HOW TO MAKE MONEY IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

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As a System Network Engineer Senior Trainer in one of the leading Information Technology training institutes in Nigeria, sometimes my students will ask me 

“WHAT IS THE BEST PATH TO MAKE MONEY IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY” 

I will smile and say 

“SEEK KNOWLEDGE FIRST”

The reason is very simple because if you have knowledge MONEY will follow you. Have you noticed that the 21^st century Billionaires, are people that have knowledge? You will ask me, what type of knowledge?  “KNOWLEDGE TO SOLVE PROBLEMS”

I will not want to mention names but with a little search on the internet, you will find a lot of people who are billionaires today as a result of knowledge. Knowledge will continue to give you money for a lifetime. Knowledge is power. If you have it, hold it tight because if properly channeled, it will make you rich.

As the world is evolving in all aspects (Technology, Medical, Climate, etc.) so will challenges arise in these areas? The ability for anyone to know how to solve those challenges is a gateway to money-making. So if you are choosing a career in any field, try and have enough knowledge on that career path because if you are good in that field, definitely money will come. People will definitely need your service which will then make you smile at the banks. Look around the world, your country, your state, and your locality there are challenges in looking for solutions. Find answers to these challenges and money will find you and follow you.

However, I would like to emphasize here, that the knowledge I will suggest here is the skill to solve problems and this can be either soft or hard skills. A good example in the job market is that those who have additional skills apart from their course of study in the university tend to be more employable than those who do not. Some people did not attend or complete higher education but are very good in their career path and they are celebrated today. There are other things you have to combine to really make good money, nonetheless, Knowledge stands out.

Therefore, I will say to you who are reading this and want to make money, 

“don’t follow money seek knowledge and money will follow you”

I hope you will find this useful. Your comments will be highly appreciated.

HOW TO BECOME AN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY PROFESSIONAL

Many people have approached me and asked “Do I need to be a science student or study computer science to become an Information Technology Professional” and I will say “NO”

 I say this because; the requirements to become an Information Technology Professional are as follows;

• Interest
• Choose a path
• Dedication
• Constant Practice
• Certification

INTEREST

Yes. You need to have undivided interest in information technology if you really want to become a professional in this field. You might study computer science and may not become an Information Technology Professional if you don’t have interest in Information technology. It is the interest that will make you endure when it seem tough on your journey to become an Information Technology Professional.

CHOOSE A PATH

Information Technology is a wide area with different skill sets, thus, it is difficult for one person to master all. Generally speaking, you can categorize information technology into Hardware and Software technologies.

HARDWARE TECHNOLOGIES: This includes Computer systems maintenance & repair and Networking.

SOFTWARE TECHNOLOGIES: This includes Application development and Data management.

You have to decide the area of your interest. However, combination of both hardware and software skills will make you more marketable.

DEDICATION 

                    

You need to be dedicated and focused. To become an Information Technology professional requires a lot of sacrifice. You need to be patient to enable you understand and learn the skill sets. Yes. You need to master the skill sets using the required tools. Your ability to master a particular skill set make you a professional in that field. Information Technology Professionals are solution providers and for you to proffer technological solutions you need to be a master in that area. Users are not patient when they have IT challenges. They want their challenge to be resolved without delay so that they can continue with their work as result your solution must be effective, efficient and timely, thus, the reason for you to master the skill to resolve such challenges.

CONSTANT PRACTICE

After choosing your choice path, you need to constantly read and practice as it is said in the common parlance, “practice makes perfect”. As you repeat a process continuously, it becomes part of you. I will not say in this piece that you will not encounter some challenging topics while undergoing the training's but with dedication and constant practice, you will pull through.

CERTIFICATION

Finally, certification is very important for you to become an Information Technology Professional. Certification is just a test to prove your competence in your area of study. Different vendors of information technology devices and applications have different certification examinations you need to pass to prove that you can manage that device or application. Examples of these vendors are; Microsoft, Cisco, Linux, Huawei, HP, Oracle, etc. When you pass any of the examination, a certificate will be issued to you certifying that you have acquired the necessary skills to manage that device or application. One good thing about the certificate is that they are worldwide acceptable.

CONCLUSION

You may not be a science graduate to become an Information Technology Professional. However, a graduate of computer science may find it easier to understand some topics that involve calculations (example binary conversions and IP Addressing) in the early stage of the training. Also, you will continue to develop yourself with the emerging technologies to remain relevant in the industry. 

The choice is yours. Good luck.