What Are My IT Career Change Options?

What we usually see in mainstream media is people transitioning INTO tech. There isn’t much conversation about how to navigate a career change from IT into something else – perhaps because many people see the IT sector as the money-making industry. Added to which, the media has romanticised techies. The glasses. The sweatpants. The messy hair.

When you’re considering changing careers, maybe even industries, it’s wise to enlist the help of a mentor who works in the career you’re targeting.

Spreading your wings is a brave move, and a mentor from the new industry will help you pick out which of your skills are transferable to your new role.

There’s always the option to become a mentor in the IT industry. But more on that later.

There are various paths available for you to make a smooth career change out of tech and achieve your dream job. Keep on reading to discover the many and various opportunities awaiting you!

What Skills Do I Have For A Career Change Out Of IT?

As mentioned earlier, you probably have a boatload of skills that can be applied far beyond the boundaries of the IT space.

Look at it this way: there are so many opportunities and your skills are like a bunch of keys that can unlock those doors. So in this section, we’ll explore those transferable IT skills and how you can leverage them to make your career change out of tech. Ready? Let’s go…

1. Problem Solving

Have you tackled complex issues? Come up with groundbreaking solutions? Completed countless challenges? Ever fixed a bug? Given a friend an idea for an app or business? That makes you a problem solver.

And problem-solving is a highly sought after skill in pretty much every industry. It doesn’t matter if you’re troubleshooting technical glitches or pitching a business strategy, your ability to identify a problem, tear it apart, think critically, and come up with creative solutions is valuable across every industry. Own it as you navigate your career change!

2. Analytical Thinking

What’s the most valuable thing in the world? Love? You’d think. Try again.
Power? To some maybe, (unfortunately).
Data? YES!

Data is the reason why search engines exist. Data is the reason why we’re able to come up with successful organisations. Data is present everywhere.

But here’s the thing: data is useless until it’s interpreted and becomes information with meaning. This is where YOU come in. As an IT professional, you’re familiar with this process; you know how to break down data, identify patterns and come up with meaningful insights.

This analytical mindset of yours is wanted in lots of fields like marketing, finance, consulting or pretty much any sector where data-driven decision-making is crucial. This makes you the most wanted person on earth and your IT career change options almost unlimited.

3. Teamwork

The IT industry depends a lot on collaboration and teamwork. You’ve likely worked alongside developers, engineers, designers, analysts, copywriters and other professionals to bring projects to life.

This means your experience in cross-functional teams has honed your ability to collaborate and contribute to collective goals. If you’re wondering how this is a transferable skill, project management would be a sensible option for a career change out of tech.

Teamwork is a skill that’s ridiculously important in any number of fields and industries. It’s right up there with the most transferable of transferable skills.

IT Career Change Options Within Tech

Embarking on an IT career change can be really exciting, and it’s important to ensure that your skills are a good match for the job you want. By aligning your transferable skills with the requirements of your target role, you’ll position yourself for success and smoothly transition into your new career.

If you’re looking to take your IT career to the next level, you might want to think about exploring new training opportunities, earning certifications or working on personal projects. These are all great ways to expand your knowledge and show your dedication to self-improvement.

Here are a few options for an IT career change without leaving the sector:

1. IT Project Management

Is coordinating teams pretty easy for you? What about handling complex projects – do you navigate them easily? If yes, you could be a project manager. Your job will be to oversee the planning, execution and completion of projects.

The success of IT projects hinges on careful planning, meticulous organisation and seamless coordination of all involved parties.

Your technical background will give you an edge in understanding IT projects, making you the perfect middle person between technical teams and stakeholders.

2. Data Analysis

If playing detective and investigating mysteries is your thing, data analysis is a good career change option within the IT sector.

Think of data as evidence in a crime scene. It can be numbers, facts or information collected from different sources.

Often, these clues are messy and all jumbled up. So your job as a data analyst is to put all the clues together and make sense of ‘em. Sounds like something you’d enjoy? Great, go for it!

3. Digital Marketing

You might tick this off as a non-IT career (perhaps even a hybrid career) but your IT skills are still very relevant in this field. Digital marketing combines tech, creativity and strategic thinking to promote a product or service in the digital space.

You’ll already have a pretty solid foundation in understanding how the technical aspects of digital platforms and systems work, which is an advantage for getting into this field.

4. Technical Writing

Are you talented at making difficult technical concepts easy to understand? Why not give it a try as a career? From creating software documentation to writing guides, you can bridge the gap between products and end-users.

IT Career Change Options Outside Of Tech

On to the other side. Do you want a career change away from IT altogether? Let’s explore where you can make some impact with your transferable skills.

1. Operations Management

Operations Manager has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it? As the operations manager, your job is to keep the ship sailing smoothly. This could cover anything from reducing costs to boosting efficiency and implementing tech solutions. Think of it as debugging. But a company rather than a piece of software.

2. Social Media Strategist

We all know social media is the place to be these days. This is a fun career change out of tech into something new. You’ll be the brains behind killer campaigns and engaging content – creating a buzz and vibing with the audience as you stay ahead of the game. Knowing how social media platforms work is a great head start.

3. Human Resources

HR may not be the first option you consider when you think of making a career change from IT, but believe it or not, your tech skills can make a big impact here.

Navigating HR software, understanding how cloud-based systems work and using talent management software will all be easy for you because of your background in tech. Now, when you advise on new systems, your background means people will listen to you.

4. Customer Service

Modern customer service is heavily centred around chatbots and automation, so your IT skills will be prized here too, particularly in the backend. In fact, many industries are moving towards digitalisation, automation and cloud-based software, providing even more IT career change opportunities for you.

Why Should You Consider Mentoring As Part Of Your IT Career Change?

Mentoring is a fantastic option for those of you ready to make a career change from IT, especially if you want to continue monetising the knowledge you’ve spent years – or even decades – accumulating.

With mentoring, you can share all you’ve learnt, guide aspiring techies and give something back to your sector. Remember those folks who helped you when you were just starting? Well, this is your chance to do the same for others. Mentoring is a fulfilling experience, whether it’s alongside your new career or as a standalone job.

Another perk of being a mentor is self-growth. When you guide and support others on their journey, you also embark on a path of self-discovery. You learn new things from your mentees, and get better at communicating and leading people. It’s a win-win.

So the question is, how do you make a career change from IT to mentoring?

Think about all those skills you have and make sure they’re visible across your LinkedIn profile. You’re more likely to get approached after putting yourself out there.

Once you’ve made up your mind to become a mentor, you can make things official by signing up to become a mentor with Career Navig8r, the best platform to kickstart your mentoring journey.