The Best Ways To Put Your IT Skills To Work in 2024
The number of work from home IT jobs has risen dramatically in the last few years as more and more companies are saying goodbye to the cramped office and embracing the benefits of remote work. While this is great for some, it’s also a major shift in workplace culture, leading many people to question and rethink their professional role in general.
All this to say that for those with a powerful and versatile skill set like IT, the online workplace has opened many doors. That being said, some of these opportunities have yet to catch on into mainstream working culture, leading many people to overlook them altogether.
Today we’ll be sharing some of the incredible work from home IT jobs that are now available to skilled professionals as well as what you can do to ensure you’re making the most out of your skills.
Know Your Worth
Many traditional workplaces place a high priority on qualifications and experience and while both have their value, they’re really just a metric for determining one simple fact: what can you do?
When it comes to online, remote work, you’re entering into a global marketplace and, as such, qualifications don’t always translate from one country to another. Put simply, when hiring remote workers, people usually care far more about your proven track record than they do about where you went to school.
Of course, years of experience in a job role are always an excellent way to demonstrate your expertise but a good portfolio can be just as powerful, depending on the role you’re looking for.
And it’s not all about securing a specific job role either. Any knowledge you have is knowledge you can share and in an online workplace where people are increasingly more concerned about what they can do rather than where they learned it, your skills as a teacher – or even a Mentor – could be worth a great deal to someone.
The Drawbacks of Work From Home IT Jobs
For some people, a work from home IT job is a dream come true. For others it’s less so. While many are eager to embrace the extra freedom a work from home job offers – not to mention the lack of a commute – others find that the lack of one-to-one interaction and socialisation can be isolating and frustrating.
Unfortunately, while some companies may place employee wellbeing first, others will always put profit above all else meaning that many who’d rather work in an office have no choice but to bring their work life into their personal space.
But it’s not all doom and gloom – we promise!
As a matter of fact, there’s one online role that’s completely freelance, perfect for IT, and is built around working with others. That role is mentoring.
Share Your Skills
As an IT Mentor, your job will involve really getting to know your Mentees. You’ll be teaching them how to find a role in IT and how to develop their skills along the way but in doing that you’ll also be getting to know them a little more personally. If you like to build a rapport with others, then mentoring is an excellent opportunity to do just that!
It’s important to note that mentoring is about more than just teaching. Sometimes your Mentee might need a lesson or two but the best Mentors are the ones who teach others how to teach themselves.
As a Mentee you’ll be helping your Mentor to find their first IT job. You’ll be advising them on everything from interview etiquette to managing new and unfamiliar problems. Most importantly, you’ll be their trusted confidant – the person they can go to when they need help and advice.
At the same time, what you won’t have to deal with is the pressure of a full-time job role. You’ll be able to set your own hours and your own rates, defining what your work/life balance means to you.
The office may have moved into your home but that doesn’t mean you need to let it boss you around. By becoming a Mentor, you’ll be the one in the driver’s seat, giving you the chance to work a job that works for you.
IT Mentors Are In Demand
Gone are the days when IT was a niche subject. In 2024, almost every job role requires some level of IT literacy and IT experts are only becoming more and more valuable by the minute.
As more companies go digital, they’ll need an increasing number of IT staff and those people are already queuing up and ready to learn. Sign up to become a Mentor today with Career Navig8r and make the most of your knowledge by sharing it with others!
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