Are you looking for tips to become great in your IT career and profession, then you have arrived at the right place.
In this article, I have listed down 47 tips for you to accelerate your learning and growth.
Let’s get started!
Tips to Enhance your IT Career
1) Learn JavaScript.
2) Practice Continuous Learning.
3) Contribute to Open Source Projects.
4) Get Involved in Your Community.
5) Participate in Hackathons or Codefests – A good example of this would be the Android Dev Summit, where you can meet all sorts of developers and learn about some really cool new things Google has been up to!
6) Get Yourself on GitHub.
7) Study Computer Science Courses Outside of College, Like at Udacity or Khan Academy.
8) Consider Self-Learning Python
9) Try Working for an Engineering Company for a While
10) Learn to Use IRC
11) Build Your Own Operating System
12. Participate in Coding Challenges like Topcoder
13) Write an Android or iOS App
14) Start Blogging
15) Participate in Online Contests Like Hackaday
16) Practice Before Going On an Interview
17) Get Google Certified
18) Take Advantage of Google’s Scholarship Opportunities
19) Use GitHub for Your Resumé
20) Send Personalized Thank You Notes After Job Interviews
21) Put Yourself on LinkedIn
22. Start Practicing Coding Courses Like Treehouse
23) Read the Entire Computer Science Syllabus of a Class at Udacity
24) Apply to Startup Accelerators like Y Combinator
25) Do a Great Job at Your First Programming Job
26) Get a Mentor
27) Participate in Office Hours
28) Participate in Live Coding Interviews Like Google’s Online Coding Challenge
29) Join an Organization Like Girl Develop It
30) Explore Career-Related Conferences and Events
31) Work on a Side Project
32) Look Into Certification Programs
33) Write a Personal Statement About Why You Want to Work for a Company
34) Take Advantage of Free Career Resources at Colleges and Universities
35) Participate in an Open Source Project
36) Build Your Portfolio
37) Make a Video Resumé
38) Get Involved in a Hackathon
39) Participate in Career Fairs
40) Ship Your First App
41) Write a Resumé
42) Attend Company Events
43) Network with Engineers
44) Complete Kaggle Challenges
45) Apply to Fellowship Programs at Companies
46) Get Involved With an Engineering Open Source Project
47) Learn HTML and CSS.
Why Improve Your IT Skills
IT professionals should take the time to improve their skills or go back to school. There are many reasons why it is important for IT professionals to advance their skills; let’s explore a few of these reasons.
One could argue that learning new skills will help them in the long run by increasing their marketability.
The IT industry changes so quickly, staying up-to-date on the latest advances helps set you apart from other job seekers.
There are also plenty of jobs out there for those with more technical skills than most people have. Another reason why an IT professional might want to take some time and improve their knowledge is so they can work on specific technologies that interest them, such as game development or robotics.
The point is that there are people out there looking to hire the best people out there. If you are trying to get into a specific company or want to stand out from the rest, then you need to prove that you are one of those top people.
Why Soft Skills are important for IT Professionals
A lot of people say that soft skills are less important than hard technical skills when it comes to getting an IT job. They aren’t able to assess how much work is required, so they want you to be capable of doing everything on your own.
This really isn’t the case. Soft skills are just as important as technical skills, and companies rely on them heavily for many tasks.
Have you ever called customer service? They’re not likely to be able to troubleshoot your problem without any prior knowledge of what you’re talking about, but they’re still able to solve your problem.
This happens because they possess soft skills that allow them to use their creativity and compassion in order to provide the best possible solution for their customer.
The same thing goes for developing software. Developers are often faced with unexpected bugs that they need to solve, but they can only do so if they possess the soft skills to use their creativity and compassion in order to research different solutions.
So, yes, technical skills are definitely important when it comes to getting an IT job. However, soft skills are just as important and you can’t neglect them.
Why Upskilling is important for IT Professionals
Upskilling is very important for IT professionals nowadays. Here are some reasons why it is the norm in the job market.
- Occupations are changing with rapid advancements in technology. As a result, upskilling becomes necessary for career development.
- Tech companies require workers to keep up with the latest information in order to be attractive to employers, who are on the lookout for employees with current skills.
- IT departments are looking not only for qualified graduates but also for innovative thinkers that can contribute fresh ideas and perspectives back into the company
Updating your knowledge and skills can be daunting when you’re just starting out. But if you’re committed to your professional development, you don’t have to worry about what’s next–you are next.
Here are six steps you can take to upskill yourself this year:
- Choose an area of focus.
- Get enrolled in a class or online training program specializing in what you’ve selected as your future career path.
- Learn the language – Refresh your memory on industry terminology, then begin incorporating it into your daily vernacular.
- Get to know the players and the lingo – Dive into current events and key issues in your industry, then share what you’ve learned with coworkers and friends.
- Set a goal – Aim for one new skill or piece of knowledge per month to help ensure steady progress.
- Stay motivated – As you advance, you’ll begin to see your efforts pay off in different ways.
