About the IT Sector
In recent years, the number of professions covered by the term “Information Technology” has grown almost exponentially, but simply put, it describes any job or position focussed primarily on computing or computer systems.
Today, there are few businesses that could survive without some form of IT support, and IT professionals are in greater demand than ever before. Nevertheless, the sector is a challenging place, and phenomena such as obsolescence, shifting business models, tough competition, and cybercrime mean that IT professionals need to be able to adapt and learn quickly, and have a high tolerance for frustration.
As an often highly-specialised industry, certain IT roles have barriers to entry such as understanding and manipulating programming languages, but these skills can often be picked up on vocational courses and a university degree may not be a requirement.
Popular IT Roles
IT Consultant
IT Consultant
IT Consultant
An IT Consultant’s primary responsibility is to analyse whether a company’s IT systems are working optimally. Understanding the core purposes of tech infrastructure is vital to a consultant’s success, and as such much of their time is spent working closely with teams in different areas of a company to see what changes and improvements can be implemented in order to help them meet their goals. These days, another key factor of an IT Consultant’s job is to diagnose security threats so company’s can avoid costly attacks and dataloss. Besides technical qualifications, IT Consultants will need to be creative thinkers and have great interpersonal skills.
IT Technician
IT Consultant
IT Consultant
Hands-on work with computers, workstations, cabling, and servers is all part of an IT Technician’s day-to-day. An in-depth knowledge of the functioning of both hardware and software is important when it comes to recommending, setting up, and installing equipment for individual and teams in different areas, but technicians also need to be patient with less-than-expert colleagues. Especially in large companies, IT Technicians can be among the busiest people, and therefore need be able to resolve IT issues as fast as possible so they can move on to the next task. Time-management skills are a must!
IT Graduate Jobs
IT Graduate Jobs
IT Graduate Jobs
In a fast-growing industry, graduates from IT degrees will find a vast array of different jobs available to them. From software development to coding, systems analysis and more, recent graduates should view their first jobs in the field as a chance to hone their skills and continue to learn and specialise in a particular area before going on to work in a more coveted position. When hiring graduates, companies will often look for hard IT skills, so proving they’ve got an in-depth and up-to-date knowledge of the latest tech will give applicants a big advantage. And because almost every business sector needs IT specialists, you can aim to start off in any area that you’re keen to learn more about.
IT Manager
IT Graduate Jobs
IT Graduate Jobs
If a company needs to ensure their IT systems run smoothly, efficiently and cost-effectively, a skilled IT Manager is indispensable. While a good knowledge of tech and computer hardware and software is a plus, often an IT Manager can come from a background outside of the field, as long as they have experience in team management. Among their main responsibilities, IT Managers are expected to know how to delegate effectively and play to their team’s strengths when it comes to coordinating processes such as system audits or solution rollouts. They also need a decent head for numbers as the department’s budget and cost-effectiveness depends on them.