How to Get Into IT With no Experience or Degree

According to forecasts posted by CompTIA, the Global IT industry is expected to grow by 3.7% by the end of 2020. At the same time, the USA is the largest tech market, and its growth is projected to 546,000+ new positions by the end of 2028. The tech industry is desirable due to its substantial compensation and the ability to build a successful career, but these features make it highly competitive. So it can be a real challenge to get a job in the Information Technologies sector without experience, but nothing is impossible. In this article, we'll talk about how to get into the IT field with no experience and share tips that will help you quickly find a job.

Educate yourself

If your goal is to get a tech job with no experience, consider completing online courses and certification programs. It can take at least four years to obtain a bachelor's degree in Computer Science or a relevant field, while additional courses can be completed in just a few months. Of course, this is not the same as a college diploma, but such certificates will significantly raise your ranking among the other candidates.

There are several ways to improve your qualifications: it can be self-education or learning by specially designed programs. In any case, in the end, you must pass an exam confirming your knowledge.

Current conditions allow you to get new skills and knowledge directly from the comfort of your home. So online courses are a quick way to start an IT career. There are various web portals and even entire online schools that offer remote learning. The most popular are:

• Udemy. This platform has more than 24 million students and tens of thousands of courses in various fields. Here you can find IT programs for software development, graphic design, online content creation, etc.
• Coursera. It is a Stanford faculty-led project that has over 4,300 courses, including free and paid programs.
• Linux Academy. You can get such knowledge as set up & work with AWS, Google Cloud, Azure, and prepare for an interview and career path. The website offers free access to basic courses and a paid subscription to advanced programs.
• Alison. It is a user-friendly and reliable platform that offers over 1,500 free courses and specializations developed by internationally renowned universities and organizations.
• Treehouse. This web portal contains 300+ courses related to only the IT industry. Treehouse offers services for people of all levels and skills.

You can also search for IT schools in your area. Another significant advantage of obtaining certificates is that many providers offer employment to the best students. Ask your vendor if they can help you get an entry-level IT job with no experience.

Prepare Resume and Cover Letter

Want to know how to get a job in information technology with no experience? Start by building a brilliant resume and cover letter. Both documents are essential to demonstrate your competitive advantage. But let's start from the beginning.

A resume is an official document that describes the skills and experience of a candidate, education, professional activities. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the strengths of the applicant. For any job-hunt, a resume is a must, even for candidates with zero experience. This document should be structured to help recruiters quickly understand the important messages about the candidate. Also, the resume should be short and contain only the information that is relevant to the applicable position. A good job hunter must send a cover letter as well.

A cover letter provides additional information about your skills and background. Its purpose is to tell HR why you are an excellent candidate for this position and describe that you fully meet the employer's requirements. Besides, a cover letter is a significant advantage for beginners, as it helps to reveal their strengths better and, accordingly, increases the chances of getting a job. A well-written cover letter can considerably improve the chances of a less qualified candidate being hired compared to a competitor with a better background but with no CL.

Another detail that will help you to impress a recruiter is the demonstration of knowledge about the company. Do some research to find out some facts about a potential employer and include them in your document. It will show several vital points, starting with your responsible approach to job hunting. It will also show your interest in a particular company and your creativity. Rest assured, it will be much more pleasant for the recruiter to receive a personalized document than to read the standard text. So we can make an essential conclusion that a cover letter is not only a way to provide more information about yourself, but also an opportunity to get recognition from a potential employer.

Focus on Soft Skills

Hard skills are essential for moving up the career ladder. But most employers point out that soft skills are just as necessary. A candidate with excellent soft skills but limited experience if often preferred to candidates with better qualifications but no soft skills. Let's deal with this in more detail.

Soft skills are different abilities of a person to interact with other people; these are capacities that allow you to negotiate well with colleagues, clients, and generally improve interaction. It is what you can focus on in your cover letter when starting a junior career.

You must possess the following abilities if you are interested in how to start a career in IT with no experience:

1. Forbes considers creativity one of the soft skills most desired in 2020. Creativity is thinking outside the box, and it allows you to solve problems in non-standard ways. Even if you have never faced a similar situation, creativity will help bring a fresh perspective to the project and generate exciting ideas to achieve goals.
2. Any IT role is directly related to communication. Every day you will receive emails, interact with the project team, report to management, and so on. The right candidate must have excellent oral and written communication skills. High-quality communications significantly save time on task delivery.
3. Employers value flexibility and the ability to adapt to the situation. In the tech industry, you will often encounter unexpected variations in plans, new technical problems, or changes in task deadlines. The right candidate must quickly reorient themselves and find a creative way out of the circumstances.
4. Even if you are applying for an internship and not looking for a management position, your employer will expect leadership skills. As a technician, you will interact with the team and customers. It is important to delegate your tasks and qualitatively manage interaction with clients to achieve project goals effectively.
5. In carrying out your duties, you are sure to come across additional requirements. With many associated tasks, the right candidate must set priorities correctly to achieve the goals within the deadlines. The ability to prioritize is another essential soft skill that most employers expect.

Build the First Portfolio

Are you wondering how to get into the IT field with no experience? Build your first portfolio. It is another advantage of online courses, as they allow developing student projects. With this experience and a description of soft skills, you increase the likelihood of getting the desired job.

Internship

An internship is one of the surest ways to get into IT with no experience. You can find potential employers among your academy graduates, at annual job fairs, or asking your local councilor.

Freelance

Freelance is the fastest way for those who do not have an IT education, but who have completed courses or self-study. There are many web portals where you can complete simple tasks for clients around the world. Check Upwork, Freelancer, Guru to get your first projects.

Volunteer

Another step you can take to build a good portfolio is volunteering. Offer technical services to small firms, government agencies, friends, and anyone else interested. Due to this convenient cooperation, you will quickly gain experience and get a job even without a bachelor's degree.

Build Networking

Did you know that most job offers are never posted? So to start and further advance your career, it is crucial to expand your network. Connect with alumni of your college or online academy, contact friends or family members who work in IT, and keep in touch with teachers. Never burn bridges; you must expand and strengthen your connections. Take care to build a quality profile on Linkedin. It is the most popular online network that connects employers, recruiters, and employees around the world.

Top-10 IT Positions

Below you will find a list of the professions that you can get as a graduate or being a person without a technical background at all, but having experience in other areas.

1. Software Engineer Intern

It is a good option for graduates. The position of Software Engineer Intern involves software development, checking security vulnerabilities, debugging, etc. A suitable candidate must be proactive and fully engaged in the process. Holding this job, you can expect to make about $22/hr.

2. Web Developer

Web Developers build online sites and applications of any complexity. It is a promising position. The best way to start this journey is to gain knowledge in one of the popular programming languages like Python, Java, PHP, etc. The average benefit that a junior web developer can get is $45,000 annually.

3. QA Analyst

In this position, the specialist must ensure the high quality of the product. The QA Analyst is the person who checks the product for compliance with the stated requirements. You do not need programming knowledge to get this job (however, it can be an advantage for moving up the career ladder in the future), but you need to understand various techniques and methods of software testing. The average salary is about $46,000 per year.

Still don’t have a brilliant self-presentation? Build a top-notch cover letter and get into IT.
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4. Graphic Designer

A Graphic Designer creates layouts and templates for applications, web portals, websites, and so on. It includes building a user-friendly interface, customized images, buttons, fonts, etc. The goal of such a specialist is to make the product beautiful and attractive. The primary skill for a graphic designer is creativity. A trainee can expect to earn about $40,000 per year.

5. Data Analyst

When looking for ways of how to get started in IT, consider Data Analyst. Many IT companies are looking for candidates who can conduct project life cycle analysis, identify and interpret trends in a dataset, analyze performance, develop reporting standards, and so on. All these tasks are important for making strategic decisions on the development of the project and the company. Junior data analysts can make about $57,000 per year.

6. Technical Writer

The goal of a Technical Writer is to create requirements for projects, maintain technical documentation, create technical manuals, and so on. This profession needs excellent attention to detail, prioritization, and multitasking skills. At the beginning of your career, you can make about $56,000 annually.

7. Content Manager

The Content Manager is responsible for creating quality content for the website that contributes to achieving business goals. The necessary background for this position is creativity, strong writing skills, and the ability to work on tight deadlines. Holding this position with no experience, you can get about $43,000 per year.

8. Digital Marketing Manager

Digital Marketing Manager plans SEO campaigns, social media advertising, and operate with modern marketing tools. Their goal is to increase online customer flow and increase brand awareness. To become a digital marketing manager, you must know various online technologies and tools for promoting and demonstrating powerful creativity. They make about $50,000 a year on an entry-level position.

9. Project Manager

Project Manager is the one who controls the team, sets priorities, communicates with the customer, and is responsible for ensuring completion of tasks on time. It is difficult to get this position without experience. However, to occupy this job, you do not need to have a technical background, it will be enough to possess management experience in other areas. A junior project manager can earn approximately $70,000 per year.

10. Product Manager

Product Manager is responsible for the development and promotion of products, marketing research, the formation of specification, pricing, release schedules, etc. It is a prevalent position in the IT industry. Like a project manager, this job requires a specific background. You may have no IT experience, but it would be good to possess any sales background. A product manager is a good-paying job, and a junior product manager can expect to get $73,000 annually.

Conclusion

For any candidate who is looking for a way of how to get into the tech industry with no experience, it’s necessary to demonstrate their strengths and advantages. Many employers are more disposed to hire candidates with strong communication, interaction, and creativity skills, even if they have no technical background. An excellent self-presentation will undoubtedly help you to defeat your competitors and occupy a desired position.