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How to Successfully Kick-start your Career in IT Tech

By Vahid Haghzare, Director Silicon Valley Associates Recruitment &
Armae Garcia, Marketing Associate, Silicon Valley Associates Recruitment

One of the top IT Recruitment Agencies in Shenzhen, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Dubai, Japan, and Singapore, SVA Recruitment is an IT and employment agency that provides jobs, executive search, and recruitment services.

Starting a career in the IT Tech industry can be difficult and can often present you with unexpected challenges. There are many ways how you can successfully overcome them. In this article, IT Recruitment Agency Silicon Valley Associates will tackle 4 problems and their solutions, no matter whether you happen to be based in Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Shanghai, Singapore, Japan, or Dubai.

Technology is progressively becoming a significant part of our daily lives; may it be in health care, sales, architecture, and others. Even IT Recruitment agency is becoming more reliant on technology. This just proves that the tech industry is thriving and a worthy career path.

For many people, a desire to transition to a career in technology exists but they experience roadblocks along the way.

This year, our Tech Recruiters, SVA Recruitment have listed some of the challenges and how you can successfully overcome them

1. Problem: Lack of tech-related degree

Many job seekers feel unprepared to handle a tech role without a relevant degree. In spite of the fact that a technical degree can be very convenient, there are other ways to enter the technology field. Did you know 26 percent of IT professionals reportedly do not have a college degree, and even more employees do not have a degree in a tech-related field?

While hiring managers often look at your degree when considering you for a job in many careers, IT recruiters like those here at SVA Recruitment Agency are more interested in your ability to get the job done than your diploma when hiring for tech jobs. Your technical CV should include both the degrees you have earned and other relevant information about your skills and experience- a reason why you must focus on obtaining skills and experience instead of worrying on the tech degree that you don’t have.

Solution:
• Try to acquire other relevant IT certifications
Research valuable courses that are related to your field. Online courses are gaining popularity among professionals in the field of technology. Certification offered by accredited online sources can help you compensate for a lack of relevant academic credentials. There are many opportunities for people to pick up the skills and certifications they need to transition to tech. Coursera, edX, Codeacademy, MIT OpenCourseware, LinkedIn Learning, and Khan Academy are some of the most popular ones.

• Gather experiences
Recruiters may overlook a lack of academic degrees, but they will not ignore the lack of practical industry experience. Software developers are expected to have experience with coding in the industry. After gaining the skills needed for a particular professional field, you will need to obtain experience in the field before you can become competitive. Volunteering to work on open-source projects, working as a freelancer, or taking up other volunteer tech roles can all help you pick up the industry-relevant experience you need to land your next job.

• Reach out to relevant groups
The tech industry is a network of contacts and connections. It is essential to be a part of online and offline networks relevant to the tech world once you are ready to enter that field. On social media sites such as Reddit, Quora, and LinkedIn, you can find tech communities for the field to which you aspire. The right connections can be valuable when seeking a job in tech. It is true that academic degrees are an important factor in career progression, particularly when it comes to climbing the corporate ladder. Although this is generally true, it may occasionally prevent you from being considered for a position in which you are deeply interested. For those who lack a certain technical degree, a transition can be difficult to make.

2. Problem: Expensive Tech Courses

Although costs of specialized certifications may appear high, they are significantly less than the price of some academic degrees. For example, the CCIE Routing and Switching certification is a coveted acknowledgment of advanced knowledge in the area of Cisco networking. This certification can be the difference in you landing a high-paying job in the field of network engineering.

Solution:
Those who are less financially secure need not despair. Most expensive technology courses are always accompanied by lower-cost or free alternatives. Keep in mind, an expensive software training course is not required to be considered a professional. With the rapid development in technology, there are various online certificate programs available, which can lead to lucrative jobs.

There are many affordable (and free) online courses for learning Oracle and CISCO. You'll find thousands of other high-quality but affordable courses on web development, app development, graphic design, and several other tech niches. There are many learning platforms to choose from, including edX, Udemy, LinkedIn Learning, and others.

It is possible to transition into a tech job without expensive and complicated training courses. Just start learning.

3. Problem: Age is not just a number

Like most other industries, there is a stereotype that tech is for younger professionals. But just as in many other industries (even public service jobs), ageism is, unfortunately, an issue. You may find it more difficult to pursue a career in new technology if you are older than 40. Some hiring managers may favor younger candidates over older ones, regardless of the candidates' qualifications. But just as technology is not for anyone gender, it also isn't solely for any age group. It is possible to succeed in your tech endeavor despite ageism.

Solution:
• Use your skills & knowledge most especially your experience as an advantage
While younger applicants may be perceived to have more energy, older applicants are often viewed as having an advantage in terms of experience. Hiring managers are interested in transferable skills, even for positions that require a different set of experiences than your previous job. Even so, if you change careers with relevant industry sectors, such as health science to software building for healthcare companies, your work experience and skills can help you overcome age discrimination. When applying for jobs with tech companies, it might be beneficial to focus on skills you already have, regardless of how old you are.

• Choose tech niches that are easy to learn
There are reports from various Labor departments globally that a significant number of people between the ages of 45 and 65 were employed in tech-related fields in 2021. This trend is expected to continue. It might not be wise to target niche markets that require an abrupt learning process and are already limited by age. Taking up a career field such as artificial intelligence or machine learning might take additional time investment than if you took up a more niche technical field such as web development. Choose your career path wisely. People of any age can make a successful transition.

4. Problem: No clear head start

Technology is such a vast field, with so many sub-sectors and specialties, that it can be difficult to decide where to start. If you are trying to determine which niche of the tech industry to enter, keep in mind that there are two important points to consider:

Solution:
• Do your research
For people who don't have a strong interest in any particular field, researching career opportunities in technology can be a challenge. If you are in the health sector, pursuing a career in health technology might be a good fit. Or if you are interested in agriculture or entertainment but also technology, review similar opportunities in tech that interest you.
Following programs that teach relevant skills will help you transfer existing abilities to a new career. One popular choice is Techskills.org's free career assessment tool, which presents you with three paths and allows you to choose the one that best suits your interests and abilities. If you have a list of options, examine those options in relation to your second point.

• Determine a clear goal
How do you hope to use your technology skills? Do you need a side hustle to support your main income source? Do you need a full-time job that offers stability? It is important to reflect on your career goals. What do you hope to achieve in tech? How much money do you want to make? Are you okay with a less stable job, or do you need one that offers financial security?

• If not now, when?
Transitioning to a tech job is challenging due to the lack of experience many people have with the tech industry. If you are passionate about technology and are willing to work hard, a career in the tech industry can be immensely rewarding.
Thus, if you are thinking of making a career transition, now is an excellent time to do so.