When personal computers first entered the workplace, this caused a major shift in how businesses operated. This one advancement ended the need for businesses to spend boatloads of money on manual typewriters and cases of whiteout. As software became more advanced, the need to store paper-based files went by the wayside as well.
In order to even get one’s foot in the proverbial door at an office, the need to augment a resume with basic computer skills became a must. With the introduction of the Internet, it became equally necessary to become savvy with carrying out tasks online. Uploading files, managing business-related emails, and entering data into company websites became a central function of numerous available job openings.
Today’s job seeker is faced with a new set of entry-level requirements. The modern employer, across nearly every industry, wants to know if a potential applicant possesses some level of IT experience.
Why an employer cares about your IT experience
According to Payscale, the average IT professional earns approximately 52,000-dollars annually. If you think about this from an employer’s perspective, hiring employees with a decent amount of IT experience reduces company costs and ensures an employee-base that is more skilled than former generations.
If IT becomes standard across the job market that all applicants have some level of IT experience, this means that an employer can expect some degree of advanced IT skills from regular office workers. In turn, an employer will not have to hire too many experts to run their IT department; therefore, it is cost effective for the employer to take a person with moderate IT skills and apprentice them to an expert already on staff. In this capacity, a regular employee with even limited IT experience becomes a valuable asset to their company.
Why farm out IT work at an additional cost when any employee in your company is capable of picking up the slack at no additional cost? Savvy business owners will understand the concept of spending less to get the same or similar results.
Why you should consider acquiring some level of IT experience
Aside from the fact that an increasing number of employers require employees to have some level of IT experience, there are other factors that should compel individuals to gain skills in this area. One primary reason is because employees with moderate to advanced IT skills will tend to earn more than employees who lack these skills. Another key reason is because so many more jobs end up being computer-based than in years past.
Even if you work behind a retail counter making change, a lot of these positions are carried out on computer-based POS systems that require users to have some experience with the systems back end functionality. If you are the employee who understands how to intuitively install, operate, and maintain the back-end, these skills already make you far more useful and in demand than other clueless employees.
More advanced IT concerns arise as a result of system security which becomes more in demand as retail systems become more sophisticated. General IT skills, such as understanding how your company archives and retrieves data, for example entitles an employee to being able to get at data other employees do not have the skills to access. Even some simple IT skills end up providing an employee with an edge over other non-tech savvy employees in the workplace.
The job crunch
If you have traditionally worked in careers that did not involve a lot of hands on computer or IT experience, there is always the risk that future advancements in computer technology will fundamentally change how your industry operates. In many cases, traditional jobs are eventually eliminated by computer systems that automate the workflow. In this situation, the person who knows how to maintain the in-house computer system, from an IT perspective, is the only employee necessary to keep around.
For a lot of employees facing these fundamental shifts in their industry, grabbing hold of essential IT skills sooner, rather than later, ends up being the only real lifeline to maintaining job security.
Conclusion
Since computer networks and computer-based jobs will only increase as the workplace continues to advance, now is the time to begin thinking about a career in IT. Getting something like MCSA and MCSE certified will open doors to job opportunities that span virtually all industries. Now more than ever before that old saying holds true: “Knowledge is power”.
About the Author:
Philip Piletic is an aspiring writer and blogger with a love for business, finance and technology. His goal is to give useful advice and help people adapt to ever evolving world of today.
