Are you thinking of starting a career in IT? Well, you should. Considering Statista estimates, the IT sector would show a 7.1% annual growth rate for revenue till 2027 at least. Or maybe you are already employed as an IT worker and want to know how you can get an edge over your coworkers.
There are some qualities directly related to the field of IT that you should have to be a successful IT professional. Like constantly updating your knowledge of different tools that aid your work, for example. But it doesn’t stop there. IT is not sitting in a room all alone, spending time on a computer. IT is just as much about people and business as it is about technology.
As an IT professional, you will most likely spend a lot of time working with people who don’t speak computer as well as you do. Therefore, there are certain non-technical ‘people skills’ that you need to master to do your job well.
Here is a list of things you can work on before starting a career in IT:
Develop Good Communication Skills
Being in IT can be a bit isolating. After all, you have a very specific set of skills that very few people outside your field understand. You will have to spend a lot of time explaining things that you would consider very basic to your coworkers who don’t understand computers nearly as well as you do. But that is part of the job. You can’t get angry about it. Something that can help you is being a good communicator.
But what does it mean to be a good communicator? It’s not just speaking. It’s also listening and understanding other people’s points of view and problems. If you get angry every time someone bothers you with a simple problem, they will sense it and be hesitant to share the necessary piece of information with you.
That will inevitably make your job more difficult as you will miss the common cause behind it and spend time chasing surface-level problems to no avail.
Something you can start doing is just be friendlier with people in general. Wave them hello as they pass you in the hallway and make casual conversation from time to time. This will make your job easier as people will communicate more openly with you, and at the same time, it will help you network.
Salesforce notes that 75% of employees in the US prefer to communicate with a colleague as they would with a friend. Therefore, never underestimate the power of a friendly conversation.
Be Creative With Your Problem Solving
Contrary to what outsiders believe, working in IT doesn’t mean solving technological challenges. It means solving business challenges using technology. This is an important distinction to make because often, the challenges you face will not be technological challenges at all. They will be business challenges. And you might be able to solve the problem much more easily if you keep an open mind.
To pick a very simple example, suppose your non-IT colleague asks for your help because their network is glitching, and he is unable to access some information that he needs.
Now, it might take you a long time to solve the issue with the network. But if you find out that what they need is stored in a local server, then you can figure out a way to transfer the data directly to his device through some other means and solve the problem much faster.
Try to get to the root of the problem, look for emerging patterns, and then approach it as a problem solver, not as an IT technician. This will make your job much easier.
Learn To Play With Others
You can’t be a lone wolf forever. As an IT professional, you will often need to work in tandem with others, be they from your department or some other. If you are not a team player, you will fail in this key role and negatively affect your career progression.
Not everyone finds it easy to work with other people. But there are some key rules you can follow to help you with it.
- Be respectful of others’ opinions. Even if you feel it is stupid, be respectful when you point that out (i.e., don’t call it stupid). Keep in mind that everyone is trying their best, and it is much more productive to give everyone’s ideas a fair chance.
- When you feel the need to speak up or make a suggestion, do so. But again, be respectful. Don’t talk over somebody. Let them finish their thought, then give your input.
- Remember that this is simply a working relationship. You don’t have to like everyone you work with, but you have to be courteous. Don’t stick to your pride and or try to be a people pleaser. If your respect others, others will respect you too.
According to Zippia, employees who collaborate at work are 50% more effective at completing tasks than those who work independently. Therefore, remember that in the end, you’ll be helping yourself.
Learn To Manage Your Stress
The American Institute of Stress reports that 62% of employees in North America have high levels of stress. IT professionals are often overworked. You will be under a lot of stress during your job, so you need to learn how you can manage it.
Stress management techniques are different for everyone, but here are some common ones you can try:
- Avoid taking work calls/emails if possible. No matter how stressful it gets at work, make time for yourself to lay back and enjoy life. You will find it much easier to deal with the stress when it comes up.
- Exercise regularly (at least three times per week) to keep yourself physically fit and in good spirits. Exercise doesn’t only help you physically. It also helps with stress, anxiety, depression, and other such mental health issues. Start exercising, and you will see noticeable benefits in the long run.
- Try meditation or yoga. These practices have been shown time after time again as effective methods for reducing stress and anxiety. You can also learn some simple breathing exercises for when you get stressed. Drawing long, deep breaths, as opposed to short and shallow ones, tells your brain that there is nothing wrong, and it rolls back the flight or fight state your body goes into during heightened stress.
In the end, you can see that there are a lot of non-IT qualities that IT professionals need to pick up to give their careers a boost. Mastering these qualities will make you a pleasure to work with and will set you apart from the crowd.
