The job market is becoming increasingly competitive each year. Choosing the right career is the first step in building a successful career. As the world continues to adopt technology, IT is undeniably one of the best careers to take up in the 21st century. Besides taking a degree or diploma in an IT field, you need to develop both technical and soft skills to thrive in the job market. In this article, we share some of the skills you will need to build a successful career in IT.

Technical Writing

As an IT professional, you will advise colleagues on various technologies that your organization or company uses. To effectively communicate ideas or processes, you will need to have stellar technical writing skills. Written communication is a major part of the field of IT. Your ability to break down technical explanations to layman’s language will make you stand out from others in the same field. Technical writing will also be useful in technical documentation and web content creation, depending on your job specifications.

Social Media Management

Social media is an integral part of the marketing activities of most companies nowadays. Social media marketing is itself a fully-fledged career path. Widening your skillset to include social media management will put you ahead of others with similar academic certifications. Some of the social media skills you need to excel include search engine optimization and web analytics, which are important in many businesses.

Coding

Coding is a technical skill that many employers in the IT industry are looking for. Many IT jobs require programming and web development skills for one to go ahead. It is also important to learn coding in various coding languages such as C++, Python, Ruby, and Java. It is also important for an IT professional to understand codes to tackle software development tasks and carry out quality assurance.

Network Configuration

Network administration is one of the jobs you might want to take up in the IT industry. If this is the case, you will need to familiarize yourself with networking skills. As an administrator, you will be tasked with putting up networks and managing them. To excel in this job, you will need to understand how wireless routers work, IP setup, cloud services, and coding.

Hardware deployment

Hardware deployment is a task that needs the technical ability to dismantle devices and re-assemble them. This could involve setting up complex machines needed to perform tasks, for instance, in a factory, hospital, and so on.

Knowledge of the operating system

There are several operating systems that computers run on. Understanding a number of the various operating systems, the issues that users may experience while using them, and fixing them is an important skill. Demonstrating your knowledge in the various systems to prospective employers will give you an edge, especially if they have plans of switching over to another system in the future.

Database management

A database is used to store all of the organization’s data. You might be required to know data entry or database use. It is, therefore, essential to have basic knowledge of database programs. This also requires attention to detail and accuracy. You might be required to know the Standard Query Language (SQL).

To get the proper training and certification on the skills we have discussed, it is important to enroll in a reputable institution. Besides technical skills, soft skills are also necessary for one to thrive in the IT industry. Below are some of the soft skills that will place you ahead of the crowd.

Communication

Communication is a necessary skill in any field and, most especially, the IT field. As an IT professional, you will constantly communicate with colleagues and seniors who need your help or instructions on how to go about technical duties. You must be able to communicate eloquently both verbally and via written forums such as email. Your communication skills will also play an important role in whether or you land the job.

Creativity

Creativity can be a life-changing ability in the IT industry. With a creative mind, you may create your own products or create products for the companies you work for. Tech entrepreneurs like Mark Zuckerberg were able to create platforms like Facebook because they were creative. To sharpen your creative skills, constantly look out for needs that have not been met in the industry, and develop a solution if you can.

Other important soft skills include analytical skills, curiosity, project management, resourcefulness, and problem-solving.

Conclusion

While getting a job is important, getting a job that is fulfilling is equally important. Building on the soft skills you align most with is a way of building a strong career path in IT. Narrowing down on your area of interest can help you become an expert in the industry.