The IT field offers numerous opportunities to the right candidate. You don’t have to stay in the same position for years. Whether you want a career change or just want to explore all the opportunities IT has to offer, IT administrators are perfect candidates to move into other positions. Since IT administrators work with a wide range of technology, they have some of the best skills and opportunities to advance into other career paths. Here are a few suggestions if you’re thinking of a career move.
IT Manager
IT management isn’t for everyone, but it’s the obvious next step for an administrator. You must be a people person and understand what it takes to manage people, projects, and issues. Some IT managers complain that they are no longer able to keep up their skills and enjoy the hands-on work that they once had, so be sure that you’d like to make this next step before you quit administration for management.
Cyber Security Specialist
Cyber security is one of the hottest trending positions on the market. 2015 was a trademark year for security. Large corporations and governments suffered from attacks. The Ashley Madison hack brought to light the devastating effects an attack and breach can have on individuals. Governments suffered from political attacks. China and the US continue to have talks on cyber security treaties. The industry continues to grow, and there aren’t enough people to fill the gaps. IT administrators are usually responsible for some kind of security on the network, so this can be an easy move for the right candidate. It’s also a well paying career that offers continued education. Cyber security offers yearly training, a fast-paced opportunity, and a long-term rewarding position.
QA Analyst
Quality assurance analysts are another hot job in the market. QA involves testing hardware and software and ensuring that any application passes certain user criteria and business requirements before being deployed. It also ensures that no bugs are present before any software or hardware component is deployed. It can be a stressful job since the QA analyst must be able to identify if any issues will arise before deployment happens. They are the gatekeepers between development and testing and the live production environment.
Sales Engineer
Since software is an integral part of any business, sales people need an engineer to answer questions and describe any changes. Sales engineers work closely with the sales department to ensure that deployments run smoothly. They are usually a part of big organizations that sell multi-million dollar solutions to large corporations. For this reason, the deployment can take months and requires an expert in software engineering and the product itself to work with the customer and the deployment team. It’s also a high-paying position and one of the best in the software development market.
These few career paths aren’t your only choices. There are numerous opportunities for IT administrators. Software development, product management, engineering and integration are just a few more opportunities. If you want to make a move, now is the right time to do it.
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