Let’s suppose you have a university degree in another field of expertise than IT, or you are still studying. But then you start to think. You’ve delved into the IT profession, maybe you’ve talked to some friends or family who are active in IT. Maybe you had a subject in your education where you had to do some programming. Actually, you found out that IT might be a good fit for you, but you have no experience in IT at all. You find new technology super interesting, you might be a gamer or build computers in your spare time. But you have no experience in IT at all. You are looking at IT traineeships without experience. Do you recognize yourself in this story? Perfect! Then you should really read on.
ARE THERE IT TRAINEESHIPS WITHOUT EXPERIENCE?
Yes, there are IT Traineeships where you do not need any experience to apply. However, these traineeships usually require a completed Bachelor’s degree in science. Why? The idea behind this is that with a mathematical background, you pick up programming concepts faster. Is that true? It certainly helps you, but it’s not a fait accompli.
An IT Traineeship without experience sometimes sounds to good to be true. And if you look further into it, you find out that you need experience after all: for example that you had to do a minor in software development during your studies or that you have to take a programming test before you can apply.
Okay, so IT Traineeships without experience do exist, but with different requirements?
Yes, you could state it like that. If you have no experience, organizations will look for other qualities that will assure the organization that they have found a good candidate in you. It also strongly depends on the role or function you are looking for in an IT Traineeship. Traineeships that hire candidates without any experience usually deliver candidates that grow towards service desk, digital marketing or administration roles. These are fields in which technical knowledge can be learned relatively quickly and in which communication skills play a major role. If you aspire to a position as a developer, there are usually more demands.
I want to be a developer, but what “experience” do I need?
If you want to have a better chance of getting hired, it’s good to get some experience. Not only to be considered for an IT Traineeship, but also to find out if IT is really something for you. “Experience” is hard to measure, of course. Every organisation that offers IT Traineeships has different ideas about this. We recommend that you at least follow a number of good online courses via, for example, Udemy or Coursera and, above all, try out a lot yourself. After six months you will be amazed at what you have already learned. Also keep in mind that many IT Traineeships will take an admission test to test your programming knowledge.
Which programming languages should I focus on?
We recommend that you pick up a language that is relatively easy to learn. This will allow you to spend more time understanding the key concepts. JavaScript or Python combined with Django are good examples. Our advice is to focus on one language to start with. This way you maintain focus and learn faster.
Are there also IT Traineeships without experience where I can really learn as a starter?
Yes. Some traineeships offer a preliminary track. Our organization offers a Challengership Track where you will be trained in Python in up to three months. If you successfully complete this course with an exam, you can enter the selection process of the Traineeship.
More information can be found here.