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.