Advice for setting myself up in the IT industry...

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G4m3r

77 posts

Master Geek

#215374 24-Jun-2017 20:37

After a couple of years working in a trade I am looking changing careers and undertaking study in IT.
I have a few questions for those hiring in the IT sector.
I have seen from previous posts that those hiring are very interested in how you code and seeing any programs you have made on Github.
If a employer looks over a potential employees Github, how much of a influence would the choice of training institution of the potential employee have?
So you can get a idea what I'm trying to weigh up is University/Southern Institute of Technology(or similar) or a IT academy like the ones you hear advertise on the radio.

What area of programming to focus on to have good positioning for employment
Software development
App Development
Networking and Security
Embedded Systems
I enjoy designing things/systems and would like to work in the field of IoT's so I was thinking embedded systems, however while searching through the jobs and throughout day to day life I have yet to see much evidence that this field is exploding like I thought it would.

I have started learning basic c++ and also hoping to learn some java before I start studying

Any suggestions on how best to set myself up so I am a good option for a employer when I finish.
If you knew the stuff you know now when you were training how would you do it?

timmmay

20511 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#1806210 24-Jun-2017 21:01

IoT is still a buzzword as far as I know. C++ isn't used much in corporate settings.

What you've described is very broad. Do you want to be a developer, a networking guy, a system operator, database administrator, etc? If you don't know you probably need to do a general course then specialise.

When I'm hiring qualifications are nice, but experience matters more. I don't much care where you get the qualification, I care what you learned and if you can apply it.

People with an IT degree become useful after a year or two of experience. Experience doesn't have to be commercial, I'd take a great enthusiast with low qualifications who knows they're doing over someone who passed a degree but doesn't really get it.

ben2017

2 posts

Wannabe Geek

#1812861 4-Jul-2017 20:32

Hi,

Software is very broad.

Embedded is usually for microcontroller used in electronics, companies: ERoad (GPS tracker) uses java, Invenco (pay-at-pump) uses C++

embedded programs the device and the UI

Automation industry uses PLC which is similar to C

Then computer software can be is java, Windows Form, ASP and PHP for website.

Computer software varies from local (not IoT web based), local with server usually use a database and then web based.

For web design, there're HTML, CSS for the front end whereas the back end handles algorithm with database.

Mobile software is usually android and iOS.

IT system is more like setting up a network for companies. Though often IT developer jobs can be website development.

kingdragonfly

11096 posts

Uber Geek

Subscriber

#1829085 25-Jul-2017 14:09

How you store your guitar is less important than how you play it.

In other words, how you store your source code is less important than what you create.

A single page web site, with some interesting feature, is more likely to get attention from a recruiter.

The market for C++ is pretty limited, as mentioned. C#.Net is very much in demand now.

I'd strongly suggest looking at MVC, "Model View Controller", and Entity Framework.

Regarding GitHub, Microsoft Visual Studio is very friendly to it. As a matter of fact, a lot of internal Azure development inside Microsoft use GitHub.