Trying to Change Career to IT

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Hi,
I am new here and really need some advice. I am now in my mid 40s, and I've been working for the last few years as a Learning Support Worker; but for a while I've wanted to change direction and work in IT. However, I don't have any experience in IT, though I have worked on computers doing administration jobs in the past.

At the moment I'm quite interested in training to do Web Design & Development, as I'm interested in designing websites and also in SEO. I have spoken to some training providers about this. One suggested I start with the CIW Foundation Course. Another TP provides a course in Web Design & Development which is geared towards Adobe certification. However I am unsure about doing this, as I don't know if I would be able to obtain employment in website development/design: for one thing there don't seem to be as many job vacancies in this area. I don't want to waste money on training which turns out to be pointless, as my husband has a serious illness so he cannot work anymore. Yet I would like a better job with better prospects, to help my son in future.

I wasn't sure if I should instead follow an area such as Networking, where there might be a more realistic possibility of employment.

As I said I am new to this forum, I hope this post makes sense and I would really appreciate any help!

Thanks
Suzanna

 

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I guess its really down to what you have an interest in, i started off trying to do web design courses through the Open University and web design just wasnt me....I then switched and went down the route of doing IT technician certifications and that is more me, i enjoy learning this area of expertise and then carried on and did the Network+ certification and like yourself had no job experience in IT but have just managed to pick up my first job which i start later this month.

The IT certifications i did though definitely helped me get the job though as when it came to the interview they were very impressed with my technical knowledge and my answers when they asked me scenario based questions etc.

Hope this is helpful....

 

It's really difficult these days where web design etc comes in because there are so many different packages out there to learn and understand. As you have already mentioned one of the TP's has suggested going down the Adobe route, now whilst that's a good idea unfortunately it's an expensive one on a number of reasons.

1. Software costs
2. Exam costs

The next problem you have is, is it the right choice of software? Another question should also be... are you arty by nature? remember that the idea is you're designing these sites for companies, if you're not a designer by nature it will be difficult to actually get the juices going where ideas are concerned.

Another issue is blogging software like WordPress or Joomla, these offer ready made templates that can be easily modified and crafted for the companies requirements, usually by the company.

A career change to IT is certainly possible, I did it 14 odd years ago (I spent 10 years as a soldier) but the idea of just walking into a networking role straight away is not going to happen, unfortunately you're going to be starting back at the bottom of the ladder and will need to work your way back up it, that means working on a help desk or service desk, gaining some experience and deciding later on what area you want to work in, be it networks, servers, virtualisation, web design and hosting or even staying in the service desk arena (I know people who only do that because they like it).

As long as you're prepared for the possible loss of earnings, the studying and the climb up the ladder then go for it, if you're not then you may want to reconsider the move into IT.