4 answers
Ethan
Student
Englewood, Colorado
2
Questions
Asked
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Where are some tips on how to fast track my IT career?
I am very goal oriented and look forward to starting my first job. What are some tips to keep me on the up and up for promotions are better opportunities as an IT major? #major #job #JULY20 #first-job
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4 answers
Timara Nichols
Business Support Manager
2
Answers
Richmond, Virginia
Updated
Timara’s Answer
In addition to what Sarah said, find mentors and sponsors. Also consider volunteering if you have time.
Sarah Hanson
6
Answers
Updated
Sarah’s Answer
Focus on getting experience through internships, part-time jobs and work on getting relevant certifications. You can advance quickly in this field if you put in the work!
Patrick Caldwell
Head of Human Resources
4
Answers
New York, New York
Updated
Patrick’s Answer
Generally when companies are considering promotions they're looking for both breadth & depth of experience that can help set someone up to be successful in their new role, and something that indicates they are really passionate about learning and developing their skills. As you continue your studies, internships are always looked upon favorably particularly if you can demonstrate what you learnt from the internship and how you contributed to the company. Likewise, I am always interested in knowing whether people volunteer their skills back to their community to help others.
Once you have your first job, the best thing you can do for your ongoing progression is to build a breadth of experience early. Some people go up and up really quickly but often hit a ceiling when it's quite obvious they lack some critical experience or skills needed to take on more senior positions, particularly technical skills applied in a non-academic environment. Whilst the temptation is always to be looking up for your next role, I'd encourage you to stay open to sideways moves into different teams where you can work on different skills. This will help to highlight both breadth and depth of knowledge over time.
You might also like to consider what progression means to you - Is it to move into roles where you have more technical responsibilities or work on more complex/strategic work, or is it to move into roles where you can be the manager of a team and take on leadership responsibilities. This is an important distinction and helpful to understand where you might like to invest some learning early to expose you to what these roles might be like.
Best of luck! IT is a great field to be in and sounds like with your hunger and passion you'll do great!
Once you have your first job, the best thing you can do for your ongoing progression is to build a breadth of experience early. Some people go up and up really quickly but often hit a ceiling when it's quite obvious they lack some critical experience or skills needed to take on more senior positions, particularly technical skills applied in a non-academic environment. Whilst the temptation is always to be looking up for your next role, I'd encourage you to stay open to sideways moves into different teams where you can work on different skills. This will help to highlight both breadth and depth of knowledge over time.
You might also like to consider what progression means to you - Is it to move into roles where you have more technical responsibilities or work on more complex/strategic work, or is it to move into roles where you can be the manager of a team and take on leadership responsibilities. This is an important distinction and helpful to understand where you might like to invest some learning early to expose you to what these roles might be like.
Best of luck! IT is a great field to be in and sounds like with your hunger and passion you'll do great!
Anna Sanford
Operations
1
Answer
San Francisco, California
Updated
Anna’s Answer
In addition to what others have said I would suggest you work on developing a large breadth of skills. They will help you become multi-faceted over the course of your career.