10 Your Career Future in Information Technology

Can you get a good job in information technology? Here – read what the Bureau for Labor Statistics has to say:

https://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/home.htmLinks to an external site.

Openings for IT jobs are projected to increase by 15% per year through 2031. The median (average) salary is over $97,000 per year.  There are over 400,000 new job openings every year.

So how can you get one of these highly paid IT jobs? The best way to get an IT job is to have an IT job already. Employers like to hire people who already have a lot of experience. IT workers often change jobs to get a raise or a better position. That’s great once you already have that first job. But what does it take to get the first job?

For candidates without previous experience, employers like mainly for three things:

• college degree
• certifications
• portfolios and projects

Your college degree can be in anything. If you have a college degree already in some non-IT subject (like English or Anthropology) that might be good enough. But finishing a degree in something like Information Technology, Application Development, or Computer Science can only help your job prospects. Notice that for many IT jobs, bachelors degrees are considered entry level. However, there are also many starting IT jobs you can get with an associates degree. You can also start an IT job while you are still in school Many students take classes part time in additional to working at an IT job. This is a good way to combine education with experience.

Certificates are also good to get. By passing technical certification exams, you prove to employers that you are up to date on recent technology. Because certificate exams are given in independent testing centers, the results are objective. You cannot pass a certification exam just because a teacher is an easy grader! There is no specific number for how many certifications are good to get. In general, more is better. But if you have two or three certifications, that may be enough. Some employers are more focused on technical certifications than others. Do some research into companies you might want to work for. Find out the certificates they want job seekers to have and then study for those.

Projects and portfolios are great ways to prove you have serious IT skills. By doing your own projects, you can show employers and everyone else how good your skills are. Showing off your IT projects in a portfolio web site can help you advertise your skills. GitHub is very good for hosting projects you want everyone to see. Another good way to get involved with projects is to contribute some someone else’s GitHub project. GitHub lists project contributors, so by contributing to an open source GitHub project, you can prove to everyone that you have the skills needed for a good IT job.