Get on the ladder: computers
How to take your first steps towards a career in IT, development, or cyber security.
Computers are an ever-changing industry, and the types of jobs available are constantly expanding as technology develops. You could be building or repairing hardware, writing code for a game, or even working in national security. This guide will help you take your first steps towards a career in this sector.
In this guide, we’ll be talking a lot about computer hardware, software, and networks. Here’s a definition of each one: 
Who works in this sector?
People in this sector work in three main areas:
- Information Technology (IT), where you’ll install and maintain computer hardware, software, and networks. This includes jobs like IT support technician, IT network engineer, and IT systems analyst.
- Development, where you’ll help to build software, websites, or games. This includes jobs like software developer, web developer, computer games tester, and UX designer.
- Cyber security, where you’ll prevent or investigate computer-based crime. This includes jobs like cyber security analyst and forensic computer analyst.
To learn more about each area and the kind of jobs you can expect in each one, take a look at our Career specialisms: computers guide.
What skills will you need to demonstrate?
To work in computers, you need:
- Problem-solving skills – people in this sector often face issues, like fixing errors in code, figuring out why a printer has stopped working, or stopping a cyber attack. You’ll need to think carefully and find solutions quickly to keep everything running as it should.
- Technical and digital literacy skills – you’ll work with advanced technology every day. You’ll need to understand how different programmes and systems work to build, manage, or fix them.
- Attention to detail – in this sector, even a small mistake or oversight can cause big problems, like a game not working as it should or a network being vulnerable to cyber attacks. You’ll need to check your work carefully to make sure everything is correct and runs properly.
- Independence – you’ll often have to complete tasks on your own, without anyone telling you what to do step-by-step. And because a lot of jobs in this sector can be done remotely, you may find yourself working from home.
- Numeracy – you’ll be working a lot with data, numbers, and calculations.
How can you get experience?
Through school, college, or university
- Speak to the IT or IT support department at your school or college. They might be up for having you help them with things like installing new software or replacing broken hardware.
- Join a coding club. Lots of schools, colleges, and universities run regular code clubs, where you can try out languages like Scratch and Python, fix basic bugs, and build mods for games like Minecraft. If there isn’t a coding club where you study already, set one up!
- Join a robotics club. You’ll learn how to design, build, and customise robots. It’s a great way to develop your technical and problem-solving skills, together with some basic coding skills.
- Do your research. If you’re taking an EPQ or asked to work on an independent project, choose a topic in the world of IT, development, or cyber security. You can use the Subjects library and Read, Watch, Listen tool to get started.
Elsewhere
- Teach yourself a coding language. Try out Python or C++ to give yourself a good understanding of how systems work. There are lots of tutorial videos online, and you can also use websites like freeCodeCamp, Codeacademy, and Khan Academy. Start with small projects, like a quiz game or simple calculator. Check out our links at the bottom of this guide for more ideas.
- Install a new, free operating system like Ubuntu Linux. Linux is a free, open-source operating system that gives you the chance to try out new things and have a play around, without fear of breaking anything. It’s also useful to gain experience with Linux as around a quarter of PCs and two thirds of servers run on Linux.
- If you’re more interested in IT security, you can look at things like Kali Linux. This is a free operating system used by many ‘white hat’ hackers. It has lots of useful security tools and you can learn a lot from it. You should also have a look at some free online resources for information security – this will help you to develop your understanding of the industry and figure out whether it’s the kind of thing you want to do.
- Build a PC. If you’re up for the challenge and you can afford it, this is the best way to learn exactly what each part of a computer does. Find out what you’ll need, plan your build, buy the components, and assemble the PC by following a step-by-step tutorial.
Use Unifrog’s Activities tool to record any academic or extracurricular activities you’ve done and link these to skill on the Skills tool. This makes it easy to use these examples in any job or education applications you make after leaving school or college.
Workplace experience
Some companies may be willing to take you on for a work placement or internship, even if you have minimal experience (see our guide on How to get an internship to get started). If you have the skills, you could offer to create or update a company’s website (charities are a good place to start).
You can also complete an apprenticeship (check out our guide on Apprenticeships in computers to get started). Some of these apprenticeships only last a year, so this can give you a chance to try out the industry and see if it’s for you.
Want to learn more? Head to the Careers library to find out more about jobs in the computer sector. And to learn more about the difference between working in IT, development, and cyber security, check out our guide Career specialisms: computers.