Working and learning ICT
Choosing the right education can be quite a challenge. Often, at a young age, you don’t know exactly what you want to be “when you grow up.” Or if you do know, down the line you may find out that your interests have changed. So we at Young_Coders regularly speak to young professionals for whom this is the case and who wonder, “What are my chances of working and learning in ICT?”
Are you wondering the same thing? Would you like to continue your studies in IT, but don’t feel like going back to college full-time? There are many options, depending on your background. For example, if you found out while studying psychology that you actually like programming much more. Or if you would like to combine the knowledge you gained during your finance studies with your affinity for technology. Or if you really want to become a developer, are always tinkering with computers or software in your spare time, but don’t like IT studies.
IT is a broad concept
Before we get into the opportunities that exist to work and learn in IT, it’s important to realize that “IT” doesn’t actually exist. There are so many various functions within IT, that it is almost impossible to list them all. So you can choose to work and learn in IT and become a developer with a specialization for front-end, back-end or as a full stack developer.
But you can also choose to become a process analyst or data analyst, or maybe you’d rather become a DevOps engineer? And then there are the IT support functions or roles that are more focused on the hardware side. You see: ICT is broad and challenging. It is up to you to discover which role or direction best suits you.
How do you discover your direction in IT?
Before looking directly for an IT traineeship, it is important to know in which direction you want to develop. In a field that is so varied, choosing the right direction is an important first step. That’s why we give you some tips to figure out which IT challenge best suits you:
1. Do you know anyone working in the ICT sector?
It may sound obvious, but if you know someone who works in the industry, it would be wise to talk to them. Your neighbor, a friend, uncle, or perhaps a college roommate will surely love to tell you all about his or her work. The great thing about this is that someone you know will also tell you the honest story. So not only what’s fun about the work field, but also all the not-so-nice aspects of the job. And, if this person knows you well enough, they can also help you assess what would be a good fit for you.
2. Research IT vacancies.
Take a few hours to browse through IT job postings on the Internet. They often contain an awful lot of information about the work associated with a particular position. Then write down which vacancies seem appealing to you and for each position also why it appeals to you so much. In this way you will not only find out what there is to do in ICT, but also where your interests lie.
3. Taking an interest assessment
Finally, it doesn’t hurt to take an interest assessment once. Such a test will help you discover even better which IT role matches your interests. If you make the appropriate interest test , then the questions are aimed at giving you really useful tools.
Once you know which IT roles are right up your alley, it’s time to make your dreams come true. After all, to work and learn in ICT you need to find the appropriate work-learning path!
Find the right traineeship
If you want to change the course of your career, there are plenty of options. In fact, more and more companies are offering a work-learning program for lateral entrants into ICT. Not surprisingly, there has been a shortage of well-trained IT professionals for years and it doesn’t look like that’s going to change anytime soon. Now that you have chosen to work and learn in ICT, it is important that you find a traineeship that suits you and your ambitions. The perfect work-learning path in IT:
Matches your level
Matches your interests within the IT sector
Matches what is important to you
After all, one traineeship is not like the other. For example, there are traineeships that specialize in Business & IT, while others focus on IT support. It is therefore important that you take stock of what the traineeships you want to compare put emphasis on. Do you have a large portion of analytical and abstract thinking skills, then the traineeship of Young_Coders might be just the thing for you!
The Young_Coders traineeship
Do you have a college/university degree in your pocket? Then you are eligible for the two-year traineeship we offer. In fact, these traineeships focus on the somewhat “more difficult” roles in IT, such as data science and programming. These are roles where an analytical mindset and abstract thinking skills are indispensable. It is a modern traineeship, known at Young_Coders as a Challengership, which goes just a bit further than a classic IT traineeship. It challenges you every day, just like the industry itself. This requires a fair amount of will on your part to make a success of your work-learning program, but you also get quite a bit in return.
Developing soft skills
For example, we think it is not only important that you master the so-called ‘hard skills’. Your soft skills are just as important to us. We therefore pay attention to this with extensive soft skills training. This is a super informative course where you will learn about giving and receiving feedback, communicating, time management and growth ambitions, among other things. During the individual sessions in this course we work together on your goals, so that you learn exactly what you need.
Guidance and customization
We don’t choose your client at random during the traineeship: we only select the clients who really suit you. We call that a ‘culture fit’. This way you get a client that matches your interests, can contribute to your growth and where you also feel comfortable as a person. This way you feel like you’re in the right place and can develop yourself optimally. In addition, we provide intensive support and you can always come to us with questions or issues you encounter while working and learning in IT.
Security and salary
Because we understand that it is a tad exciting to change your career this drastically and jump into the deep end, we’ll also give you a safety net. You start the traineeship with a permanent contract and an appropriate salary. Nice and clear!
Will you become a Challenger?
Sounds good, doesn’t it, our traineeship? We can imagine that you would like to know more about it. And that you want to discover exactly what opportunities we offer you to work and – above all – learn in IT. Therefore, feel free to take a look at our Challengership page or schedule a career interview with our career coaches.