IT Career | 8 Ways to Boost Your Path

Which paths to explore to boost your IT career?

Do you want to advance your IT career? Driven by AI, cloud, or data science, the Tech market is rapidly changing, making it necessary to reinvent yourself to boost your IT career. According to a Nucamp study, there are nearly 500,000 job opportunities in the IT field, with 21% related to machine learning, cybersecurity, and AI. At Weepo, as a specialized umbrella company in technology, we give you concrete ways to progress your IT career. From defining your project to the option of wage portage and skill development, learn how to advance your job in IT.

Set clear career goals

To succeed and boost your IT career, set yourself clear career goals by drawing up a roadmap in 2 steps:

1. Ask yourself who you want to be (cybersecurity consultant, data, etc.);
2. How much do you want to earn in three years.

Look for the training and experiences you need to acquire for your target job. Identify short and intensive training, like MOOCs for example. Also ask for the opinion of your family and colleagues to be advised on the IT position aligned with your skills. Focus on measurable elements such as salary and the number of open positions in a specific field to target a promising job or sector.

Develop your personal brand

Boosting your IT career is impossible without continuously working on your personal brand. To do so:

• Stay up to date: you can follow IT sector experts and influencers and contact them to benefit from professional advice and be inspired.
• Invest in a professional LinkedIn profile: polish your profile and keep it updated by mentioning qualifications that add value to your image.
• Join discussion groups: for example, join Facebook groups to gather information and advice from passionate IT experts.

📌Specific example of an IT-oriented Facebook group:
The “IT developers group” on Facebook currently has more than 50,000 members and aims to unite a collaborative community for developing IT projects.

Build a network

In addition to developing your personal brand, think about building and maintaining your network to keep up to date with everything happening in the IT market. Therefore, keep your contacts updated to acquire new knowledge and climb the ladder.

📌Concrete example of a network to join:
You can participate in the CES Tech Trends x FDDAY event in Paris, a must-attend for French and European Tech professionals. The event brings together more than 4,000 entrepreneurs every year to discuss topics like cybersecurity, sustainable tech, etc. It’s a great opportunity to network and spot upcoming Tech trends.

Develop new Tech skills

To advance your IT career, you will need to develop new Tech skills.

💡Good to know: According to Michael Andris, Senior Director at Page Personnel in Germany, the most sought-after skills by Tech employers revolve around mastering Java (for companies that outsource projects), C# (for large groups), Windows administration, and English (for programming languages).

Therefore, it’s essential to train yourself via several methods:

• Learn by doing: you can ask your employer to give you experimental assignments as part of your current role. Example: assist a project manager for a few hours per week.
• Obtain a higher degree: aim for graduate programs like a master's or PhD. Example: an MBA in computer science strengthens both your IT and business skills.
• Participate in an “IT bootcamp”: lasting 3 to 6 months, IT bootcamps can be attended onsite or online. They allow you to acquire new skills, learn popular programming languages (Python, Java, etc.), or master specialized technologies.

Comparison table of the 3 best IT Bootcamps in France:

💡Good to know: If you prefer shorter courses than graduate degrees, you can still boost your career thanks to GAFAM certifications (AWS, Azure, Google), which are highly valued in the market and backed by major tech giants.

Develop your transferable skills

Besides your Tech skills, think about developing your transferable skills to acquire a multi-skilled profile. Take on tasks outside your usual missions and routines. For example, if you are a software engineer, try assignments emphasizing communication, like presenting a problem to a client. Develop new soft skills such as resilience, problem-solving, and ethical collaboration, which are essential in AI or complex environments.

📌Example of the trio of top skills sought after today:

• AI/data science/machine learning are must-haves in the sector;
• Cybersecurity, a highly in-demand and well-paid profile;
• Project management, a set of transferable skills that stand out to recruiters.

Learn from your mistakes and ask for feedback

The IT sector is ultra-competitive and evolves at a fast pace. A single mistake can have critical consequences for your business. Therefore, learning from your mistakes allows you to progress faster in the future. For example, you can have your code checked by a teammate, which makes your code better, more stable, and strengthens your professional relationships. An excellent opportunity to advance your IT career.

As an IT professional, you need to adopt a proactive attitude, work closely with other departments in the company, seize opportunities, and take responsibility. Take action, test different solutions, and don’t be afraid of failure or to ask for regular feedback.

Adapt to technological change

Digital tools are evolving more and more, and the global Tech landscape requires continuous learning, making it important to adapt by cultivating your human skills such as:

• Curiosity;
• Critical thinking;
• Understanding human behavior.

💡Good to know: According to a World Economic Forum study, technological advances are massively transforming professional environments, and 39% of current skills will be obsolete by 2030.

A good IT professional must therefore understand why certain innovations are adopted and anticipate tomorrow’s complexity thanks to digital evolution. For example, understanding the strengths and limits of artificial intelligence, reviewing processes, and deploying AI in the company, etc.

Bonus: Consider a specialized IT umbrella company

If you want to advance your IT career as a freelancer, you can consider starting with wage portage for more security. As a reminder, wage portage refers to a tripartite relationship between the consultant (you), your client, and an umbrella company. The umbrella company invoices your client on your behalf and pays your fees as a salary, allowing you to focus on your project.

To maximize your chances of success, we recommend joining the umbrella company Weepo. Labelled as a young innovative French Tech company, Weepo is specialized in the IT sector, from project management to the design of innovative solutions. With a flexible and responsive team, Weepo guides developers, IT systems consultants, and cybersecurity consultants through every step of their project and positions itself as a trusted partner.

Take a look at Weepo's tech missions offer to learn more.

Key takeaways: Article summary in 8 points

You now know which actions to take to develop your IT career. Here they are again as a reminder:

1. Clearly set your career goals by defining your project, your target salary, and ask your network for advice.
2. Develop your personal brand by enhancing your LinkedIn profile, staying up to date, and joining discussion groups.
3. Build your networks to gain new knowledge and move up.
4. Expand your Tech skills by learning through practice, training, or participating in IT Bootcamps.
5. Develop your transferable skills such as soft skills to broaden your profile.
6. Learn from your mistakes and ask for constructive feedback from your colleagues to improve your coding.
7. Remember to adapt to technological evolution to better anticipate future innovations.
8. If you want to evolve as a freelancer, consider joining an umbrella company specialized in Tech and get started safely.

For more information, check out our guide to finding your ideal IT project.