Starting a career in Software or IT (Information Technology) Industry (PART II)

Dear Friends,

Thanks for the enthusiastic response. So what is the guess..???

For those who thought of “attitude” and “being” of the person who is applying have got the right answer. The second thing is the perception of going in to “Programming” field. Well for all my programmers’ friends or those who have got strong programming skills and mindset, I would like to tell that I am not against programming. I myself started my career as a Java Programmer and produced extraordinary results. My only idea of writing this article is to educate those who need a start or those who are struggling in getting a job such that people get a fair understanding of what is available in the Software/IT Industry and which field they should take in which they are passionate and have the potential to produce breakthrough results.

To take forward the perception of Programming, we think that this is the only respectable job in Software/IT industry. Even when we meet in a social gathering and come across a friend, we generally ask a question “Which language you are working into?” By making this perception and assumption, we ignore many other valuable job functions in Software/IT industry in the absence of which the probability of getting an interview call becomes very low. Here are a few important job functions (other than programming/coding)

• Software Quality Assurance
• Software Testing
• System/Network Administration
• Server Administration
• Online Marketing
• Web Master
• Web Designer
• Flash Developers

The above mentioned job functions have a very strong potential and huge growth opportunities. The salary packages are also decent and sometimes higher than their programmer counterpart.

Now after choosing the right direction to go ahead, we should have strong skills and competencies. Having globally recognized certificates like CSQA (Certified Software Quality Analyst), CSTE (Certified Software Test Engineer), MCSE (Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer), CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Associates), RHCE (Red Hat Certified Engineer), CIW (Certified Internet Web Professional), MMCPs(Macromedia Certified Professionals) etc, greatly enhance our chances of being short listed and filtered out. If we have strong programming skills and have demonstrated that in some of our projects, then having certifications like SCJP (Sun Certified Java Programmer), SCWCD (Sun Certified Web Component Developer), MCSD (Microsoft Certified Solutions Developer), IBM XML Developer, IBM UML and many others will definitely add value to our portfolio. The process of preparing for the certification and getting certified itself, adds a lot of value to our career.

I hope I have communicated my message. In my next articles, I would write about the way to prepare and achieve for some of the prestigious, respected and worldwide recognized certifications. I got SCJP1.2 in Jan’01 and CSQA in June’04. I would also share how I prepared for these certifications exams.

Looking forward for the comments/suggestions/feedbacks.

-Vikas Kaushik
TechAhead Software