IT Training Tips

IT careers in demand are the only choice

IT careers in demand are the only ones worth considering, as there are hundreds of career paths in IT but NOT all offer the same levels of opportunity.

Career paths in demand can have lower entry requirements simply because there aren't enough people to fill the vacant roles resulting from skill shortages. These shortages can also fuel higher salaries to entice more people.

It's a complete waste of time aiming for a career path in IT which has insufficient demand, as you'll end up competing with the 'best of the best' and these professionals will simply blow away any remote chance you may think you have for success.

IT careers evolve

IT is constantly evolving and what's hot now may not be hot soon, so any effort spent by a complete novice to train in such a technology could be a waste.

A friend of mine works with a specific database technology which is dying out and they're constantly struggling to find work. Sometimes they are lucky and get paid well and at other times they sit 'on the bench' waiting for opportunity. That is they wait for the opportunity to come and if they're a permanent employ, they'll still get paid and if they're a temporary employee, they probably won't get paid.

I've got a bit sick of telling them they need to retrain for the newer database technologies but there's only so many times you can tell someone.

IT career investment

I always think of myself as a business, which needs to invest in itself to make money and ultimately make a profit. Profit in this context is actually disposable income after I've paid my bills each month.

With this in mind any investment I make must be able to make money in the longer term, so I can have some profit to enjoy.

Investing in the wrong technology can lead to not making money and having no money to spend. Moreover it can saddle me with debt which isn't something I'd feel comfortable about.

How can you find out what IT careers are in demand?

IT Job boards

IT Job boards can help us determine which career paths are in demand by checking them over a several week period to see which types of IT jobs are advertised regularly. This can make it easier to see which careers are in demand and which are not.

It's important to watch out for job duplication as a single job could be advertised several times on a job board by different recruiters. Finding which jobs are duplicated becomes easier the more times, the job boards are used, as you will see similarities between wording including job specifications, locations, salaries/rates and so on.

IT career longevity

Some IT Careers have a longer shelf life than others that is they are in demand longer and don't fade into obscurity just as quickly as they appear.

There's little point in putting the effort into a IT career which then becomes obsolete very quickly, as you just end up on square one again. By watching the job boards and reading about specific technologies, it becomes easier to grasp what's still evolving and what's a fad or coming to end of its commercial life.

Find out more about choosing a career in IT as well as computing.