“The Information Technology industry as we know it today is a rapidly evolving and quick shifting field with so many opportunities at all levels for future IT employees. With the growing need for well qualified and experienced IT professionals, prospective students should, before they make any hasty career decisions, first acquaint themselves with some of the current facts, trends and insights relevant to this vast industry,” says Natalie Rabson, Marketing Manager at Boston City Campus & Business College.
Technology advances are snowballing. A greater number of organisations utilise smart technology for various daily functions from switchboards to marketing, operations, logistics and finance. And so the need for well qualified and experienced IT professionals makes the IT industry a hugely popular career option for school leavers.
“Since the dot-com boom, hot-to-trot IT graduates and prospective students have been coming out of the woodwork, but most of them are not always aware of the challenges that lie ahead – challenges endemic to the kind of business world they’ve decided to enter,” adds Rabson.
For one, IT is always changing, with new technologies, new systems and new standards coming into play. One will therefore need to constantly stay ahead of one’s learning curve and at all times remain passionate, creative, and tech-savvy alert.
According to Pieter van Rensburg, a Senior IT Engineer & Solutions Architect at BAC-IT Solutions, “The best advice one can give prospective or current IT students is to take what you learn and learn it well, but bear in mind that due to the nature of the industry you have to be prepared to do scores of research and problem solving (much of which will probably happen in your spare time). As the IT industry changes, we need to change with it to stay competitive in this gigantic and merciless market. If IT really is your calling then never become stagnant, never become complacent, and never stop learning”.
Van Rensburg adds that this shouldn’t discourage you because IT makes for such an interesting, albeit challenging long-term career that can be tweaked in varying directions and ultimately be very satisfying and fulfilling.
Currently in South Africa’s IT industry there is a definite skew towards the theoretical, creative and analytical side of things. Van Rensburg says “A few years ago there was a huge demand for skillsets in the hardware and networking side, but this has had a gradual decline over the last few years, and has opened up sectors such as creative design and programming or for systems engineers and analysts to grow exponentially.”
Prospective students should be aware that there’s also been a huge shift in the industry towards Cloud-based infrastructures and 'BYOD (bring your own device), due to the rapidly growing mobile market. “A graduate studying towards specialising in these fields will find a much easier entry into the marketplace,” says van Rensburg.
One question many students ask is the potential for starting one’s own business or rather opting to work for a company. Yet, and as with all industries, in order for a graduate to successfully start his/her own venture he has to bring a specialised skill set or just something new and needed to the industry.
“Currently all major centres in South Africa are over saturated with companies offering the same facilities. As a result many companies attempt to exploit a niche in the market, then concentrate on it and exploit it. When these smaller companies get noticed they tend to be bought by bigger conglomerates”, adds van Rensburg. So, ultimately it all depends on your unique product and the amount of capital and hard work you’re willing to invest, in order to turn your venture into more than just a small business.
On the bright side, a career in IT does pay. Whilst technical graduates with little to no experience can expect salaries ranging from R9 000 to R12 000, according to the latest Career Junction IT salary survey, systems and network administrator salaries can range from R20 000 to R30 000 and a technical and business architecture specialist’s salary can range from R30 000 to R50 000.
To find out more about the computer courses on offer at Boston, visit www.boston.co.za, Like us on Facebook, or call us on 011 551 2000.
Students that apply for admission at Boston City Campus & Business College will get a response to their applications within two working days. And those that apply long in advance for their 2016 studie…
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