[austin-cheney]

In IT there are three highly generalized routes to consider:

* Low barrier of entry jobs, like most web developer jobs. Good luck, it’s a race to the bottom but it’s also where most of the jobs are. The goal here is to pad your resume with nonsense and compete with hundreds of other people that are also padding their resumes.

* Jobs that require licenses and/or certifications. These will be jobs like cloud infrastructure support, cyber defense, routing/switching, project management, and operations. These jobs are harder to qualify for and are fewer than the prior bullet point but are a much safer bet and tend to pay more.

* High talent jobs, which include the gaming industry and more engineering type jobs. These jobs are the fewest and not as secure as the prior category. They also are the most variable in compensation, but they tend to be the most fulfilling for people with high intelligence or high creativity.

Know which way you want to go because the means to achieve these jobs differ radically.