All degrees welcome for graduate IT jobs
There are plenty of career opportunities for non-IT graduates in the IT industry, and many graduate employers actively seek a workforce with a balance of people from different degree disciplines, as this means that they approach tasks with a broad range of perspectives. However, at the very least you’ll need to be able to present yourself as a confident and enthusiastic IT user.
Graduate jobs for the non-IT graduate
IT companies often recruit non-IT graduates into sales, marketing and finance, but there are also roles directly related to IT such as consultancy and business analysis. Most technology is designed with the end user in mind and non-IT graduates can provide a vital link between them and the specialists; the ability to understand business and end users’ needs is invaluable.
While some IT job opportunities really are open to all, some employers will look for graduates with numerate or business-related degrees, so check out their requirements carefully.
Prove you’re into IT
You don’t need a detailed understanding of how computers work to be able to appreciate how they can be applied to solve business and other problems – but you do need to be able to show graduate recruiters, through your applications and interviews, that you will fit into the sector. At the very least, non-IT graduates need to demonstrate that they are comfortable with technology by being able to talk fluently and convincingly about how they use it.
Give some thought to the ways you use and enjoy IT in your degree and in your spare time, whether that involves setting up a successful blog, photo site or website for a student society or simply using basic office applications to organise and present your work. Use your analysis as a basis for considering which organisations you want to work for, then familiarise yourself with their areas of work and typical projects.
To strengthen your position, boost your technical know-how with IT work experience, or if you really want to develop your skills, consider an IT conversion course. However, this will involve a commitment of time and money, so if you decide to pursue a masters in IT make sure you choose the best course for you.
Valuable skills aren’t always technical
The non-technical skills most valued in the IT sector include the ability to communicate clearly, understand customers, drive for results and think creatively. If you can break down complex problems and come up with effective solutions, then whatever your degree background you could have a great IT career ahead of you.
Useful links
- Find out about IT conversion courses
- Search for graduate jobs in IT via the job search function on the TARGETjobs IT homepage
- Read about the psychology graduate turned software engineer
- Read about the English graduate turned IT business analyst
- Read about the maths and physics graduate turned systems test engineer
