Computers and smartphones are so common that almost everyone has one at home. Perhaps you are reading this article on one right now because you are looking for an idea for yourself or want to reinvent yourself. Great! The IT industry needs specialists and is very receptive. Find out what qualities and skills employers are looking for.
What Qualities Should An IT Specialist Have?
The IT industry offers many avenues of development. Programmer jobs are in high demand, but they are not the only jobs you can do. Companies also need testers, who verify software or create automation programmes. The world also needs UX designers, i.e. people who create usable and user-friendly websites and applications.
Fun Fact
Figures from the Ministry of Digitalisation show that there is a shortage of around 50,000 programmers in Poland.
The multitude of jobs you can take in the IT industry is very large. This makes it relatively easy to find a job that suits you best. At the same time, this means that different competences are needed for different specialisations. However, there is no shortage of those that all IT employees should have, as you will read about below.
Willingness To Learn Systematically
The IT industry is very dynamic, with new developments emerging every day. Professionals need to constantly update their knowledge and use it in their daily work. You can do this by following your favourite IT portals, taking part in training courses and making use of various types of courses.
Systematic learning is important in IT
A good way to gain a solid foundation is to study. Not only do you gain knowledge, but you also have the chance to exchange experiences with other students, practitioners and lecturers. A university or polytechnic is a good place to meet new people with similar interests. It’s also a chance to find a potential employer. Want to develop as an IT specialist? Start with your studies
Simplifying Complicated Things
Some industry professionals joke that the best employee is a lazy employee. Such a person is inquisitive and looks for the simplest solution to a problem. There is no point in producing surplus ‘material’ where it is unnecessary or may even hinder you or others.
Fun Fact
In an interview Bill Gates said:“I will always choose the lazy person to do the hard work, because the lazy person will find an easy way to do it”.
Often, employees go for the simplest solutions because they don’t like completing a particular range of tasks. After all, you can like and even love what you do, but you don’t have to love every part of the process. Demonstrating creativity and efficiency in problem solving is a valuable asset in IT.
Team-Play In IT
IT professionals are team players. Even if you are working alone on a piece of code, testing a page or coding it, there are people next to you who will be ‘moulding’ this material in other ways. This could be additional graphic processing or selling the finished product. This requires good communication and understanding of the needs of people at different stages of the process.
IT = team-play
Larger projects are carried out by large teams of specialists. Each has a range of tasks to complete. Individual elements may not be of any value to the client. However, when they are combined, the result is a game, app or programme that will put a smile on the users’ face.
This is why it is important for IT employees to be good team players, because this is the only way to get the job done
Nothing Motivates Like A Deadline
he deadline for a project is always a time full of turbulent emotions. This is when your whole mind is consumed with the task at hand, and the pressure of the looming deadline stimulates you to work hard. However, this is not always the case, and it certainly doesn’t have to be. However, it is important to be dutiful and on time.
There is a huge demand in the market for your services and, in fact, for the concrete results of your work. Delay in one place generates downtime in another, and this can lead to all sorts of turbulence. Whenever possible, try to ‘deliver’ tasks on time. Everyone involved in the process will appreciate this.
Self-Made Motivation
Wojciech “Sokol” Sosnowski, in a piece by Analogy I Was Sure , asks:“Think about when people are really strong, when they believe in themselves or when others believe in them?”. Even if you listen to genres of music other than rap, this question is worth thinking about.
Fun Fact
Steve Jobs once said :“There’s no point in hiring smart people and then pointing out what they need to do. We hire people to tell us what to do’.
In your day-to-day work in IT, you will need self-discipline and self-motivation. No one is going to stand over you with a stick and rush you. If this is what you need, then unfortunately you have chosen the wrong profession. In a situation where you want this kind of external support, rely on family or friends. This will give you the needed kick that will propel you into action.
Remember that motivation decreases over time. The trick is to maintain it systematically to stimulate yourself to action. Even £2,000 a week can, over time, cease to spur you on. What then? The best thing is to find a goal, not necessarily a financial one, that you want to achieve. Two months’ holiday after completing a major project sounds exceptionally good, doesn’t it? So it’s worth fighting for.
The Ability To Think Logically
IT employees are in many ways very creative. Often, abstract thinking allows them to create unique things that, for example, streamline a previously complex process.
However, the best ideas need to be able to be put together logically so that they can then be communicated in an understandable way. All so that your idea can be reflected in the digital world. Before this can happen, colleagues behind the keyboard need to grasp what you want to realise and how.
Logical thinking is a valuable trait in the IT industry
IT professionals work on useful solutions that solve user problems and make devices or programmes easier to use. While creativity is highly valued, it is good to learn how to translate it into solutions that you can input into your computer using a keyboard or mouse.
Interest In The Industry, Or Maybe Passion?
Commitment to your daily duties is a ‘must have’ in the IT industry. As an employee who starts up the computer every day thinking “I have to do this again”, you won’t get very far and you will find your duties a chore. It is important to find an occupation that you enjoy and that develops your interests.
In this way, you will overcome any setbacks and difficulties. The desire to improve yourself, supported by your interest in a particular subject or specialisation, will enable you to achieve your desired goals. If you lack this “something”, which some people call passion, you may find it difficult to survive in such a dynamic environment as the IT industry.
Another ‘Must Have’ – English Language
It is difficult to function in an environment where you cannot communicate freely with other people. If you don’t know how to name a phenomenon or thing, describe it in your own words (simplify, remember?). In this way, your message will be received and understood correctly, and this is crucial to the tasks at each stage of the project. Don’t worry, professional vocabulary will come with time.
A rich vocabulary facilitates communication and mutual understanding
Studying courses and subjects on the internet is a chance to improve certain areas and learn new phrases and expressions, typical of the IT industry. This will help you develop your vocabulary and make your communication even more casual, understandable and professional. Surrounding yourself with people who use industry jargon, for example in your IT-related degree course, will give you a great opportunity to improve your skills.
IT Manager
An IT manager is a combination of the above characteristics and management skills. In this case, communication is not just a form of information exchange. It is the ability to influence and motivate the team, as well as to solve problems efficiently. All of these are necessary to complete tasks within the agreed timeframe.
As an IT manager, you are also a back-up for other employees. This is about day-to-day responsibilities, as well as relationships with employees and your superiors. A consistent and consistently built one will be well received by your subordinates. This pile of complexities can be simplified to ‘being yourself’ whatever the circumstances.
Did you also immediately think it was about being yourself? That is, you also prefer a concise, crystallised message to lengthy poems. Great! This is a useful skill that you will use in your studies and work.
Desirable Qualities And Skills For Employees In The IT Industry
Being yourself and doing an activity you enjoy is the foundation of your success. You should add to this the academic knowledge and invaluable contacts that are easy to find at university – especially if you dream of working as an IT specialist.
Experience, which you already have to some extent, is also essential, but know that there will certainly be more to come. All these elements put together will make it possible for you to find an interesting and well-paid job where boredom is hard to come by.
Write your own story. Not sure where to start? Enrol in a degree course and we’ll take care of the formalities. Find out how easy it is.
