limited paths for advancement.

Where do you work? In Cambridge they can't get enough decent HW / SW engineers and salaries are pretty decent - £50k with 10 yrs+ experience is probably average. Some on a lot more if your skills are rare.

NB I used to run Engineering groups, so have done enough recruiting / pay reviews to know....

SM