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Note – At the time of writing (Feb 2025), I typed a statement in MS Copilot regarding the top 5 questions in Information Technology. Below is the output produced by MS Copilot. You may get a different result today.

Under each question I provide a list of bullet points highlighting my own opinion. These points merely form a different perspective on the result produced by MS Copilot.

– Here are the top 5 IT employment-related questions being asked on the internet right now:

– 1. What are the best IT certifications to boost my career? – Many IT professionals are looking for certifications that can help them advance in their careers, such as AWS Certified Solutions Architect, Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), and Google Cloud Professional Cloud Architect.

• True, certifications form a great qualification and enhance an employee’s CV
  • ‘Potentially’ cements fundamental knowledge of the employee
    • I say potentially as some employees understand concepts related to the certification and don’t actually apply these concepts to troubleshooting or other tutorials
      • Don’t make the qualification a tick and flick / box-ticking exercise
  • However, certifications do not necessarily result in successful candidates for IT jobs and roles.
• Academics and workforce experience are two different expectations employers would be seeking
• I would take an employee that has practiced cloud skills (e.g. research tutorials, actioned these tutorials and understand each step how these tutorials result in the outcome), than an employee who may have just obtained the certification.
  • You know an employee who has practiced and attempted tutorials to have an advantage over the employee who may also have the practice but may lack the extra experience in cloud troubleshooting.
• The summary for this point. It would benefit the potential employee to train, practice, observe and self learn cloud skills first and then work their way into a certification
  • It is a much stronger sell to the employer, claiming you have practiced cloud skills, have experience in troubleshooting and applying these skills in tutorials and small projects, and at the same time aspiring to obtain cloud certifications

– 2. **How can I transition from a non-IT role to an IT role?** – Individuals from other fields are seeking advice on how to make a successful career switch to IT, including the skills and qualifications they need to acquire.

• This is an interesting question. During my research, I found this question quite rare.
  • I found more questions about how to climb the IT career ladder with employees who are already in the industry.
• For those seeking entry into the IT industry, like anything, you need to start from the bottom and work your way up.
  • A L1 Helpdesk job would be a great start
    • This type of role would give you an entry into IT and an overview of how overall systems work (stack / full stack).
    • A majority of major companies and firms (E.g., banks, energy companies, real estate, law, etc.) would have some kind of IT department.
      • These IT departments would be supporting all kinds of software, applications, and programs for these firms to operate.
        • Some of these would include customer management systems (CMS), database systems hosting client data, ticketing systems, email systems, and customer systems bespoke for those firms (E.g., payment and billing systems).
  • An IT sales/client management job
    • This one is a bit left field / out of the ordinary, but is no less of an IT job.
    • Similar to the L1 help desk job, you would be trained on the functions and features of the system.
      • This will also give you insight into the specific needs and wants of the client seeking an IT solution to their problems or challenges.
    • Most people I’ve come across in this field only focus on the selling part, not necessarily the technical part.
      • Usually, when a sale concludes, the client is then transferred to the support desk (or help desk) team.
      • Sometimes this transition is a bit clunky and feels disconnected for the client.
        • The client is used to talking to you and forms this close relationship.
        • Sure, at some point the client will need to begin talking to the support desk for their technical inquiries.
        • If you can create some smoothness for this client migrating them into the support desk, you may get further sales through word of mouth.
    • If you build your technical skills and master the functions and features of the IT system you’re selling, it will give you a much better advantage over your peers.
      • This may result in promotions, recognitions, or even progression up the career ladder.
    • Demonstrating these technical skills in a sales role may also lead you into an L1 Helpdesk role or even an L2 role.
  • Research the tools and systems related to that industry.
    • Basic Googling and research into specific tools, systems, and programs will help you get insight into a firm.
      • E.g., you want to work in a real estate firm that uses IT systems in managing real estate contracts.
        • If you research these IT systems, learn their features and functions, you immediately have an advantage over other potential employees.
      • E.g., you want to work in the online payment space. Some of these online payment systems may have test accounts which you can use, place test payments, and see a report on these payments.
        • Documenting these learnings is helpful and transferable since other payment systems will act in a similar manner.
    • You can also use resources like YouTube and watch tutorials and explanations of certain concepts and terms of the IT industry your interested in
• The summary of this point. Focus on L1 / entry level IT jobs if you are new to the IT industry
  • You can also research other L1 roles like operations, engineering, networking, or IT Trainee roles
    • However some knowledge and qualifications may be needed

– 3. **What are the highest-paying IT jobs?** – People are curious about which IT roles offer the best salaries, such as data scientists, cybersecurity analysts, and software developers.

• Like anything in the workforce, focusing on just a high salary may not necessarily bring you joy or a satisfying career in IT
  • Yes, there are higher paying roles in specific parts of IT, but focusing on the financial side should be the least priority
• Focus on the knowledge and skill building of the stack you are managing first (this is the case of an operations engineer).
  • This is just another example; if you are in the dev space, look at specific/current issues that you can develop. By highlighting or addressing gaps in the current IT stack, you will gain some recognition, which may lead to a bonus in your salary.
• All roles in IT have an entry, middle and top level job
• Building your knowledge in skills will make you a competent and complete employee
• During your progression you will be presented IT roles in the L2, L3 space
  • Which of course will lead to a higher pay
• Summary for this point. Focus on skill and knowledge building, the salary and improved earrings will be obtained.
  • Trust me I’ve been down this road. I’m the highest paid employee in my team. I’ve earned this due to my relentless pursuit of learning and imprint my technical skills

– 4. How do I prepare for an IT job interview? – Job seekers want tips on how to effectively prepare for interviews, including common questions they might be asked and how to showcase their technical skills.

• Depending on the IT field you want to enter, research the tools and systems that field uses.
  • I’ve mentioned it above, by researching tools and systems prior to the job interview will demonstrate your proactiveness and willing to research into things
• Conduct some research on YouTube, watch some videos of employees already working in that sector
  • You can enter the following as an example, ‘day in the life of an IT L1 operator’
    • Also, ignore all the coffee trips and unrelated activities in these videos. Pick out some of the items from the video that are useful to you and add value to your preparation for the interview
      • I saw a day in the life video of a banker. All she did was mention her coffee order, the time she spent on the train heading into work, made 2 phone calls in the morning, played tennis at lunch and had lunch, made 2 more calls in the afternoon, and then went home…… Great day in the life vid
  • Other search examples also include, ‘how does this ticketing XYZ work’, ‘tutorial on ABC payment system’ etc.
• Read some forums
  • I used a forum called Whirlpool. I used it to read into online shopping jobs and positions.
  • You can enter the following as an example, ‘banking roles’, ‘advice on IT jobs’, ‘what are sone things to be aware of in the field of IT’
• Summary of this point. Research into tools, systems, programs that IT firm or company uses. Learning these prior to the interview will form a perception of the potential employee that he/she is willing to go the extra mile to learn and grow, which is what the employer will be looking for.

– 5. **What are the key skills employers look for in IT candidates?** – Candidates are interested in knowing which skills are most valued by employers, such as problem-solving, coding, and cloud computing expertise.

• Some of the items in this point has been mentioned
  • Problem solving
  • Cloud computing expertise
• These two points are probably the most in demand and are not developed enough at an early age
  • I believe critical thinking and cloud computing skills and development lacks prior to the university/college stage
  • It should be taught more vigorously at the middle and high school level
• Other skills IT employers also value include,
  • Honesty
  • Accountability
    • When you make a mistake, own up. Don’t worry about the consequence, train and reflect on the mistake and believe you won’t make that mistake again
      • The consequence by the employer should be to help you to improve, not punishment. If the consequence is punishment, leave that employer. They are not worth your time.
  • Observation
    • Learn to pick up things by observing. I.e. listening, watching, documenting.
  • Pro-activeness
    • Picking up a ticket and closing it, taking that extra phone call or staying back to help a dev perform a pull request. These are the extra 1% skills no one teaches you.
      • Of course don’t be open to doing this all the time. You want to be recognised for this extra work. It’s not an obligation and you don’t want to be taken advantage of. If you feel like you are, stop doing this extra work.
    • Demonstrating these extra’s will garner you bigger recognition among senior leaders and will lead you to bonus salaries and rewards
    • Continued desire to learn and improve
      • I believe everyone in this industry needs to continue to learn and improve (whether you like it or not)
      • Don’t pigeon hole yourself in your IT career
        • Is there a new concept to learn, learn it, is there a new coding language to write, practice and write it, is there a process improvement you saw, document and retain it.
      • Continued learning and improvement doesn’t mean sitting another 3-4 year degree, doing that online course or attending some fancy networking event
        • Use the resources like the internet or books (yes books, they still exist. Or even use audio books) to assist in your continued learning and improvement
• Summary of this point. IT skills isn’t the only things employers look at. Soft skills are also very important. Some of the skills I mentioned above are not taught specifically at any level. Build these extra skills and you will become a more recognisable IT employee.

-Are you considering a career move or looking to enhance your current IT role?

Summary:

• Don’t focus literally on the answer of the question when you use AI
  • Have a think about the answer, prior to settling on how you want to feel about the answer
• From the questions above I provide responses which are more realistic and more obtainable