“Will you fill-up the printer? Fix the computer? Maybe check out the blender…No?! But you’re an IT guy!” It’s common knowledge that IT professionals spend their days in front of computers and writing “something incomprehensible.” Others think that they have to know how all the appliances work.
Who is a programmer? How do people become IT specialists — which is what do they do? Read the article below to find out.
Who are IT folks in real life?
An IT specialist is a professional who works in the information technology field. “IT specialist” is an umbrella term for occupations ranging from computer assembly and computer network configuration to software development in the aerospace industry and cybersecurity.
IDC, an international consulting firm, found that companies have invested more than $1 trillion annually in IT development since 2018, which means the number of IT occupations will continue to grow.
The statistical data on the development of the IT industry over the last 15 years shows the 3 most popular IT occupations that will be in demand in 2022 and for at least another 10 years to come.
1. Developers
Developers or programmers – IT professionals who create websites, games, computer programs, mobile applications, and web services using programming languages (JavaScript, Java, Python, C++, and others).
- Front End Developers develop interfaces of websites, applications, or platforms. They want the work with a website or an application to be understandable and user-friendly. Alexander Repeta, CTO at GoIT, shared what a Front End Developer should know and be able to do in 2021.
- Back End Developers work on the server part of an IT project. It’s crucial for them that users get the correct information stored in databases, on servers, and from interaction with third-party services. They must know Python programming languages and frameworks, PHP, Java, Node.js, and Git version control systems.
- Full Stack Developers create interfaces and configure the server side. Alexander Repeta, CTO at GoIT, told us all about Full Stack Developers.
If you’re a beginner and want to become a programmer but are afraid to take serious steps and feeling insecure – sign up for the free 7-day HTML+CSS layout marathon. Spend 1-2 hours a day on the marathon and:
- Create your first resume site;
- Take your first steps in programming;
- Answer the question, “Is IT really for me?”
Sign up for the HTML+CSS online marathon
2. Testers
Testers are IT professionals who implement the requirements for implementing and operating an IT project to avoid bugs and stop new bugs from appearing. The goal of a tester’s job is to find problems on a site or in an application and pass the information on to developers for them to fix those bugs.
All about testing careers in a GoIT Journal Blog article: “Who is a QA Specialist and how to become one in 2023.”
3. IT Designers
IT designers are also IT people. They help developers visualize the project and work on the customer interface.
An IT designer does not need to be a gifted artist, innately talented, or understand the intricacies of classical and modern art. The main requirement – the desire to design attractive websites, mobile applications and games for users.
To try your hand at IT design, sign up for a free marathon from GoIT, where you’ll:
- what part designers take in the creation of IT projects;
- create your first design;
- try your hand as a web designer under the guidance of professionals.
There are other IT specialists. An example would be DevOps (designs, participates in the creation, tests and maintains applications) or Game Developer. But precisely these 3 professions we talked about above are the right ones for a beginner to have a successful start in IT.
How to become an IT specialist without any experience?
If you want to become an IT specialist from scratch – you have two ways:
- Self-study. Corey Althoff, a Python developer who worked at eBay, says in his book that learning from scratch is real. A beginner needs to learn the basics of the profession and get his first job.
Training materials are available online – courses on torrent resources, leak courses, and YouTube lessons are accessible to everyone. And if you find a mentor – a professional who can help you understand the intricacies of the profession – the chance of becoming an IT specialist increases many times over.
- Courses at GoIT. This is a ready-made plan to learn new knowledge and gain the IT skills you need to start a new career. You don’t need to search for new materials or experienced mentors – we’ve done that for you. Everything you need is:
- Discipline, attending classes and webinars,
- Desire to develop in your new profession and realize your potential,
- 2-4 hours a day to work on your future – to learn the basics of the chosen IT direction.
If you want to see what to expect when you take the first step and enroll in courses at GoIT – sign up for the IT-Fest. The conference will feature 12 GoIT graduates now working as Junior and Middle-level IT specialists and coming from diverse backgrounds. Their success stories are your chance to look ahead a year and a half and see the prospects:
- Decent dollar salary, higher than the national average even for Juniors;
- Opportunity to build on your strengths even further and gain the skills you need for work and life in general;
- Opportunity to enjoy not only the results of the work as well as the process.
