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Meet a IT Professional

We caught up with Lindsay Gardiner who has worked in the IT industry for 12 years. He started his career as a desk engineer before upskilling to a network engineer. Over these years he has encountered countless technologies and has seen the IT environment change completely before his eyes. Lindsay currently works at IT Integrity as a Network Engineer.

What courses did you study to become an IT Professional? And tell us a bit about your current role?

I graduated from the University of Queensland with a Bachelor of Information Technology. Alongside this, I have also acquired some Microsoft Certifications over the years.  I am currently working in a support role which exposes me to a large number of diverse IT environments.

Working in IT I have learnt that you have to be consistently on your toes and adapting to the ever-changing technologies and challenges that come with.  You will be learning new skills on an everyday basis as you encounter new and exciting technologies.

What does an IT Professional do on a day-to day basis?

The role of an IT professional can vastly depend on the role.  As I work for an IT company that provides support and solutions to a range of clients in differing industries, each day tends to be different. A typical day for me consists of interacting with clients; assisting them with the design phase, implementation, and support so that their IT systems are running as expected.  A large part of my role is making sure that multiple systems are integrating and sharing information with one another. This is to ensure our client’s businesses are running smoothly and as efficiently as possible.

What do you think are the skills an IT Professional should have?

For my current role, along with the obvious required technical knowledge I have identified three key skills required in a support environment.

  • Troubleshooting skills: How to identify, isolate and resolve technical issues in a logical and systematic way.
  • Research skills: New issues that have never been encountered before are always appearing. The ability to research issues promptly is a critical aspect in finding resolutions for client issues as soon as possible.
  • People/communication skills: In roles that require client interaction, communication skills are critical.  The ability to break down a highly technical issue in a way which clients can understand is important for client relationships.

What are your favorite things about working in the Information Technology Industry?

Working in IT provides a constant stream of new issues and challenges to overcome. No two days are ever the same. Particularly I like working in a support role as I enjoy interacting with clients and assisting them to meet their business needs and goals with technology. I find it immensely rewarding when I can find a solution to a particular issue a client is facing regarding technology.

What advice would you give students aspiring to work in the Information Technology industry?

If you’re looking to work in the IT Industry, you will be acquiring new skills and knowledge every day, even if it isn’t in a formal sense.  You will need to be open to new ways of doing things and be adaptable.  You will need to be able to adopt new technologies instantaneously as the technological world is moving at such a fast pace. Get experience under your belt before graduation. Take any internship you can. You’ll be surprised how quickly you can pick things up when you’re physically performing the tasks.

Thanks,Lindsay, for sharing your story with training.com.au