Perhaps you have long been considering a career change because of so many reasons, which can range from, job dissatisfaction, boredom, meagre compensation plans, low income to Bad bosses, stiff work environment, lack of career growth, new location—just to mention a few.
Whatever your reasons are, it is very much doable, especially now when every learning institution is being forced by the ongoing trend to digitize all their tutoring processes.
And if you are particularly interested in the tech world, then this article is for you as we will be discussing online courses or training that can launch you into the IT industry.
UX Design Course
There are several free UX design courses floating around the internet that people haven’t yet taken advantage of, probably because a lot of people don’t really understand what it is a UX designer does.
Going by the name—UX, it merely means user experience. In layman’s terms, this is simply the overall perception of what a site visitor feels.
The fulfilling experience a person feels when going through your website, how intuitive the menu is, the colour combination, the frame of the website, and most importantly—is the user able to get what he or she is looking for.
Because at the end of the day, no matter how good your website is—and the client or user, in this case, can’t find what they are looking for, it will leave a sour and bitter taste in their mouths, thereby ruining your chances of converting a prospect client.
So now that you know what a UX designer does, and if you feel you have the aptitude for this, then find yourself some free online course or paid courses. Depending on your abilities to be self-taught.
Networking Course
At the beginning of this write-up, we mentioned the phrase “online courses.” Now the word online is deep-rooted in networking. Here is why! “Networking” is the reason your internet is functional, and data can be safely transferred from one end of the world to another, in a matter of microseconds.
This is basically the nitty-gritty involved in the data synchronization between your mobile devices, tablet, computers, printers and every other device with network access to a network provider or server.
Now for networking, you can study it online, but there is a catch. And the trick is that—networking is a very volatile field within the IT industry—and on top of that, it is a hands-on discipline that requires constant handling of network hubs, switches, routers, network cables, data management centres, etc.
It is recommended that if you decide to ply this route, then you should endeavour to find a person or company to attach yourself.
So that as you are learning the theory, you are also well-grounded in the practical—that way, your knowledge and understanding are perfected.
Web Developer Course
This is a course that teaches you how to build and design your website. The best way to explain this field is by using the analogy of building or constructing a house.
We know that a lot of things goes into the erection of structures before a beautiful and finished building is achieved.
Things like foundation, reinforcement, pillars, decking, concrete mixes, are things that go on first before plastering, roofing, decorations and furnishing takes place.
The same thing goes for web development. They are majorly divided into two major parts. The “front end” and the “back end.”
Front-end Web Developer: This involves the use of programming languages like CSS, HTML, JAVASCRIPT, and DOM to build the interface that a user sees when visiting a website, hence the name front end developer.
So in comparison to the building analogy we used earlier, a front end developer is like a structural and interior designer in one. The same way the structure of a house is being designed for optimal, safe and efficient use by a structural and interior designer, is the same way a frontend developer creates the structurally and beautifully efficient website.
Back-end Developer: is responsible for the internal workings of a website in delivering the required output to the frontend part of the website.
It is responsible for arranging and stacking logical processes and functional programs that are not readily visible to the unsuspecting user.
The programming languages usually needed for this part of web development are C++, C#, Java, and other top-level programming languages which are used to program logical applications, databases, application and data integration, API and other back-end processes.
Moreso, a back-end developer, performs the task of debugging and testing of any back-end application or system.
Full-Stack Developer: there is also a third option which wasn’t mentioned earlier, as this can be described as the grey area when it comes to web development. It is the integration of both the front and back end of web development.
And yes, it is very possible to be a full-stack developer, but first, they are very rare, which is why in the tech world they are called UNICORNS, and secondly it takes years of gruelling experience to be able to achieve such level of skill—coupled with the fast-paced, and ever-changing world of IT.
You might end up sacrificing every other part of your life to be able to attain such level of competence—But heck! What do I know?
So because this is basically programming, you can completely study this online. But in other to grow faster, you should consider joining some web development community online, as this will help in resolving so many issues when you are first starting out.
Just bear in mind though, that all those years of training and getting your skillset up to an acceptable level doesn’t go unrewarded. Not only is the projection and demand for web developers predicted to grow, but their payment package is a handsome dose fat cash—so to speak.
In Conclusion
If you feel you are too busy or you just don’t fancy going back to the four walls of an institution, then maybe an online course may be a viable option for you, as you get to decide your time, it is cheaper and most of all—-it is super comfortable.
