{"id":13529,"date":"2024-07-22T11:39:50","date_gmt":"2024-07-22T10:39:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/careers\/?p=13529"},"modified":"2024-07-22T11:39:52","modified_gmt":"2024-07-22T10:39:52","slug":"how-undergraduates-can-prepare-for-entry-level-it-jobs-and-beat-graduate-underemployment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/careers\/how-undergraduates-can-prepare-for-entry-level-it-jobs-and-beat-graduate-underemployment\/","title":{"rendered":"How Undergraduates Can Prepare for Entry-level IT Jobs and Beat Graduate Underemployment"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Increasing Number of UK Graduates Taking Non-Degree Roles<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

UK graduates who fail to prepare strategically for the job market often end up taking low-pay, low-skilled, and non-graduate jobs with low job satisfaction just to survive. Many studies have found this anomaly a growing concern.

For example, SIA<\/a> (2023) found the ratio to be over 4 in 10 graduates (42%), and CIPD<\/a> (2022) therefore recommended a significant shift in UK skills policy and emphasised the urgent need for better career advice<\/a> for students.

Learn four practical ways <\/strong>to overcome graduate underemployment by preparing for in-demand IT roles.

Information technology jobs \u2014 turn the tide in your favour<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The IT sector is lucrative, and anyone, not only computer science majors, can get into it. Preparing for an entry-level role is one sure-fire way to break into the sector right after graduation.

Information technology jobs are among the top job shortages<\/a> in the UK. The roles differ. For example, QA tester, network systems, programming, software development, and DevOps engineering. Cloud architecture, business analysis, AI engineering, information security analysis, and software engineering<\/a> are others. Research each role in more depth before you choose one. You can start as a junior and climb the ladder.

But where do I start?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, you might be asking by now, \u2018How can a BSc in economics undergraduate like me prepare for a career in IT?\u2019 <\/em>Let\u2019s explore four tactics:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Come to terms early that you can have a lucrative career different from your academic discipline<\/strong>

    The key is to decide early.

    It is a reality that not everyone with a BSc in economics, for example, ends up working as an economist. Job markets have changed. People look at the jobs available and retrain to take up those roles. It is even better to decide, settle for, and prepare for such a switch 12-18 months before graduating.

    Many people have followed this route successfully. One example is John, one of my former undergraduates. I taught John finance at the University of Calabar, Nigeria. He ended up becoming a software engineer.

    How did this happen?

    During John\u2019s 5-year bachelor\u2019s programme in banking and finance, he used the long holidays during the last 2 years to undertake short courses in coding. He also got some certifications. When he graduated, it was his coding skills that got him a job, not his banking and finance degree.

    To consolidate his commitment to this new field, in 2021, he was admitted into the University of Westminster\u2019s Master in Software Engineering programme. He completed the programme in 2022 and landed his current London job even before graduation.

    I get that things may not always pan out as planned \u2014 yet, you may never know until you try.
    <\/li>
  2. Start becoming a professional (get certified!)<\/strong>

    Qualifying as a professional in a real-world job title always gets you a job quicker than a generic academic name (such as a BSc in Computer Science).

    Even if you were a computer science major, you could still struggle to find a job quicker than your classmates who were equally trained but have in-demand qualifications; for example,     Certified iOS App Developer <\/a>certification.
    <\/li>
  3. Leverage the university\u2019s LinkedIn alumni page<\/strong>

    LinkedIn provides universities with an alumni page feature. This tool can help you find the support you need from alumni\u2014connect with people in your chosen field, contribute, ask questions, receive guidance, arrange informational interviews and     mentoring<\/a>, seek job referrals, etc.

    Here\u2019s how it works:
    1. Open the LinkedIn search function and type University of Westminster 2. Click \u2018University of Westminster\u2019<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
    \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    3. Click ‘Alumni’<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
    1. You\u2019ll see all the alumni and their profiles:
      \u2022 \u2018Where they work\u2019
      \u2022 \u2018Where they live\u2019
      \u2022 \u2018What they do\u2019
      \u2022 \u2018What they are skilled at\u2019
      \u2022 \u2018What they studied\u2019
      \u2022 \u2018How you are connected\u2019<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
      \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
      1. You can further filter any of the six features in No. 4 to find more information.

        Let\u2019s say you\u2019re interested in connecting with Westminster alumni who are iOS developers in the Greater London area:<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
        \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

        6. Now, you can further filter to reach people with your job role of interest\u2014iOS development:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
        1. You\u2019ll find 279 alumni in Greater London, 151 working as iOS developers.

          Then, filter to see their organisations. You can reach out with a customised message <\/a>introducing yourself as a current student and move the conversation from there.

          A similar alumni connection strategy is           what got Chika her first IT role<\/a> [after being unemployed for 13 months, even with a first-class degree]:<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
          \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
          1. Develop value validation projects (VVP) to showcase your learning and expertise<\/strong><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

            For example, as an iOS developer, you can build simple, fun games to demonstrate your skills. Or even complex projects like apps, personally or as a group, and document them on your portfolio on GitHub.

            Look for and solve real-life problems. Later on, when you\u2019re applying for jobs, you can use these to showcase your skills. These will look good on             your CV<\/a>. It\u2019s much better than telling potential employers, \u2018I have iOS development skills\u2019, or merely listing items in a skills bar in a CV.

            Key Takeaways<\/strong>

            \u2022 Decide early: <\/strong>Consider IT careers outside your current academic discipline and prepare to take those opportunities well before graduation.
            \u2022 Get certified:<\/strong> Gaining relevant certifications can significantly improve your employability.
            \u2022 Build a portfolio:<\/strong> Start developing personal projects to show your technical skills to potential em-ployers and provide tangible proof of your capabilities.
            \u2022 Network with alumni through LinkedIn: <\/strong>Use LinkedIn to connect with relevant industry profession-als and seek further guidance or job referrals.
            \u2022 Real-life possibilities: <\/strong>If John, from a finance background, could switch to software engineering through self-study and certification, it proves you too can, with these strategies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            ***<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Big thanks to Ita John for this useful article!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

            \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

            Remember: if you need careers support, your Careers Team is only an email \/ a message away!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

            E:<\/strong> careers@westminster.ac.uk<\/a>| Website<\/a> | Facebook<\/a> | Twitter<\/a> | Instagram<\/a> |Careers Blog<\/a> <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

            Increasing Number of UK Graduates Taking Non-Degree Roles UK graduates who fail to prepare strategically for the job market often end up taking low-pay, low-skilled, and non-graduate jobs with low job satisfaction just to survive. Many studies have found this…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":287,"featured_media":13544,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13529","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13529","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/287"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13529"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13529\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13543,"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13529\/revisions\/13543"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13544"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13529"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13529"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/careers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13529"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}