I was given the opportunity to speak at West London Coders, a meetup group for enthusiastic developers, about starting a career in the IT industry. Since the subject matter is of interest to quite a few people, I thought I’d follow it up with a post to summarise some of the key points that I made during the talk. The full talk is available on YouTube below.
So, if you’re interested in starting a career in the IT industry, where do you start? Here are some key points to help you along the way:
1. The Role
It’s pretty astounding how many roles have crept up in the past few years. We have a huge variety – Front End Developer, Back End Developer, DevOps Engineer, Build Engineer, Database Developer or Administrator, System Administrator, UI/UX Developer, etc.
You probably want to have a think about what role suits you, based on what you enjoy and what you can see yourself doing in the future. Of course, there’s also nothing stopping you from starting in one role and then transitioning into another. For example, a lot of developers have often taken the route of beginning their careers in Back End Development before moving into Front End Development.
2. The Industry & Company
Technology is used in a large variety of industries. Sometimes, you may not be too bothered as to what industry you work in, so long as you’re utilising a particular technology – and that’s fine too. But sometimes you may actually be interested in the industry as it means you can try and solve particular business problems, and this can be really engaging in itself.
With so many companies having vacancies for technical roles, you want to narrow down a suitable company for yourself. This is where factors such as location, amenities, facilities, environment, culture, perks, etc. all come into play. Have a think about what’s important to you in a company and try to find a company that matches that.
3. DSPBA: Do Some Prep Before Applying
Don’t just jump in and apply, do some preparation work beforehand! Structure your CV well and ensure there are no time gaps. If there have been periods of time where you haven’t been working, then definitely explain them. Do your homework and find out about the company that you’re applying to, as well as any other details you can about the role itself.
Part of preparing is also mentally preparing yourself for the interview process. One of the best ways I’ve found is to be very clear about your own strengths and weaknesses. You can therefore play to your strengths and be honest about where you can improve. This shows good self awareness.
4. Build Your Portfolio
If you’re passionate about something, then make it known. Keep your GitHub and LinkedIn accounts updated. If you work on side projects, then be sure to shout about them. You’re building up your own portfolio here and it’s definitely worth showing it off.
This is a great way of showing off stuff you’ve built as well as giving your opinions on technologies. You can use your experience from these side projects to answer interview questions.
5. Apply
My one tip I have for when you do apply is to just be open and honest. It’s very easy for an interviewer, who has typically sat in on hundreds of interviews, to tell when a candidate is blagging or waffling on. It’s always appreciated when you’re able to honest about yourself to others.
I hope you found the above tips useful. Many thanks to Steve Brewer and Jerome Clarke for organising the meetup and having me. You can attend the West London Coders meetup every fortnight on Saturday in the YNAP offices over at Westfield, Shepherd’s Bush. Please RSVP if you wish to attend here: https://www.meetup.com/West-London-Coders/.