Six Best IT Skills For An Effective Career

Introduction

Information Technology, or IT for short, is one of the fastest-growing and largest industries today that is hiring more professionals than ever. 

This need for skilled IT professionals makes learning IT skills paramount for any new job seeker looking to get a cushy tech role, or simply to learn more about the industry itself. 

Becoming a skilled IT professional requires having a strong core of technical knowledge, but also requires possessing certain “soft skills” that can make you a more effective communicator of technology. 

Learning IT skills has also become easier than ever with free online tutorials and courses, like online IT courses Australia, available on just about every topic, from simple ones such as crafting and sending an email, to more complex ones such as Python programming and creating machine learning models.
With that, here are some of the best IT skills you can pick up today to get a leg up in your IT career. These are skills that will invariably serve you well throughout your IT journey. Keeping reading to find out more!

Essential Skills That You Can Pick Up

1. Effective Communication

As IT professionals are usually technically oriented, it can be difficult to explain complex concepts to other professionals such as marketing, advertising and sales departments to communicate the features, details and intricacies of technology software and products. 

Learning effective communication skills is extremely useful for any IT professional, and can help establish stronger relationships within teams of diverse professionals. This can also lead to greater success for the business that is then able to communicate its products to clients and customers. 

2. Creativity

These days it is not sufficient to only possess technical knowledge without flexibility in thinking outside the box. Tech companies are increasingly on the lookout for professionals who exercise creative thinking in their problem-solving methods. They also value candidates who have shown talent at generating new and effective ideas that can be readily implemented without significant downtime. 

IT professionals who can harness the power of their technical knowledge with creative prowess will therefore be able to contribute greatly to any organization. 

3. Troubleshooting

As is the case with any role related to hardware and software devices, having efficient troubleshooting skills is a major prerequisite for any IT industry hopeful. 

Tech support departments are frequently busy attending to requests from both colleagues and clients as well, along with customers if any. Working with software or hardware that is prone to bugs and errors requires consistent practice to fine-tune your troubleshooting efficiency, and lead to an overall increase in business productivity in the long term.

4. Organization

A data set that is not cleaned or properly analyzed can potentially hold disastrous consequences for a company in terms of strategies deployed based on faulty data, leading to a significant loss in revenue or reputation. 

Such problems may stem from a lack of organizational skills on the part of IT professionals, who are not able to focus on the precision and accuracy of their work. Having good organizational skills also means being a stickler for calendars and schedules, which can greatly boost productivity. 

Being a highly organized IT professional can signal to your employer that you are an employee worth keeping around, as evidenced by increased productivity levels. 

5. Coding

Programming has permeated nearly every inch of the technology industry. It is required for the simplest tasks from the automation of excel sheets to the creation of complex websites and algorithms for business tasks. 

Popular programming languages that most IT professionals use include Python, HTML, C++, TensorFlow and JavaScript. These languages are used in a wide array of tasks such as the creation of websites, mobile applications and other software products, and possessing these tools in your IT skillset will make you a versatile professional that is highly desired by tech companies. 

6. Perseverance

Resilience and perseverance in the face of seemingly insurmountable technological tasks is a necessary pre-requisite to take on a career in IT. In this field, technology is constantly progressing and evolving at a rapid rate, which can be challenging for newcomers to keep up with.

Maintaining these values in your professional conduct can demonstrate to employers that you are someone who will see a project through no matter the difficulty or challenges faced. Facing such challenges can also often bring out the best of your technical skills when pushed to the limit, making you grow further as a result of your career and technological journey. 

Ways to Improve Essential IT Skills

1. Further Education

If you are a recent college or high school graduate looking to take a plunge into the tech industry, it may be beneficial to first pursue higher education to learn more about industry practices and hone your technical skillsets further. 

Being in an educational institute also provides you with the opportunity to network with like-minded professors and students. This newfound network will more than likely enable you to sustain your passion for the long term, and might even result in opening doors to internships or full-time positions. 

2. Seek Mentorship

Being in the tech industry can often be challenging given the heavy technical skills involved and the difficult tasks in your way. Finding a suitable mentor who is more experienced than you can make your journey a little easier, as a mentor in your preferred industry can point you in the right direction and provide you with the necessary tools you will need to succeed in your tech career.

Conclusion

If you are looking to get into the tech industry, these IT skills are highly important to have in your professional toolbox and will inch the needle toward greater success in your IT career. 

While technical skills are necessary, it is also important to learn and develop skills such as communication, time management, building rapport and creativity to aid in your career. Such “soft skills”, while underrated, have the potential to significantly improve the trajectory of your career when mastered and deployed. 

Finally, be sure to vet your resume and cover letters to include relevant keywords and actionable descriptions to impress your interviewers and secure a job offer to the role you have always dreamed of!