Learn Tech Skills at Home IT Career Center

Learning via tutorials and study guides is probably the most universal approach, as we’ve all encountered this learning style in high school. There are a few ways you can learn IT on your own – and many of them include expert instruction and support. You could participate in an online course, you could self-study with tutorials and study guides, or you could earn an IT certification. Download our free training plan worksheet to help get organized and make your dream a reality. After discovering the what and how of the network, you can then delve more deeply into networking. For example, you can download one of the many network scanner apps on your phone, such as Network Scanner, shown in Figure 5.

Use the CompTIA A+ exam objectives – which you can download for free – as a road map for the skills you’ll need to get a job at the help desk or in tech support. CompTIA certifications cover the skills needed for IT job roles and are developed by IT pros who know firsthand what those skills are. Because tech is basically everywhere, you can learn tech skills and practice at home with equipment you may already have whenever you have time. And knowing how to set up a computer network – even when it’s just your home lab – is one of the skills you’ll need for your first IT job.

How to Test What You Learned About Information Technology

Remember, you don’t have to know all the answers – you just have to know how to find the answers. Information technology drives much of what we do in our personal and professional lives. It is the foundation of our communication, technological advancement, innovation, sustainability and recreation. We use information technology on a personal level
to connect and communicate with others, play games, share media, shop and be social. As with computer science, you can work in IT without a background in data science — but it’ll definitely open the door to more opportunities.

• If there is specific program you want to learn – whether it’s part of CompTIA A+ or mentioned in a job description you’ve seen – you may be able to sign up for a trial.
• So, you’re thinking about launching a career in information technology (IT)?
• If you are considering learning more about information technology, you might be wondering how long it will take you to develop new skills and knowledge.
• This can be useful for replying to the message more easily or entering the data into data processing and management systems.

That’s why one of the most important things you can do throughout your studies is to take notes. The Linux system is experiencing a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack. The red cone you see is showing a massive amount of web (HTTP) traffic. If I somehow “break” that Linux system, my Windows 10 host system is completely unaffected.

Hands-on learning

Using these forums can provide you with a different perspective and give you access to a wide range of information technology resources. Studying for long periods without breaks can be counterproductive and lead to burnout. Instead, break up your study sessions into manageable chunks, and make sure to include breaks in between. For example, you can study information technology for 45 minutes and then take a 15-minute break. Once you understand the structure of your course, the next step is to allocate time for each section.

But buyer beware that if you provide your credit card info and forget to cancel before your trial period is up, you could incur a fee. There are a variety of IT certifications that can help you break into an IT field. CompTIA provides vendor-neutral certifications, which means the skills covered by our certifications
prepare you to work on any vendor’s products. Information technology is used by everyone from enterprise companies all the way down to one-person businesses and local operations. Even flea market sellers use smartphone credit card
readers to collect payments and street performers give out a Venmo name to gather donations. If you use a spreadsheet to catalogue which Christmas presents you bought, you’re using information technology.

IT Industry Certifications

As a rule of thumb, if it’s more than 3 years old, you might want to reconsider. And while free materials are great, some of the best content partnership with Gyfted comes with a price – keep that in mind. Explore training developed by CompTIA with options that fit various learning styles and timelines.

No matter how you do it, get as much hands-on practice as you can with your newfound tech skills. It will help you go into your CompTIA A+ exam with confidence and succeed in your IT career. Keep reading to learn more about how to set up a home lab, how to approach your learning and five tech skills you should learn to get into IT. If you want to get started in information technology, IT certifications provide a foundation of knowledge, test for specific skillsets and let you showcase your technical skills. The beauty of a career in IT is that you can begin without a formal education and work your way
up or choose to expand your skills as you see fit. However, most businesses will consider the primary responsibility of the IT department to be administering technological and networking solutions throughout the organization.

Operating Systems and Applications

These new skills paired with some hands-on experience is what will get you an interview and eventually win you the job. On the other end of the spectrum, many exams will require six to twelve months to prepare for, but provide certifications that can prove qualifications for high-level IT roles. These exams tend to be more specialized and focus on specific technology from Microsoft, Cisco and AWS, among others. Some of these exams include the Cisco CCNP Routing and Switching exam, CCNP Security exam, CCIE Data Center exam and CCIE Wireless exam. And if you choose to learn information technology online, you can save time and money.

Make sure to identify the information technology topics that require the most attention and allocate more time to study them. On an Android phone, some things may be stored on the phone itself – that’s internal storage. Other things are stored on the microSD card – that’s external storage. For example, Figure 2 below shows the Termux app on my Android phone.

Before you start creating a study plan, it’s important to understand the structure of your information technology course. This includes the amount of time you have to complete the course, the course syllabus, and the assignments and exams you’ll need to complete. Once you understand these details, you can create a plan that ensures you stay on track.

Whether you prefer self-study or classroom training, CompTIA has you covered. Udemy, an online course provider, offers classes for beginners covering SQL, app development and software engineering – just to name a few. CompTIA Live Online Training is an instructor-led program that brings the classroom experience to you. Live Online Training students receive hands-on test preparation from industry-leading instructors while also being able to engage and discuss materials with peers in real time. It’s a good idea to get foundational knowledge first and then build on those certifications once you’ve identified your areas of interest. Here are some of the easiest fields to enter in information technology, most of which can be accomplished without a bachelor’s degree and will have readily available job openings.

Our learners work at

Information technology (IT) is the use of computer systems or devices to access information. Information technology is responsible for such a large portion of our workforce,
business operations and personal access to information that it comprises much of our daily activities. Whether you are storing, retrieving, accessing or manipulating information, IT greatly impacts our everyday lives. Learn what to expect from a DevOps job interview, including questions that may be asked how to best respond, and how our courses can jumpstart your DevOps career. Businesses use it to manage their daily operations and collect, store, and analyze data about their clients and customers.