Start a Career in IT: Degrees, Certifications & Internships - Essay Sample

Introduction

Entry into a career in information technology (IT) typically involves a four-year degree in an area of study related to computer information systems or computer science. However, in recent years, building a career path in information technology has involved more than a college degree and has indeed been focused more on industry certifications as obtaining internships and for college graduates so that they can gain some experience has become increasingly difficult. As such, obtaining industry certifications from various accredited bodies in the information technology field has gained popularity as the preferred means of building a career path in this field. Furthermore, although a career in information technology is successful and lucrative; most people new to the field are faced with the challenge of choosing the best area in the field as there are numerous directions a career in IT can take.

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Accordingly, the first step in building a career in IT is to identify the target area most appropriate for you. In the numerous specialty sectors present in the information technology field, they can be classified into several categories; thus, the first thing in building an IT career is picking the category most ideal for you. Some of the categories include software development, information security, web and mobile, network and cloud technologies, storage and data, IT management and strategy among others (Computer Science Online, 2019). It is important to evaluate each of the major categories in the field of IT and determine which area best fits your personality type and skills. Evaluations of these major categories enables newcomers to the field to quickly dismiss some IT areas and narrow the field so as to look at the specializations in the major categories of interest.

After choosing the category of interest, the subsequent step is choosing an area of specialization. A major benefit of pursuing a career in information technology is that by pursuing industry certifications, one can tailor their certifications and training to suit their specific needs (Samuel, 2017). Thus, by reviewing the various categories in this field, one can quickly find their area of interest and choose the right certifications to pursue. Subsequently, when one is ready to take the initial step to a new IT career, it is always prudent to start with the basics.

Any career path in IT should begin by registering for certification courses that offer a basic introduction to the field of information technology. For instance, certifications such as Cisco Certified Entry Networking Technician, Linux Essentials, and Microsoft Technology Associate Fundamentals among others provide the tools and skills necessary to begin a career in information technology (Samuel, 2017). Additionally, the completion of these introductory courses helps one to identify the areas of specialty that pique your interest.

Upon completion of the basic certifications, one can choose to remain at the generalist level and enter the workforce at an entry-level position or one can opt to proceed to higher levels and be more specialized in their area of interest. Furthermore, specialization certifications can be obtained while at an entry-level job or before applying for any IT position. Consequently, when one decides to become more specialized, it means that one has to register for courses that are more specialized in the chosen major category of interest (McKay, 2019). For instance, if one is pursuing a career path in networking, their courses should be more geared towards this area and depending on the certification vendor one is working with, the earned certifications will further assist in moving to even higher levels.

Subsequently, in pursuing the basic certification in the main IT category, some areas will be of more interest than others. As such these areas are more appropriate to obtain specialty certifications. For instance, a person pursuing a career path in mobile and web applications should then focus on specializing in one area in this category such as programming in HTML with JavaScript and CSS or CIW Web Design Specialist. Such specialization within a category will avail more opportunities that help in reaching higher levels in the IT field.

On the other hand, for individuals that possess a four-year bachelor's degree in information technology or a related field, such a degree can be essential as a springboard to bypass some of the initial stages of industry certifications. As stated earlier, a major benefit of building a career path in information technology is that one can customize the courses and certifications to suit their individual needs. Additionally, for people with a degree in IT, they still have the option of choosing between professional certifications that expand the skills of established IT professionals, specialty certifications that enhance mastery in specialty areas and mastery certifications that expand the knowledge and skills of experienced IT professionals (Settle, 2016). However, even for those with bachelor's degrees, starting with fundamental certifications is critical as it exposes them to various specialty areas within the major categories of information technology. Hence, they are a great means of identifying the areas that are the best fit.

Additionally, pursuing a career in information technology is a lifelong endeavor as one can earn certifications for as long as possible. Unlike college degrees where one is only enrolled for only a few years and the training ends after graduation, building an IT career path by way of industrial certifications, one can continue to acquire certifications and fine-tune their skills throughout their career. As such, the ultimate goal of a career path in IT is to become an IT expert via the numerous specialty and mastery certifications available (Computer Science Online, 2019). For instance, through a vendor like Cisco, you can be trained through various certifications to become a Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert and continue earning certifications throughout your career.

Additionally, a career path in information technology is not limited to being employed in organizations as web designers, network administrators, and information systems managers among other job titles. In the recent past, the gig economy has gained increased popularity, and as a result, for people with the necessary certifications or IT professionals recently laid off from the posts, they can comfortably transition to the gig economy as IT professionals in demand in the gig economy especially for small enterprises that do not have the massive IT department budgets of big corporations (Computer Science Online, 2019).

Ultimately, in building career paths in information technology, apart from having an interest in IT, one only needs to follow some very simple steps that will help determine the direction to take in your professional future. By choosing a major category of interest at the onset, you can proceed to complete the fundamental courses in that category which in turn assists in identifying an area of specialization that best suits your needs and skills and ultimately lead to being an expert in your area of interest.

References

Computer Science Online. (2019). Understanding Information Technology A Guide To IT Career Opportunities. Computer Science Online. https://www.computerscienceonline.org/careers/information-technology/

McKay, D. R. (2019, November 20). How to Make a Career Choice When You Are Undecided. The Balance Careers. https://www.thebalancecareers.com/steps-to-choosing-career-525506

Samuel, A. P. (2017, September 26). How to Choose an IT Career Path. Skills Build Training. https://www.skillsbuildtraining.com/choose-career-path/Settle, M. (2016). Truth from the Trenches: A Practical Guide to the Art of IT Management. Routledge.