Thursday, July 19, 2012

One of the best way to transition into a job within IT is to find a position that takes advantage of your existing skills, knowledge, and experience. For example, if you have a background in finance, you have a strong understanding of accounting and potentially other activities performed within the finance function. These activities could include budgeting, cash management, product line profitability analysis, revenue projections, etc. Look for a job within IT where this knowledge would be valuable. For example, the role of Business Analyst is generally responsible for defining software business requirements and enhancements. You would be ideal for this on a finance-related project because of your deep understanding of the business area. This would also be true at testing, training, and/or documentation type role.

Lastly, if you are serious about moving into IT as your profession, I would strongly suggest taking a beginner's programming class in Java, .NET, or other mainstream programming technology. I'm not suggesting you become a professional programmer, but as an IT professional, it would advantageous for you to know what programming is and how it works. This knowledge will allow you to work more closely with the programming staff and better position you for more senior IT roles.

This blog is based on a column I wrote last year, as part of my weekly blog in IT World. For my most recent IT World blogs, go to http://www.itworld.com/blogs/eric-bloom.

Until next time, work hard, work smart, and continue to grow.