Looking for a job in the IT sector after a number of years unemployed

gemma188

I've been out of work for a number of years due to family committment. I have a degree in Information Technology and I'm now looking for a full time job in the IT sector. I dont want to get into coding (after not doing it for a number of years most of it is forgotten!).

Just wondering if people here could suggest possible areas of the IT sector that doesnt involve coding which I could consider? Maybe something more along the administration side or Document Controller?

Any suggestions/advice is much appreciated!

juan.kerr

I've never heard of the 'Document Controller' role in 15 years in IT. Would a firm not be better purchasing an ECM?

Mrs OBumble

juan.kerr wrote: »

I've never heard of the 'Document Controller' role in 15 years in IT. Would a firm not be better purchasing an ECM?

Youngster. I've met some - they've been renamed change-controller or similar, these days.

OP. Release co-ordinator? Change controller? Business analyst? Project manager (which could be a stretch if you weren't managing before)? Applications-analyst

You are going to find it's a challenge getting anyone to take you seriously after that long out. Do you have any networks / former colleagues you could talk to? If you're not sure, set up a LinkedIn profile and see who it can help you find.

But I gotta ask, what languages did you use? I'm told that in some locations, Cobol developers are in demand and of course no one wants to train in it anymore.

gemma188

Some interesting suggestions Mary. Thanks! Unfortunately I dont have any languages but I've my LinkedIn profile set up and some former colleagues who may be able to help!

If anyone has any other suggestions?

Mr. Loverman2

QA!

Seriously. It pays very well and if you're good at it you can have a comfortable life. But beware it is the world's most thankless job.

tk123

Mr. Loverman2 wrote: »

QA!

Seriously. It pays very well and if you're good at it you can have a comfortable life. But beware it is the world's most thankless job.

Any tips for getting in to QA? I did programming in college but have spent the last 12 years in support...and I want out lol!

Mr. Loverman2

Get experience!

http://www.freelancer.com/projects/Website-Testing-Usability-Testing/Usability-Tester-Needed.html

Do lots of little jobs like that. It will give you experience on your CV.

tk123

Mr. Loverman2 wrote: »

Get experience!

http://www.freelancer.com/projects/Website-Testing-Usability-Testing/Usability-Tester-Needed.html

Do lots of little jobs like that. It will give you experience on your CV.

Thanks!!

gemma188

Stupid question....what's QA??

Mr. Loverman2

gemma188 wrote: »

Stupid question....what's QA??

Quality Assurance. It's a more in-depth version of software testing.

Zulu

It is? ...it's the same thing, trust me. (I'm a Test Manager, with 12 years exp)

OP: test is thankless, and at times boring. You need to make sure you can motivate yourself. If you can't, getting into test will be a massive mistake. there isn't a whole pile you need to do to get into it if you are prepared to start as a junior. You just need to show analytical skill, and an ability to problem solve. It's a great help if you are a "solutions" person, since your role will be presenting problems!

Mrs OBumble

The way QA is going, though, you will likely end up needing to write code again, sooner or later.

Zulu

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

The way QA is going, though, you will likely end up needing to write code again, sooner or later.

Well there's always a need to write scripts, but I doubt it, unless you want to get into automation/tech test. In reality, (from what I've seen) TDD &/or Agile isn't working in practice; its a bit of a fad.

And as long as you have sloppy development and/or sloppy requirement gathering/documentation you'll need manual testers to provide confidence to a senior management layer that doesn't really understand the codebase.

Mr. Loverman2

Zulu wrote: »

It is? ...it's the same thing, trust me. (I'm a Test Manager, with 12 years exp)

It's not the same. I worked in both test and QA for years (also in a management position).

QA is a lot more involved, e.g. QAing specs.

Zulu

QAing specs? You mean document review? Documentation bugs? Since when isn't that testing?

Listen fair enough, call it what you like, but as an employer, I (and my colleagues) refer to them as one and the same. So it's fair to say the industry by-and-large in Ireland sees them as one and the same.

donegal11

Is QA hard to get into

Zulu

no harder than anything else in IT. Show an interest + problem solving skills + good communication + VERY thick skin!

Mr. Loverman2

Zulu wrote: »

QAing specs? You mean document review? Documentation bugs? Since when isn't that testing?

In my experience, QA is focussed on finding problems at all stages of the product life cycle, whereas testing is more focussed on actually testing the software.

But regardless, who cares, let's not argue on the internet.

We both agree they are at least similar.

donegal11

Zulu wrote: »

no harder than anything else in IT. Show an interest + problem solving skills + good communication + VERY thick skin!

Why thick skin ? would it not be the developers who need it for their mistakes :pac:

Zulu

Well, although your acting in the developers interest, improving their quality, they rarely see it that way. In reality, more often than not, they resent you pointing out flaws/mistakes in their code. Then there's managment who can think you are only being awkward and delaying the process.
And ultimately, when something goes wrong no one remembers that dev overshot their time lines, or that management decided not to run low priority testcases. All everyone wants to know is: why wasn't this found in test? Where did test go wrong?

Sadly it's rare to find developers mature enough to appreciate test, or to find companies mature enough to view testing positively. It's a thankless, thankless job.

tk123

Zulu wrote: »

Sadly it's rare to find developers mature enough to appreciate test, or to find companies mature enough to view testing positively. It's a thankless, thankless job.

Like most areas of IT tbh! . We used to have a dev department...I think if I had of gotten one of their cars squashed into a cube I'd have gotten a better response than pointing out a problem with their app to them lol!

Mrs OBumble

Zulu wrote: »

Well there's always a need to write scripts, but I doubt it, unless you want to get into automation/tech test. In reality, (from what I've seen) TDD &/or Agile isn't working in practice; its a bit of a fad.

I'm no agile fan - the most agile process I know involves writing down what you're planning before you start, so the really dumb ideas get abandoned before anyone wastes time coding 'em. And I only value "working code" when it actually does something worth doing.

But that's beside the point.

Increasingly test / software quality jobs want people with automation experience as well as manual. And as systems get ever-more complex, we will simply have to automate some testing. So I can't see much room for folks who can only do manual approaches.

The Hill Billy

Mr. Loverman2 wrote: »

In my experience, QA is focussed on finding problems at all stages of the product life cycle, whereas testing is more focussed on actually testing the software.

But regardless, who cares, let's not argue on the internet.

We both agree they are at least similar.

You are right in saying that QA & testing are distinct practices, but generally to purists. Most IT people & especially IT recruiters use them to mean the same thing these days, ie, testing. QA just sounds that bit fancier.

OP, as Zulu said - testing would be a good starting point for you, especially if you have background knowledge of the SDLC & an eye for detail.

Best of luck with the job hunting!

Zulu

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Increasingly test / software quality jobs want people with automation experience as well as manual. And as systems get ever-more complex, we will simply have to automate some testing. So I can't see much room for folks who can only do manual approaches.

Well, ironically, the more complex the system the harder/more costly to automate. And there's always an element (industry figures vary, but I tend to say) ~40%-30% of testcases that can't be automated. So there's always plenty of room for manual testers!

dubdub123

I was in IT for about 15 years as a developer, and I worked in the US for a good chunk of that time. Have been out of IT since 2009 and keen to find something again. To be honest a part time role would suit me best at the moment.. I'm based in Mayo so close enough to Galway.. Are there companies willing to take people on with a development background and bring into the QA fold? Is anyone aware of positions that could be completed from home, at least some of the days (to alleviate travel time & expense). I would think QA tasks could be sliced up in a different way to have people jump in and out to some degree so there may be space for part time people.. Any thoughts, info? Are there any courses I could look into for this area perhaps?

donegal11

You could sit the ISEB tester certs ^

Zulu

ISEB or ISETQB (?) are the must have test certs. The foundation is straight forward enough. Go for that if you are starting out.
IT you have previous experience in IT, the PRINCE2 pm cert won't hurt, but it is costly.

dubdub123

Thanks, do you have any other info on that? Are there a number of tests to sit across different areas? Any good books/online courses that would be useful?

And also, most importantly, does there appear to be work in this area, either full time or part time? I really need to get back on track with everything and feel this may be an option worth following up on. Thanks

dubdub123

Hi guys, I'm looking for some feedback regarding what are the current areas of demand on the programming side? Also, for any of us that have been out of programming for a few years, what is the best approach to upgrading skills or would employers train in house? I am urgently looking to get back into IT whether it be programming or possibly move to QA (as I was involved quite a bit in reviewing test cases, writing unit test cases etc ).
Thanks

Defiler Of The Coffin

dubdub123 wrote: »

Hi guys, I'm looking for some feedback regarding what are the current areas of demand on the programming side? Also, for any of us that have been out of programming for a few years, what is the best approach to upgrading skills or would employers train in house? I am urgently looking to get back into IT whether it be programming or possibly move to QA (as I was involved quite a bit in reviewing test cases, writing unit test cases etc ).
Thanks

Do you have C++ or Python skills? If not would you be willing to learn?

Any experience with Linux?

dubdub123

My background was in C/C++ but I'd need to brush up again to hit the ground running. I've a fair bit of UNIX experience from a few years back as I was also doing 24 hour production support as part of the development role and did some AIX admin training and fair bit of scripting. Again, I'd need to brush up on those skills or expand my skillset but I'm definitely willing to do that .