Getting a job in IT – A (quick) guide
So, You Want a Career in IT?
Working in IT can be incredibly rewarding. You get to solve problems, build things, help people and work with technology that can completely transform the way organisations operate.
But there’s something you need to understand before you start:
IT never stands still.
What you learn today may be completely different in a few years’ time.
If you’re prepared to keep learning, experimenting and adapting throughout your career, IT can be a fantastic industry to work in.
If you want to learn something once and then do exactly the same thing for the next 20 years, IT probably isn’t for you.
🧭 Where Do You Start?
One of the great things about IT is the enormous number of directions your career can take.
- IT Support / Helpdesk
- Desktop Support
- PC and Laptop Repair
- Networking and Infrastructure
- Server Administration
- Microsoft 365 Administration
- Cloud Computing
- Cyber Security
- Software Development
- DevOps and Automation
- Database Administration
- Virtualisation
- Backup and Disaster Recovery
You don’t necessarily need to decide immediately.
In fact, spending your first few years working across different technologies can give you an excellent foundation before you eventually specialise.
🎓 Do You Need Qualifications?
Qualifications and certifications can certainly help, particularly when you’re trying to get your first job or move into a specialist area.
There are respected certification paths from companies such as:
- Microsoft
- Cisco
- Amazon Web Services (AWS)
- CompTIA
- Fortinet
- Sophos
- VMware and other virtualisation vendors
But don’t fall into the trap of thinking that collecting certificates automatically makes somebody a good IT engineer.
Certification proves you’ve studied something. Experience proves you can use it.
The strongest combination is usually knowledge + certification + practical experience.
🧪 Build a Home Lab
This is one of the best pieces of advice I can give anyone wanting to work in IT:
Build it. Break it. Fix it. Break it again.
You don’t need thousands of pounds worth of equipment.
A reasonably capable computer can run several virtual machines using technologies such as Hyper-V, VirtualBox or other virtualisation platforms.
Build yourself a small network and start experimenting.
- Install Windows Server
- Build an Active Directory domain
- Create users and groups
- Configure DNS and DHCP
- Create file shares and experiment with permissions
- Install Linux
- Learn the Linux command line
- Build a web server
- Host a website
- Configure a firewall
- Experiment with virtual machines
- Configure backups
- Restore something you’ve deliberately broken
- Look through Windows Event Viewer and Linux logs
- Learn some PowerShell
- Learn basic scripting and automation
Don’t just follow a tutorial and then delete everything.
Change things. Experiment. Find out what happens.
What happens when you remove someone’s permissions from a folder?
What happens when DNS stops working?
What happens if a service doesn’t start?
What do the logs tell you?
Learning how to investigate a problem is far more valuable than simply memorising the answer.
🏫 Look for Opportunities to Get Experience
Your first IT job doesn’t necessarily need to be with a huge technology company.
Schools, colleges, charities, smaller businesses and IT support companies can all provide fantastic opportunities to gain experience.
In smaller environments you may find yourself doing a little bit of everything:
- Desktop support
- Wi-Fi troubleshooting
- Network cabling
- Server administration
- Microsoft 365
- Printers
- Audio visual equipment
- Backups
- Cyber security
- User support
It might not be glamorous, but the amount you can learn in that type of environment can be enormous.
And believe me, after you’ve spent two hours troubleshooting why one particular printer refuses to print, you’ll have developed both technical skills and patience. Mostly patience.
🔎 Learn How to Troubleshoot
A large part of working in IT isn’t knowing the answer.
It’s knowing how to find the answer.
Learn how to:
- Read error messages properly
- Search using the important parts of an error
- Read documentation
- Check logs
- Use vendor knowledge bases
- Test one change at a time
- Work logically through a problem
- Document what you’ve tried
And yes…
Learn how to Google.
These days you can add AI tools to that list too. They’re extremely useful for explaining errors, generating scripts and helping you understand unfamiliar technology.
But there’s an important rule:
Don’t blindly copy and paste commands you don’t understand.
Understand what a command does before running it — particularly when you’re working on somebody else’s production system!
📄 Get Your CV Right
Once you’ve developed some skills, make sure your CV actually tells employers about them.
Don’t just write:
Good knowledge of IT.
Tell them what you actually know.
- Microsoft 365
- Windows 10/11
- Windows Server
- Active Directory
- Microsoft Entra ID
- PowerShell
- Hyper-V
- Networking
- Firewalls
- Linux
- Backup and disaster recovery
Most importantly, tailor your CV to the role you’re applying for.
If an employer wants someone with firewall experience and you’ve worked with Sophos, Fortinet, WatchGuard or Cisco, make sure that experience is easy to find.
Don’t make the person reading your CV hunt for the information they’re looking for.
💷 Don’t Choose a Job Based Only on Salary
Salary matters. We all have bills to pay.
But particularly at the beginning of your career, also look at what the job will teach you.
A role that exposes you to servers, networking, cloud platforms, Microsoft 365, security and troubleshooting could be far more valuable to your future career than a slightly better-paid job where you perform the same three tasks every day.
Ask yourself:
- What will I learn?
- What technologies will I work with?
- Will I be given responsibility?
- Is there somebody experienced I can learn from?
- Will the company support training and certification?
- Where could this role take me in two or three years?
🚀 The Most Important Skill in IT
Technology changes.
Operating systems change. Cloud platforms change. Security threats change. Products disappear and completely new ones arrive.
The most valuable skill you can develop isn’t expertise in one particular product.
It’s the ability to learn something you don’t currently know.
If you’re curious, enjoy solving problems and aren’t frightened of saying “I don’t know — but I’ll find out”, you’ve already got one of the most important qualities needed for a career in IT.
Keep learning. Keep experimenting. Keep breaking things.
Just preferably not the production server.
