Starting a career in IT
Roy Lalor from Pitman Training Swords gave a 5-point checklist for suitability to an IT Technical career:
- Have you been using computers for a few years?
- Do you find that you pick things up quickly (i.e. learning software applications)?
- Do you like problem-solving?
- Are you a kinaesthetic learner – that is do you prefer to pick things up by doing them, rather than listening to, say, a lecture?
- Are you willing to keep learning in order to further your career? (learning new skills keeps you in demand in the IT industry)
“Contrary to popular opinion, you don’t need to be terrific at Maths or have a degree to have a career in IT,” says Roy. “You can learn the skills needed for an entry level job in under two months.”
The starting point for an IT Technical job is Pitman’s A+ course. This can be started at any time and takes around 180 hours to complete. It is popular with both men and women and enables them to work on IT helpdesks or as a technician. They can then move on to other courses such as MCSE, which enables people to do most IT technical jobs.
Roy continues, “Google it, you’ll see that companies are crying out for people with these skills. If you enjoy using computers and like problem-solving, this could be the career for you. Big companies are recruiting for these high-end jobs from abroad. I believe we can fill these vacancies ourselves, people just need to understand that they can do the work.”
That was true for one Pitman student recently, who studied MCSA and, on qualifying, got a job with Google Apps on Tech Support. “These are dream jobs for a lot of people,” says Roy, “doing something you love all day isn’t work!”
For more information see Pitman Training Swords on Findacourse.ie