One path to find your IT career

As a mentor, I get a lot of questions and one question is: What should I do? This question reveals a bigger problem. People do not have a specific goal and without a goal, I cannot help that much.

Usually I help people in Cybersecurity, but the approach is always the same. The first step is: get the big picture.

IT has a lot of options and people like different things, but do not focus on one single thing, except it is your passion. Before you start your career, do a lot of research. Remember: Switching a career is possible, but it might hurt your wallet.

The first focus is the salary, but this should not be your major concern. Think about employers and can you reach them. If you are looking for network jobs, but the local job market is empty... it is not a good choice. As a beginner, a 100% remote job is possible but not common.

Open a bunch of matching job offers to get an idea what an employer wants and what you can offer. In the US, you can apply if you have 70% of the requirements and you are a suitable candidate.

A word about certs: You need some, but work experience weighs a lot. Some job offers are ridiculous, especially in security... entry level, 5 years experience and CISSP. HR departments love copy paste including adding impossible certs, but you can see good job offers vs. poor offers. Good job offers are unique and tailored to a specific job. You want to look for such jobs and employers, because you can tailor your CV, resume and LinkedIn profile...

The next step is, find your best path, do a very deep research and create a table to compare each option:

This picture is for cloud, but you can do this with every single job. The question is: Can you do the job and if yes what do you need? Maybe you have to move to do your dream job, maybe you can add some certs, maybe you have to add some skills, etc...

Numbers: The availability is very important and LinkedIn can help you a lot. If you are a beginner, pay attention to open apprenticeship positions. One example: In Austin, TX you picked "cloud" and "security". A quick LinkedIn search will tell you one thing: You have 4x more jobs in cloud compared to cybersecurity. In cloud you have hundreds of apprenticeships available... in security not many. In your area, this is different.

Getting professional help for free is the next step:

Find a mentor and talk to him. As him about what he is doing, if he likes the job, typical interview questions, salary, certs....

If you want to add a certification and you need a course, find the free things first.

LinkedIn is very powerful is you use it right:

The most important thing is: LinkedIn needs time. Build your profile long before you are looking for a job and interact with people.

What next:

Build your CV and resume and tailor your application for each position. A lot of companies use automated systems to scan your application, therefore it is important to add the right key words. It is waste of your time if you send out 100 applications per day.

Get ready for a job interview and watch youtube videos. Know the basic questions.