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How To Become an IT Professional
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Business New Haven
11/11/2002
By: Melissa Nicefaro
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So you want to become an information technology (IT) professional.
You're in the right place, since the IT work cluster in Connecticut has been identified as in high-demand. The term 'IT professional' covers as broad a range as 'doctor.' Do you want to be a heart doctor or a foot doctor?
The first step to becoming an IT professional is to decide exactly what do you want to do. Does servicing computers or network design sound appealing? How about learning software engineering or Web site development?
There are several areas to consider when you're entering the IT world or growing your existing IT career:
Web development and design – Designed to upgrade the professional's existing skills in information and communications systems design and programming disciplines.
Software applications – These can be Microsoft Office, Windows, Dream Weaver, Front Page, etc. The sky's the limit, as long as courses are offered in your area of specialty. Courses in this area are for those either trying to enter the workforce for the first time or incumbent workers who need upgrading of skills or who never learned a specific program. Education in this area is more job-specific, directly related to your world of work or interest.
Computer Hardware and Networking – Colleges often team with companies such as Cisco and Adobe to run specialized academies. There are broad educational curricula with outside vendors such as Cisco and Adobe.
Communications Technology – Courses in this field are for those looking for IT essentials, computer servicing and technical education. Network security, voice and data cabling and wireless communications technologies are also found under this popular umbrella. A rapidly growing area is Home Technology Integration (HTI) – for people (electricians, mostly) who are building homes and installing comprehensive home networks.
There are also career or education possibilities in Digital Media and Animation, Programming Languages and Project Management.
If you've already decided which area of expertise you'd like to pursue, it's time to start thinking about becoming certified. It is critical for IT professionals to get certification. Yes, it's great to come to school and take the courses, but what matters most right now in workforce development for IT professionals is to be able to say you're certified. You may be able to network a small business, but do you have a Certified Cisco Networking Certification? Are you certified in CIWD (Certified Internet Web Design), or MCSE (Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer) or do you have A+ servicing certification? Just like a doctor has M.D. at the end of his name, if you are an IT professional, you'll benefit from having one of these tags at the end of your name.
Since certificates are a must-have today, courses toward these goals are offered in packages.
Certificate training programs are designed to train individuals in an ever-changing work environment. As the demand for a highly trained workforce grows, opportunities are provided for training and professional growth. Programs may be tailored to accommodate the needs of individual businesses, and arrangements may be made to hold classes on site.
More specifically, the world of networking is a highly competitive arena that continues to grow in complexity as technology evolves. With this growth, the demand for highly trained networking experts increases daily. Even the most experienced professionals find that keeping current on the latest technology can be a tremendous challenge. To remain competitive and succeed as you pursue your career, proper training is essential for extending your knowledge and strengthening your professional options.
There are three ways to go about it:
- Sign up for courses as regular enrollment or go through a regular college registration process and sign up for courses.
- Choose a packaged program such as a certification package. A lot of technology certification targets specific areas that the curriculum has been created by the vendor or sponsoring company. In order to get a CCNA certificate, the curriculum is very specifically outlined and developed by Cisco. That's a package. It takes a certain amount of hours for so many weeks culminated with an exam.
- Through corporate contract. Corporate contract with a business, school sets up a laboratory in the business's facility. They contract to have the school teach employees networking technology. That way the college goes on site and delivers education.
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