IT industry

James McNamara (29) Infrastructure Manager, Accenture

How did you get into the job? I studied Computer and Mathematical Science in Galway, Ireland. I found my first job as a programmer before I'd even left university. It was at the beginning of the Dotcom boom which made finding jobs very easy.

Job history: I stayed in my first job, programming an operating system for mainframe computers, for two-and-a-half years. I then decided to work as a contractor and got a job programming for a small internet firm. Contracting meant I trebled my salary. I decided to move to London but it wasn't the best time as the IT industry had just gone belly up. It took me three months to find my current job with Accenture.They sent me to New Jersey, USA to work on a software product that allowed insurance companies to quickly process claims. I worked on that project for four months. I have since worked on the Nectar Card for Sainsburys and a product that allows Lloyds TSB to open an account for somebody within 20 minutes. I'm currently working on a project for Lloyds TSB that enables cheques to clear faster.

Best/worst bits: Working in a team of people that are conscientious and good at their jobs is good. The money is a great part of the job. The downside is that I often work long hours towards the end of a project. Sometimes this means working weekends too, which can affect my social life.

Advice for wannabees: I took the first job that came to me and I think it would have been better to research what individual companies do; so do your homework. It depends what you want out of a job; if you want to stay on the technical side then research a company that works in that field.

CV essentials: Most people who work in IT do have a degree, but it isn't essential to have a degree in IT or computer science. At my company the head of one of the big areas has a degree in Classics. Going to uni will also improve your people skills. If you don't have a degree it's possible to enter the industry via another route, for example working on an IT help desk and moving up the career ladder as you learn.

Application process

There is not really a single recognised route into the IT industry. If you have a company in mind find out if they run a graduate training scheme. Most of the big national recruitment agencies advertise IT jobs. There are also a number of IT specific recruitment agencies, and several newspapers carry IT sections that will advertise jobs.

Job description

Jobs in IT vary from working on the technical side to managing projects like James does. As an Infrastructure Manager, James will visit the client, find out their requirements and then translate that into what software is required. Technical staff, like programmers, will then build the application. As a manager James acts as the first port of call for any problems that may arise.

Skills/experience/training

IT interacts with almost every other industry so your qualifications could take you anywhere. This also means that there is plenty of choice at every stage of your career and you can easily move to a different job if the first one does not turn out to be your cup of tea.

You might want to think about doing some work experience. Not only will you find out if IT is for you but it also will give your CV the edge.

Personality/Who would it suit

Working in IT would suit somebody who is determined and patient, has good communication skills and is prepared to put in lots of hard work.

Career prospects

IT is moving into more areas of everyday life, which is good in terms of availability of jobs. There are lots of different roles you can go into. An entry-level programmer can expect to be paid upwards of £22,000. When you get to managerial level like James you can expect a salary of around £70,000.

If you work on the technical side then you will probably hit a salary ceiling unless you move into a more managerial role. IT is such a dynamic, young industry that job security is more dependent on what company you work for. A bigger company will give you more security than a smaller start-up.

Got a career you want us to cover? Just let us know and we'll do our best to include it in this section.

by Liz Scarff