5 Ways to Succeed in IT

5 Ways to Succeed in Information Technology

If you’re looking to launch or advance a career in information technology, then it’s important to first think about what it will take to be successful in this challenging, competitive, and fast-moving industry.

Is it all about technical skills? Those certainly do matter, but it takes more than just great technical ability to become a successful IT professional. This post will explain exactly what you need to do to increase the chances of launching a successful lifelong career in IT.

Below, we’ll outline five essential steps you need to take to become an IT professional.

1. Identify Your Specialization

To be successful in IT, you need to first determine what you’re trying to accomplish. Do you want to be a great programmer or project manager? Would you rather study business analytics? 

Start by identifying which aspect of the IT industry you want to focus on, as this will determine what exactly you should be doing to prepare yourself to achieve success in IT. 

Here are 10 high-demand jobs in IT:

• Programming and application development
• Project management
• Help desk/technical support
• Security/compliance governance
• Web development
• Database administration
• Business intelligence/analytics
• Mobile application and device management
• Networking
• Big data

No matter which field you choose to pursue, your chances of developing a successful career in any of these competitive niches will be improved if you enter the industry with the academic credentials and background knowledge needed to succeed in your IT role.

To ensure that you’re fully-prepared to provide value from day one, we suggest completing a Bachelor’s or Master’s program in IT, like CSU Global’s online Bachelor’s Degree in Information Technology or our online Master’s Degree in IT Management.

Getting your degree in IT before applying for jobs and attempting to enter the workforce will significantly improve your chances of landing a good job in this competitive field, but also of delivering real value once you start working so you can establish yourself as an IT professional.

2. Develop Excellent Communication Skills

Some of the top qualities hiring managers in IT are looking for are people skills — also known as “soft skills.”  These indicate an ability to work effectively with others.

Well-developed soft skills include communicating with others through listening and clarifying, and carefully choosing your words. Other important skills include learning to empathize with others, developing conflict-resolution strategies, and learning patience and tolerance.

These traits are especially important for IT professionals who tend to frequently work alone but often end up contributing to projects as part of  a larger team.

3. Have Good Research Skills

Research is a key skill required to work in the IT industry, and it’s likely that solid research skills will be absolutely vital to your success in this challenging space.

No matter what IT niche you choose to specialize in, you’ll need to perform research to keep up with industry trends, technology changes, software and hardware issues and solutions.

If you’re a programmer, you’ll need to keep up on the latest developments with programming languages, new platforms, emerging frameworks, and modern programming solutions. 

If you’re involved in cybersecurity, you’ll need to research emerging threats, defenses, and options for protecting your organization’s data from a variety of increasingly sophisticated cyber threats.

If you’re working in IT support, you might even find that the majority of your time at work is spent researching problems people you support have run into, and you might be surprised by how much time you’ll spend on Google looking for effective solutions to those issues.

Because the field of IT is constantly changing, with new technologies, processes, and problems developing regularly, nearly all IT professionals are required to perform research in their day-to-day work.

4. Create a Well-Organized Resume

A well-written resume is one of the most important ways to launch a flourishing career in IT. A properly written resume will highlight your experience and qualifications, and be clear and concise — the more detail, the better. 

Don’t over-exaggerate your abilities though, because if you create unsuitable expectations, it can put you on the spot as early as an interview. However, do include skills that you are familiar with and definitely add all the skills you’ve mastered. 

For ideas on what to include in your IT resume, see the advice provided here by Monster.com.

5. Never Stop Learning

One thing you will quickly discover as you begin your career in IT is that you will never know everything. There is so much to learn, with something new developing every day. 

Staying on top of industry trends and studying the latest technology is vital to your success as an IT professional. You’ll never know when your boss or another leader in your organization is going to ask you about a new developing technology — you need to be at least as familiar with it as they are.

IT is a thriving industry with numerous opportunities for success. If you focus on a specific field, develop your soft skills, grow in your research capabilities, create a well-written resume, and never stop learning your craft, then nothing can stop, you from succeeding.

Improve Your Odds of Success By Completing an IT Degree Program