What's the best way to break into the IT field?

I agree with much of these responses, but also want to make sure to stress that there are many entry points into the IT field. While you can become an engineer or systems admin, you can also work in tech company in a sales, customer support, customer success or services capacity. These are really great roles that allow you to work with technology but in a people-centric way.

A couple pointers below as you evaluate:

Since technology is always changing and advancing, adopting the mindset of CURIOSITY and desire to learn is a great place to start. This was said before, but it bears repeating!

From here, identifying which areas of technology pique your curiosity the most will help you refine your search and exercise another essential capacity in the IT field, which is FOCUS!

There are several key things that can significantly increase your chances of breaking into tech for a software engineering role or similar.

The first challenge is getting an interview. To do this, you'll need to have a resume that is compelling to employers. If you don't have experience, it may be difficult getting a full-time job unless you have particularly impressive side projects you've worked on in your own time. This is why having a good network and finding an internship is crucial. Getting the first internship and developing that experience is probably one of the hardest steps - without a network you'll have to showcase yourself with various projects.

Once you get the interview comes the next step, which is passing the interview. Software engineering interviews in tech are unlike traditional interviews. You will be asked computer science concepts, given challenges and expected to provide solutions to problems with working code, often times written on a whiteboard. You must spend a significant amount of time preparing. Ensure you have a good grasp of fundamental concepts in computer science and computing - there are various resources online that will prepare you for this. Additionally, you will need to practice solving live coding challenges using your language of choice. Do it again and again and again.

At the end of the day, one of the biggest predictors of success in the field is technical curiosity and a desire to learn. I would argue that adopting this kind of mindset is the best way to break into industry.

I believe the best way would be either by studying it in college (or taking classes related to IT if your major is something else), applying to internships and jobs in the field (there are less technical ones), or working at a company that you know has good IT positions but starting in a non IT position and working your way towards it (this could be through networking, getting technical certifications). Either way it is easier to join the IT field now than it used to be, and coding skills aren't required. However, they are a plus!

When I graduated from college, I had a hard time getting into the IT field as well and asked the same question. My mentor at the time gave me a few tips that I will share with you. 

1) Study and get your certifications (CompTIA A+/Network/Security/Cisco)

2) Volunteer at a local non profit

3) Find a mentor and shadow them

I was actually taking certification prep classes at my local community while volunteering at a local homeless center. When I was there, I was able to shadow the IT Manager and actually found out that all the things I learned in the class and books were already outdated and considered "old school". All the software had newer versions, and looked completely different from what I learned in class. This was the turning point for me, as I realized that real life shadowing and experience is way more practical, but having certifications on your resume will help you to find the next job.

Hey Eric 👋

I find a particularly good way of breaking into the IT field is having a portfolio of projects you've worked on. They can even be personal projects you were inspired to create and they can be as simple or complex as you want them to be (i.e. a simple calculator you programmed).

Depending on what type of area in the IT field you're interested in, your portfolio of work would look differently. For example if I wanted to break into the field of mobile development, I would have a few of my simple apps on the App Store. If I were looking to break into the field of user experience design, my portfolio would have wireframes, user personas or customer research you've done. This way, you can showcase your passion, skills and work to potential employers.

Good luck!

My observation is that those who break in to the IT field most quickly and most successfully come in with an open mind and some sort of basic coding skill. If you want to find out which programming languages are in widest use today see https://www.zdnet.com/article/programming-language-popularity-c-bounces-back-at-pythons-expense/. Once you have learned that skill, find an internship where you can begin applying and developing that skill right away. Best of luck!

Hi Eric, I never expected or sought out to get into Technology Sales. When I started my career, I reached out to people I knew, and people I didn't know at various companies and industries and conducted "informational interviews". I asked them what they liked and didn't like about their job, company, and industry. I asked them how they got started. I asked them for things to avoid. I think you'll find people who have been successful are willing to give back and talk about how they got their start. Show up fully present, curious, and ready to learn. In that process you will learn about the type of companies that are appealing to you, but you will also make connections. People will think of you when they hear of an opening. For me, I found that several people I conducted "informational interviews" with, were then willing to introduce me to others, or even recommend me for particular jobs. That is how I found someone to give me a chance at my first job. Incidentally, I've continued this practice throughout my career, and it has been helpful in getting promotions, getting customers, and closing sales. I wish you the best of luck!