Work in IT enjoys prestige and popularity: it is interesting, well paid, you work at the forefront of high technology. Is it any wonder that this business is considered male, and the fair sex is not welcome here? That's what 90% of job seekers think and, oh my god, how wrong they are! Let's find out.
Myth #1. Without mathematics, it is impossible to break through to IT
There is a point of view that without mathematical skills in this industry there is nothing to do, and a diploma of a historian, philologist or sociologist will put an end to the successful consideration of your resume.
Practice is such that most specialists in the industry in principle are not directly friendly with mathematics, and those who still need it are content with the primary school program.
Pros who need all this algebraic, geometric and analytical wisdom, a little – just the fingers of a single hand. Such people construct the most complex models and algorithms, design engines for games and proposals, are engaged in system architecture and big data. As soon as you want to get into these ranks, a couple of years of intensive training in mathematical wisdom, out-of-the-box thinking - and you are hired.
Myth #2. Working in IT is very difficult
It is believed that the threshold of entry is very high, and the tasks solved in the course of work are critically complex, but this is not so: try to compare the work with numbers with concentrated picking in the womb of a living person, the construction of a multi-storey building or the legal intricacies of contracts for the international supply of goods?
Everywhere there are features, and the higher you climb the career ladder, the more difficult the task will be. IT specialists are constantly trained, mastering new technical solutions, approaches, design templates, and this is very good: with the growth of competencies, wages and attractiveness of your resume grow.
Myth #3. Good IT companies require an appropriate diploma
A number of companies in the industry prefer to deal with diploma holders of a specialized higher education institution, but their market share is small. Who needs a diploma? More important is the practice and ability to understand and be aware of new technological solutions. Fun fact: The university course becomes obsolete even before graduates find a place for themselves!
Employers who are smart understand this and will be more willing to hire a person familiar with the right technological branch than a graduate student.
Myth #4. You can get into IT only by acquaintance
In this area, by acquaintance and thanks to the shaggy paw, employment is relatively rare, because the price of a mistake is too great, and the real results of the work are more important than family ties and similar subjective factors.
First of all, an employee needs to issue a quality product in a timely manner, be able to develop and understand the trends of modern IT. Of course, job listings are regularly published on closed resources, and an employee who has brought a promising newcomer to the company can be encouraged. But here qualification is important and primary, and not informal ties.
Myth #5. In IT, the road is open only to young people
If you're in your early thirties, it's not easy to marry a prince alone. But you can easily find a job in the IT sector: networks are replete with stories about how a person, having worked in another industry for twenty to thirty years, changed the direction of application of forces and got a job in promising startups.
For an IT specialist, it is not the passport that is important, but the amount of knowledge. Personal experience, the desire to take by storm new heights, as well as non-core skills, such as communication skills. Plus, an older person differs from young people in the ability to live on schedule and pay attention to small details.
Myth #6. Girls are not welcome here
Declarations on gender equality and strict adherence to the Labour Code prohibiting discriminatory measures were not working fully: women were still vulnerable and succumbed to questions about family planning or the number of children.
In the IT segment, this problem is not so urgent. There are two reasons:
- work in general is rather project-based, and frequent movements between "sites" are commonplace and familiar.
- the ability to work remotely: this approach changes the world and the way of working in the office. In some corporations, an effective working day lasts a couple of hours, and the rest of the time is spent on hobbies, activities with family or offspring. Dozens of employers are ready to work in this format.
Myth #7. In IT, they burn out very quickly
A project with outdated code, constant bug reports and the monotony of tasks at one point begins to suck all the juices out of you, in return for giving premature fatigue, nerves and other signs of burnout.
But, unlike a lawyer, doctor or teacher, an IT specialist always has the opportunity to change jobs: if the lawyer's clients, appendixes or children are all the same, then it is not easy to find two even approximately similar IT projects.
Myth #8. Entering IT is a long and expensive process
Of course, a second higher education is not a cheap thing, and the time costs are significant: from two to five years, depending on the specialty.
There is only one positive point here: the HSE did not give up, and you can get a good profession in this area for free or for a very modest price. Some specializations in the industry have an extremely low threshold of entry: specialized skills and qualifications are not required, learn quickly, inexpensively. Take a tester as an example: you can become one on the courses in six months to a year.
