How to Start a Career in IT Without a Degree

Although the field of information technology (IT) is young, it is the fastest-growing one today. It includes everything related to the storage, processing, and transmission of data. 

Technologies are actively introduced into various areas of our lives: a notebook in an iPhone is a special database, websites on the global network are complex program codes, an on-board computer of a car is a computing system with various functions, etc. 

Thus, IT is an integral part of modern life, and this trend will likely continue in the future.

IT professions are very prestigious. As a result, more and more firms need qualified IT specialists. That’s why many people want to start a career in IT even without a degree. If you are also interested in this, learn more below.

IT Career Building Strategy: 5 Steps Everyone Should Follow

The strategy of building a career in IT from scratch consists of the correct and consistent steps to achieve the desired result:

1. The conscious choice of professional education;
2. Consolidation of the acquired knowledge in practice;
3. Job choice;
4. Continuous training;
5. Desire and initiative.

Conscious Choice of Professional Education

Choosing a place of study is a fundamental step to building a successful IT career. Whether you are a school kid, student, specialist, or leader, you must clearly understand why you are going to study, what kind of education and specialty you want to get, and what professional community you want to belong to after training.

Your goal should not just be to get a diploma. You should enjoy the learning process, show an active craving for acquiring new knowledge, memorize the information received, and make useful contacts with teachers, employers, and classmates. In other words, your start should give the necessary acceleration for the future.

Consolidation of the Acquired Knowledge in Practice

Many public and private universities, institutes, and academies arrange internships. This gives you the opportunity to get the first work experience and the practical application of acquired IT knowledge. Don’t miss this chance.

Job Choice

Having received basic and specialized knowledge and acquiring minimal work experience, you inevitably come to the next important decision – choosing a job. Analyze the career development scenarios in different IT companies, and communicate with specialists, experts, and career consultants. 

Your further IT career growth will directly depend on the start of work. This means that the choice should be no less conscious than when choosing education.

Be sure to create a resume. A good resume is one of the most effective job search tools. It is the key to an employer. 

However, remember that a resume is your extended business card, not a short autobiography. Whether you receive an invitation to an interview depends on how competently it will be drawn up.

If you have difficulty writing a resume or optimizing your Linkedin profile, it is appropriate to get professional help. The experts of the online resume writing service Zipjob.com are always ready to provide quality services. Check out the Zipjob.com review if you want to know more about their prices, quality and features.

Continuous Training

Approaches and technologies in the field of business and communications are changing rapidly. 

Therefore, continuous training and professional development throughout life will become an integral part of the competitiveness of an employee in the IT labor market and an employee within the organization as a human resource.

Desire and Initiative

Find your happy place at the workspace and demonstrate readiness to solve the highest and most complex tasks, the ability to perform a greater range of functions and responsibilities, and a determined attitude to take a high position! Be active, don’t be afraid to experiment, and you will succeed!

How to Get Work Experience Without a Degree?

IT professionals with experience are most in demand today. But what if you don’t have experience? Where to get it? Here are some helpful tips to help you solve the problem:

• Participate in open-source projects. This can be both the creation of your projects and the maintenance of existing ones. Feedback from users, teamwork, releases, and planning will help you get a good experience;
• Take on complex projects. To gain experience, you can get involved in some complex, interesting projects. Try different approaches and rewrite your programs a few times to get the best result;
• Work as a freelancer. Freelancing allows you to experiment with different programming languages, create small projects, or improve existing ones. By doing low-risk projects for a small fee, you can gain experience in the IT field;
• Get internships. Many companies offer internships for beginner IT specialists. Therefore, you have an excellent chance to work in large companies. The main thing is to properly prepare for the video interview. It is unlikely, of course, that you will be able to participate in large critical projects. 
• Still, you will have the opportunity to communicate with experienced developers or even work with them in a team. Based on the results of the internship, you may be invited to work;
• Communicate with authors of articles and books, and attend conferences. People who write public articles or books will be very happy to receive feedback from you. Ask them exciting questions, and you will get valuable answers.

Conclusion

A combination of personal motivation, value orientations, abilities, and a high level of general intellectual and personal development are necessary for building a successful IT career. 

Therefore, be active, read IT books/articles, participate in exciting projects, and communicate with experienced programmers. This will bring you valuable knowledge and experience necessary for successful work in IT.