Training to be an IT Expert: A Quick Guide

If you have a passion for technology, a geeky side, or a lust for the kind of job that’ll see your problem-solving each and every day, then you may wish to consider getting into IT work. There are so many different IT roles across the world of business – such as the pure coders who design apps and websites, through to the cybersecurity whizzes who maintain protective measures within IT infrastructures, or the architecture experts focused on building the best software solutions for firms. This article is about becoming an expert in IT – so you can sell those skills to businesses. 

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Your Skills

First, you need to consider which skills you already have. Are you an expert user of different software solutions, and do you know how to link them up smartly? Are you passionate about protecting businesses from hackers? Follow what you love, and you’ll find profitable paths towards a career.

Meanwhile, there are, of course, skills that you’re going to need to develop in a general sense if you’re to become an IT expert that firms can trust to solve a number of different IT projects and problems. For instance, getting your Azure Fundamentals certification will help you deal with all manner of cloud-related issues. Getting certified as a data protection officer will also help you gain the authority to watch over company data. It’s these certificates that will open up job opportunities for you. 

Your Ambitions

Now that you have some of the basic but important skills covered and on your resume, it’s time to look to the advanced skills that fit with your ambitions. Where would you like your career in IT to take you? Would you like to work within one of the leading tech firms – therefore putting to the test your skills in a cutting-edge environment? Or would you like to help a non-tech company as the resident tech expert? 

It’s also worth considering whether you want to be a freelancer, a consultant, or a full-time employee. All of these different roles will require you to develop different sets of skills. For instance, to be the ‘general IT guy’ in a business, you need to be able to fix many different kinds of bugs and issues. If you’re a consultant, you’ll be able to focus on your passion a little more. 

Reading

Regardless of which path you choose to go down, the mark of the best digital workers is that they are constantly reading different sources of information to keep them up to date about the changes in the digital world. You should be consuming:

• Tech newsletters
• Industry tech journals
• Books about tech and tech work
• Educational booklets and online resources for training
• Case studies of issues in other businesses

All of these resources will help you gain that panoramic view of the tech ecosystem that will be of much value to the individuals or organizations that hire you in the future. 

There you have it: our top tips to help you become an IT expert in the future.