Video:5 Important Career Skills for IT Jobs
with Christine JorgensenA job in Information Technology (IT) requires certain skill sets. This video breaks down the top 5 career skills for IT jobs and explains what the skills are, how to get them, and why you need them for your IT career.See Transcript
Transcript:5 Important Career Skills for IT Jobs
Hi! I’m IT Career Counselor, Christine Jorgensen, for About.com and today we are talking about Information Technology (IT) jobs. There are a variety of skills you need if you want to have a career in IT. Here are some of the most important ones that you will want to focus on.
IT Skill #1: Computer Networking
The first career skill is computer networking. Computer networking focuses on the engineering of communication between computers. It also deals with setting up Local (LAN) and Wide Area Networks (WAN). Wireless LAN and WAN also fall under this category. If you are proficient at computer networking, you will be very valuable to a large corporation that needs to connect a large amount of computers to each other. Communication is an essential foundation to running a good company, and that means having computers that can all talk to one another.
IT Skill #2: Information Security
The next skill is information security. This is a very important skill to have and will make you very valuable. Information security refers to protecting information systems from intruders, hackers, and unauthorized users. Every organization, especially the government, military, and financial firms, store private information. They need that information protected on a daily basis. Knowing how to computer network is a good foundation for knowing information security.
IT Skill #3: Linux
Knowing Linux will also make you valuable in the IT world. Linux, like Windows, is an operating system used by some major organizations. Linux is popular because the source code is available for anyone to use. It also makes it easier for the organization to set up servers for storage and streaming.
IT Skill #4: Business Intelligence
Business Intelligence is also a valuable skill. It's the way in which organizations store business information. It deals with all the applications and the ways to collect and organize data. These applications are very involved and complicated to use.
IT Skill #5: Project Managemet
The last skill set is project management. Any IT department at an organization needs to be run by someone who knows how to prioritize projects, manage the budget, and schedule workers. It is vital that the project manager knows the systems in place for that company, and that he or she be highly organized. He or she must also have good communication skills.
How to Prepare for an IT Career
Obtaining these skills can start at a young age. Your best bet would be to major in computer programming in school and study math. Try to obtain an internship, and grow from there.
Hopefully you now have a better idea about skills you will need for a career in IT. Thanks for watching. If you’d like to learn more please visit us on the web at About.com.