How to successfully change career into IT.

I thought that having a well-paid banking job will help me fill a void. It didn’t. This is why I decided to leave a lucrative sector and start again. I was 29 at the time. 

In 2008, I joined Goldman Sachs. I thought I had made it. But then the financial crash happened. Within months, I was made redundant. Ouch. Somehow, I managed to recover. Fast forward 24 months, and I was invited for a final stage interview for a managerial role at a global financial services group. The salary for this role was equivalent to six figures in today’s money. Despite my ego saying "take it," something just didn’t feel right, so I cancelled my interview. The recruitment consultant was annoyed. I wasn't surprised. They lost out on some decent commission, which, given my previous sales role, I can relate to.

Unsure of what to do next, I took some time out. A few months into my work sabbatical, a friend who worked as an IT engineer suggested I gain some work experience with his employer, a media agency. I impressed them enough to secure a freelance role over the summer. I loved it. I felt alive again despite earning much less. I was constantly learning and enjoyed interacting with people again. Once this freelance role ended, I was able to secure my first permanent IT position with an outsourcer. I’ve remained in IT ever since.

In hindsight, my career change didn't exactly follow a game plan. I was fortunate to have found something that stimulated me with the help of my network. Thirteen years later, I'm 100% sure this was the right decision, but I would certainly approach this differently. In this article, I share 3 actionable steps I would do differently to help those thinking of a career change into IT.

Technical Certifications

Once I realized that I enjoyed IT work, I should have been more long-term in my career planning. Investing my time in achieving relevant technical certifications (coupled with my work experience to date) would have added more value to my CV. This would have shown hiring managers that I, on paper at least, possess the technical understanding to support and maintain IT infrastructure. The areas I would focus on now centre around the following IT infrastructure components: end-user computing, servers, networking, cybersecurity, and cloud computing.

For those who are interested, I recommend the following certification paths that would provide the baseline technical knowledge to support corporate IT infrastructures as a generalist:

Apple (macOS & iOS):

• Apple Certified Support Professional

• Jamf 100 for Apple Mobile Device Management

Windows:

• Microsoft 365 Certified: Modern Desktop Administrator Associate

• Microsoft 365 Certified: Enterprise Administrator Expert

Server/Data Centre Administration:

• Microsoft Certified: Windows Server Hybrid Administrator Associate

• VMware Certified Technical Associate (for data centre virtualisation)

Networking:

• Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) as an entry level certification for networking from one of the largest networking hardware vendors globally.

Cybersecurity:

• Certificate of Cloud Security Knowledge (CCSK) for a cohesive and vendor neutral perspective of how to secure data in the cloud.

Cloud Computing:

• The three leaders in cloud computing are Amazon Web Services (AWS) (the market leader) Google and Microsoft. You can’t go far wrong with any one of these but if I had to choose one, I’d probably go for the following AWS certifications if you want to pursue the systems administrator or engineer path.

  • Cloud Practictioner (Foundation).

  • SysOps Administrator.

AWS’s various certification paths can be found here

Job Search Process

Applying for roles online can be a numbers game. You’re often competing against many other candidates who may be better qualified, and you rarely receive any decent feedback if you were rejected at the CV sifting stage. To improve my chances in the next life, I would do the following:

1. Optimize your LinkedIn profile, including the summary, emphasizing any transferrable skills and relevant achievements to date. Pick the most appropriate keywords to use. Recently, I stumbled upon this article for profile summaries and this one for keywords as I prepare to update my LinkedIn profile.

2. Create bespoke CVs relevant to the advertised role you’re applying for. If you’re struggling to find a decent CV template, here’s an example of one I found on Reddit.

3. Network with hiring managers. This is particularly useful if you don’t have any work experience but have some technical certifications or transferrable skills. If you’re new to networking, LinkedIn Learning offers a free short course which can be accessed here.

4. Find an apprenticeship as a segue into an IT career. If you’re based in England like me, look here.

Improving your Technical Experience

The biggest hurdle that everyone experiences when trying to break into IT is the lack of real-world experience. Having technical certifications or optimizing your CV for keywords isn't going to mask that. However, you can take steps to improve your technical experience and increase your chances of standing out in the eyes of a hiring manager. Three initiatives that stood out for me when interviewing candidates were as follows:

1. Register on a freelance website like Fiverr or Upwork. Offer your services as an IT consultant to a startup or small business. Think of this exercise as a way of lining up real-world project work and gaining relevant experience in something you've recently become certified in or want to get more exposure to.

2. Secure some unpaid work experience if you’re in an economic position to do so. This will demonstrate your hunger to learn and break into the industry.

3. Learn at home by creating labs with old hardware or practice online with virtual labs (e.g. CBT Nuggets or Skillable) or by using simulation tools (e.g. Cisco Packet Tracer).

Final Thoughts

In the first few months after my career change, I did question whether I’d made the right decision. This was certainly the case on payday as my career change made be financially worse off. On the upside however:

• I stopped experiencing the Sunday night blues.

• I no longer had a job that lived in my head rent free.

• I learned that I am adaptable and that I should trust myself more.

You can’t put a price on that!

As I write this article, society is on the verge of the next industrial revolution through AI. This will impact how IT infrastructures are deployed and managed and how end users interact with computers. If you're interested in moving into IT, you should be taking considering the impact of AI and asking yourself, "what seeds do I need to start planting now so that I can make that jump easily?".