The Fundamentals of an IT Education
There are a number of different reasons, and situations, where a person may want to make a career shift to IT. Of course, there’s the natural route of a college student trying to get involved in IT, but there also may be people who work with tech as a part of their job, and see more demand for IT professionals and want to get a piece of the action. Others may simply want to learn more about IT to be more effective in their roles. All of these roads lead to different destinations, but run along a similar path. So, if you were interested in IT support in Miami, here’s how your education would start.
The first thing we should talk about, especially if you plan on pursuing a degree or certification program is the difference between IT education and computer science education. Contrary to popular belief, these are not interchangeable. As a basic principle, computer science is more about programming and software development, so there is a heavier emphasis on math and creativity in order to get these programs to work. IT is more of the practical side of the equation, actually designing, configuring, and maintaining a lot of these ideas, as well as other important systems like servers.
The nice thing about both roles is that there’s plenty of demand for them, even at lower entry levels. So, if you’re willing to take the plunge, it won’t be overly difficult to find work. The main differentiating factor should be what you think favors your skillset more, what you’re more interested in, and what type of programs are available to you.
If you’re taking a course or degree to get your career off the ground, it’s important to remember that IT is about more than just different theories and concepts. There’s a lot of different practical work getting done, which is great, as the experience can directly transfer to a job as needed. However, you also need to understand that you’re not going to instantly learn everything you need to succeed in an IT workplace. After you complete the core assignments of your course, it’s a good idea to go online and browse job listings of companies you’re interested in. Are they asking for certain skills and proficiencies that you’re not getting in class? It may be worth it to strike out on your own and try and learn some of these, just to be a more well-rounded candidate.
If you don’t know where to start, your top options are going to be certifications. These are third parties or respected institutions that will provide different courses for you on IT-related topics and subjects. Upon completion, you get a certification that’s concrete proof you have mastery of said skill, like a programming language, for one.
In time, as you become more advanced over time, it may make sense to try and parlay your career into side income, like IT consulting in Miami. The sky is the limit in IT, just understand that you need to have the right experience and certifications first.
