Shifting to IT Industry, how?

[AurorKingsley]

Hi,

I'm an expat and was thinking of moving to IT. I'm currently in non-IT sales. I have a background in telecom and sales mostly around the customer experience management. Also have some background in process improvement. I have a pretty generic degree in Business.

And seems like I'm currently having a career crisis, I'm thinking of taking up MBA here in Singapore OR getting some IT certifications so I can enter the infamous world of IT.

Now, my question is, given that I have 0 (zero) experience in any IT-related field, will a certification like ITIL, PM, data/business analytics, big data, social analytics, cyber security etc give me a "sure ticket" to land a job in the IT industry?

If yes, what's the best certification that is worth paying for to take?


Also, since I have a background process improvement, can I also just take a Six Sigma or Change Management certification?


Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated most esp those who are from the IT and/or Business Process Improvement field.


Cheers!

[sundaymorningstaple]

If you are talking about landing it in Singapore, unless you are a Singaporean Citizen or PR you can forget it as unless you have at least two or three years of relevant experience to go alone with the certification you are not likely to gain an Employment Pass from the MOM as they have plently of 'freshers' of their own looking for work. A foreign fresher isn't bringing anything to the negotiating table at all in the eyes of the MOM, regardless of what the potential Employer thinks. Sadly, the haydays of Singapore are over.

[Strong Eagle]

What is "IT"? It is a pronoun and these days, saying, "I'm in IT" is almost meaningless because of the depth and breadth of jobs in "Information Technology.

When you say you're "thinking of moving to IT", what is it that is conjured up in your mind? Are you thinking about being a software developer? And if it's software are you thinking of web programming, embedded programming, SAP programming, database development, OS development, or maybe just good ole business programming? And within the world of software development, whatever it is, do you want to be a systems/program designer? A coder? A Q&A tester? A team manager?

Or maybe you think hardware is your bag. What would you like to do with hardware? Design chips and circuits and devices? Or put devices together to form networks, data centers, cloud processing, or some of the other hardware bits and pieces that form that hardware ecosystem in which we operate.

Or, maybe you want to be in IT services. Do you want to be a project manager rolling out new software projects? Or new hardware infrastructure projects like a PC refresh or move to cloud computing? Do you want to be a managed services type? Into the "guts" hardware repairs? Be part of a call center that supports software and infrastructure for a company? Manage that call center? Would you like to be the project manager responsible for introducing managed services into a company? Call centers, onsite, training, knowledge bases tier 2 support?

Or maybe with your sales experience you want to sell something in IT. Selling support software into a MNC? Selling manged services to same? Selling infrastructure and architecture to save the company money? Or maybe you want to be on the murky boundary between sales and tech support... the account executive... P&L authority, responsibility to solve technical problems, keep the client happy?

Or maybe you want to look at IT from the application perspective. Do you like the idea of advancing medical technology, from better reporting to more computer driven instrumentation? So you get excited by mobile devices and cloud computing? Would you be happy working in a large MNC where you are cog in the technology wheel... but some of the most sophisticated technology available? Or would you want to work for a smaller firm and be the jack of all trades for servers, networks, software, security.

I got into computers dogs years ago when I got tired of pumping gas and building houses for a living. I found a computer operator trainee position... third shift. I became a programmer, then a programming manager, all on large scale IBM mainframe equipment... because that's all there was.

Then I started my own business and became an expert in geographic information systems, accounting systems, seismic processing and more. Then I decided to get into infrastructure project management and I did that in Asia for eight years. I could make the transition because I had decades of broad based information technology experience, management experience, and people experience. If it sounds like I kind of floated down the IT river, letting it take me wherever it was going, that's probably right.

The world of IT is far more granular these days. The complexity means it's nearly impossible to be master of the whole field. And within virtually any granular aspect of the IT business, technology and approaches are rapidly advancing. What was a useful skill three years ago has been supplanted with the latest and greatest.

So... back to your original question of "moving to IT"... it's not really IT, it's what you want to do. IT, of some sort, pervades every aspect of our business and personal lives. Internet access is becoming as important as the connection to electricity and water. You wouldn't say that you want to be in "electricity" or in "water"... unless you actually want to generate and deliver electricity or water... but you might have a passion for something related to either... solar power, water reclamation... water delivery to poor people.

Bottom line: What did you say you wanted to do?

[Strong Eagle]

And to respond to your questions about certifications. They are good for two things.

a) You actually get some knowledge and/or a framework for that knowledge that broadens your perspective and makes you a more effective problem solver.

b) It gets you past those stinking corporate resume and job application systems that require certifications to even apply.

But in terms of applying for a job in which you will be an apprentice? Maybe a little bit of good but not much. Far better to parlay what you already know about business, industry, and people and turn that into a job where you can apply IT to both learn and help the company.