Signs you might want to switch to a career in IT

How many of us are still in the career we started out with, or even doing something related to our degree or qualification from years ago? Quite a few I would think, and that’s completely normal as we don’t know what something is like until we try it. The IT and tech industries are among the fastest growing in the world and are attracting talent from places you might not expect. If you can answer ‘yes’ to any of the following, then a career change to IT might be a good next step for you to take…

Your current career doesn’t feel right

What you studied in school or even as advanced education may have been interesting to you as a course of study, but working within that area might not be what you expected. The culture may end up being wrong for you, or the money isn’t enough. But, of course, you’re going to try it, as you’ve invested so much time and money. A certain point is reached where it is impossible to continue to overlook how uncomfortable your current job is. And, with so many different niches to explore, you’re sure to find something that still aligns with your interests in IT.

You’re more technically minded than you thought

Sometimes it takes doing a certain kind of job to understand where your skills lie, and where they don’t. If you’re more logically minded, switching to a career in IT makes a lot of sense, whether you’re managing databases, creating workflows, debugging code, or scoping out a project. While things can certainly get a little frantic, working in IT (in ideal circumstances) is logical and structured and may just scratch that professional itch that other jobs won’t.

You’ve hit a wall

An issue arises when careers stagnate or are without direction. Some occupations don't support professional advancement or regular income increases – or are at least very difficult to achieve.

IT occupations, in contrast, are incredibly progressive. By enrolling in one of the many IT courses, you can frequently increase your chances of development by investing more in them. Junior developers become senior developers as their coding abilities progress, but they can also advance by learning sophisticated programming. And, once you've started a career in technology, there are a variety of IT courses you may take to improve your knowledge. You could even enroll in some of them to improve your skills prior to changing careers.

You crave creativity

There’s a misconception that there’s no room for creativity in IT – but that’s quite far from the truth. Working in a technology company means that you’re going to have to find smart workarounds to various problems, design new workflows, input into new product developments, write new code and think outside of the box when faced with an issue.

You want a better salary

The IT industry is well-known to be one of the best paying modern marketplaces, with an endlessly increasing number of specialties and niches to explore. Of course, the real big bucks only come with experience, but starting out in a technology company and working your way up is a solid way to invest in your future. And, once you’ve worked in one tech company, it opens up a whole new world of employment opportunities to explore.

There is always plenty of demand for talented tech folk, so once you get your foot in the door, your bottom line is likely to start looking a lot better. Also, the job is pretty future-proof!

You want to see tangible results from your work

If you’re a typical office worker, you’ll be doing the same thing every day, answering calls, going to meetings, sending emails and so on. Yes, the calls were returned, or the issues were fixed, but at the end of the day, there is nothing you can point to and claim as your own creation. When you’re working in IT, you’ll be contributing to a result or a product that you can actually see, interact with and present to clients or customers.

You want to have a choice of opportunities

Due to the high need for IT professionals, numerous businesses frequently hire talented people for a variety of software tasks. Therefore, if they have the necessary talent, IT professionals have a solid place in the employment market and may anticipate tremendous growth potential.

IT professionals are adaptable people with a wide range of abilities that they can use depending on the applications of their roles. Therefore, if you decide to change to another position within the scope of your IT profession, you may anticipate a wide choice of employment in the present market.

Compared to other roles, such as engineering and social sciences, switching jobs based on skills rather than your degree gives you a whole lot of career security.

You like hybrid and remote working

The pandemic has highlighted just how possible working remotely can be, and if you’re in a technology company, you’re more likely to be able to have flexible working conditions than if you were working in a retail or service-based job. As an IT expert, your primary role will usually be sitting at a desk with a computer and doing your thing.

You want to be on the cutting edge

There’s an inherent thrill that comes with the knowledge that you’re working on something really cool and interesting that changes the way businesses operate, or how people live their lives. Technology is always evolving and there’s always something new around the corner to explore. If you want to be right there when it happens, IT is the place to be.