Is there room for anyone in the IT sector? 

Meet the three of us: Erika, a successful photographer, Amadėjus, a skillful jeweler, and me, a market research specialist. These were our earlier professions. None of us have an engineering background, but now we all are front-end developers. Our reasons for changing our careers were quite different. For Erika, it was a thirst for challenge and professional growth. Meanwhile, Amadėjus became a front-ender because of a friend who gave him some advice and a nudge to try new things. As for me, IT was always by my side. It started with simple HTML, then I found CSS, and later, it was the turn for JavaScript. I even got attracted by data. Finally, I decided to step in rather than stand aside. 

We all started our journey by discussing our choices with friends from the IT sector or friends wishing us well, researching various engineering paths, measuring our options, and trying to understand if the new path is right for us. That is right, the hardest part was not the technical one, but understanding what is right for each of us and what our own key drivers are.  

OK, so what next? 

Amadėjus and I took a sabbatical leave and enrolled in intensive three-to-six-month courses. Meanwhile, Erika had to combine motherhood and learning in the evenings, which naturally took a bit longer. And sometimes a single course is not enough; some extra courses may be needed, like a summer internship for Erika or a front-end course organized by an IT company for Amadėjus. I know some career changers that are purely self-taught, and I admire that. There is no right or wrong way, as we all must find our learning style. Beside courses, coding schools, and internships, there are also other ways to add extra acceleration to your start in the IT world:  

Create your website. There is nothing better than landing your CV on a personal website. Or you want to share how your learning is progressing on your custom blog site? I know someone who got a job offer because of a blog, where the successes and failures of experiments with various technologies were put out in the open.  

Create your projects. Or in other words, your portfolio. It could be dedicated to a hobby. It could be a social project for the ones in need. It could be something for your community or a circle of friends. Everything counts. You will even produce your business idea. 

Find a mentor or join a mentorship program. It is a place to have an IT friend who can nurture your motivation and help with learning sources and insights about the IT world. If the mentor is a career changer, that is even better. Having a support system while stepping into the IT world is one of the most important pillars of staying motivated.  

Build your network. Surround yourself with specialists from the same professional area. These could be LinkedIn contacts, or you might get interesting new contacts from meetups or your mentors if you have any. You never know what opportunities this might bring. 

Attend meetups. It is a fantastic way to get introduced to innovative technologies. At first, it might be overwhelming, even confusing sometimes, but do your research and learn. And again, this helps your professional network. 

The last step is landing a job. It took 2-3 months of intensive job search for Erika and me. It might take a hundred applications, and you hear back only from half of them. These might be rejections or invitations to the next recruitment step (technical/homework tasks, technical interviews, etc.). And there will be failed technical interviews. But do not get discouraged, technical interviews are much like muscles: with each interview, you are getting stronger and more prepared.  

My colleague Amadėjus has a unique experience. He was ‘awarded’ a job offers right after his extra courses. Do not get mistaken: it is not that he just got lucky. As he says, there were far more experienced classmates, but he stood out: he kept raising his hand, asked questions, and was always involved in the process. Amadėjus‘s job offer was a result of communicating his motivation and dedication. 

Is there anything else? 

Yes, you might create your own rules, or you can follow some rules that all three of us applied while studying (and after we joined Reiz): 

Dedicate yourself. Constantly learn and be engaged in your new career track, be it through online courses, enrolling in education, mentorship, or meetups. Build a plan, set timelines for the learning path, choose your own pace, and have fun.  

Be disciplined and stick to your plan. A small amount of your daily effort will eventually bring you to the point where you want to see yourself. And if (when) your motivation point is exceptionally low, apply practice of a 5-minute rule. This will help you to keep your discipline on track.  

Question everything and be curious. Although sometimes you might hesitate to ask a question, go for it. Do not know how to formulate a question? Research it. The worst that can happen is that your question might remain unanswered. But if you do ask that question, today’s self will be better than yesterday’s self. 

Accept the challenge and be brave and creative. It is very comforting to stick to solutions you already know. But do not be afraid to start/be involved in a project where you push yourself a bit further. Find new ways to solve a problem. The more difficult it gets, the more you can gain. 

Back to success 

Success is not some cosmic atonement that happens overnight or some random sequence of lucky numbers. It is a complex process where motivation and dedication are the key drivers. If you have chosen to succeed in your career-change plan, then I believe that soon you will hear the words in your new workplace: ‘Welcome our new team member ${Put your name here} ‘.