The IT sector

Jobs in IT fall in 3 main areas.

  • IT companies that deal specifically with, programming, consultancy, networking,data processing or hosting & web services.
  • IT innovators - Companies in this business sector are at the forefront of IT research and development (R&D). e.g. Apple and Microsoft.
  • Sectors which use IT - including financial services, retail, telecommunications, including mobile and broadband services, public sector, manufacturing & games development.

Find out more

Getting in and getting experience

How can I get experience?

Different IT roles and employers will require a different mix of transferable skills skills such as communication, project management and innovation, and/or technical skills. Check out job profiles for the IT sector on Prospects for detailed information on the skills and training requirements for different IT roles.

Although many organisations will consider graduates from non-IT degrees, they may want you to demonstrate you have built some IT skills, learnt coding or shown your motivation to work in IT in other ways. The links below provide you with some different resources and ways to build your experience:

Don't have an IT related degree?

You probably have more digital skills than you think, and there are a number of ways you can build your digital skillset whilst at University. Take a look at the University’s Digital Discovery Tool to explore which digital skills you have and ways you can improve them. There are also opportunities, courses and internships with employers listed below, all designed to increase your IT skillset.

Whilst some technical jobs require a computer science or related degree, others are open to any student who can show they have relevant technical skills such as coding or programming skills. These could have been developed from additional courses, work experience or be self-taught.

Roles such as project management, sales, consultancy and business analysis, marketing and finance are available for those without a background in IT, you will however, have to prove your interest in IT and that you can use it!

Fancy a technical role? Then you could consider an IT conversion course. Conversion courses are INTENSIVE. If you have never done any programming before then it is strongly advised that you start doing some before you begin the course. Conversion courses vary in focus and content - pick one specific to your interests and use the dissertation as an opportunity to develop relevant programming skills. Apply early (i.e. autumn semester) for the more competitive courses. Investigate funding early on. Consider approaching employers for sponsorship.

The FindAMasters website has a searchable database of all postgraduate opportunities in the UK. Check the entry requirements to find out if your current degree subject is accepted. Reflect on your transferable skills and related knowledge gained at university to sell.

More about the IT Sector:

IT Graduate JobSearch

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