Meeting the Modern Demands: 4 Steps to Becoming an IT Specialist

If your business has a computer, you need an IT Specialist on staff or on-call. A small business needs a multi-talented specialist who can juggle a caseload of time-sensitive tasks. In a larger company, the IT Specialist may have focused duties or larger responsibilities.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects such positions will grow by 11 percent before 2026. And, that number may underestimate the expanding world of computers and networking. If you see your future in meeting the modern demands of the information infrastructure, you may be interested in what it takes to become an IT Specialist.

4 steps to becoming an IT Specialist:

College education:

College graduates will have an advantage in nailing down career-starting positions in Information Technology. Today, more community colleges offer majors and certificate programs, so you many land jobs without a bachelor’s degree. In their search for talent, more companies are also providing internship to qualified high school students to help them get a foot in the door.

Work experience:

Talented workers optimize their work experience. They learn from it, progress with it, and parlay it into personal growth and professional advancement. The experience opens opportunities by exposing you to various tasks, skills, and career paths. There are few better lessons on identifying the work you can do and want to do.

Professional certifications:

IT certifications are an important way to standardize qualification and education. Completing certification is notice to an employer that you have met standards important to their needs. Some certifications, like those offered by itpro.tv, address specific systems such as Apple, Windows, Cisco, and Linux. Others prepare for specific skills like Project Management, Security Skills, and Service Management. With certifications on your resume, you signal employees of your skill set and commitment to the career.

Future education:

Information technology does not stand still. The best jobs and compensation go to those staying ahead of the game. So, the best employers usually pay incentives to continue your education. That could be through formal education programs in graduate school, a steady regimen of additional education online, or in certificate programs.

Meeting the modern demands

All global industries are feeling the cost of a talent shortage. Finding, recruiting, and retaining talent has proven continually difficult industries already suffering high turnover. Forbes reports the following fourteen jobs are most in demand:

These jobs pay at least $75,000 and most of them pay over $95,000. But, most applicants do not walk into these positions. They need resumes that show the technical skills and soft skills that qualify them for the work and the culture.

Still, meeting the modern demands drives companies to develop talent pipelines to fill future needs. So, you might start running errands from a help desk, but you are only four steps from becoming an IT Specialist.