IT SEcurity pofessional looking for career change into web development

[salv236]

Dear members,

I am relatively new to the forum, I currently do not know where to turn, i am 35 experienced in IT Security although this is not what i really want to do, im interested in web development/design and know some HTML whats currently blocking me:

No experience.
Limited skills.
No network contacts in the field i want to get into.

Can someone guide me on how to approach the career change?

Thanks & Best Regards

Salv236

[stultuske]

take courses, build up your experience.
'some html' won't get you far. start learning HTML5, the latest css, ....
and understand that a lot of companies are using other languages/frameworks for their applications. the one web developer isn't the other.

start building a 'portfolio' of sites you've created, preferably with different languages. if you know several languages, your value on the market 'll be higher.

[chrishea]

There is a certain amount of natural ability and interest required. Not everyone is suited for this type of work. If you take some courses or do some learning on your own, you will start to see if it comes to you easily and if you enjoy doing it. If so, then you will need to decide where to focus to start building your skills and knowledge. I am assuming that you will want to do more than just develop web sites in HTML because that would severely limit your job prospects.

You have already narrowed it down to Web Development but it isn't clear what crieria that you used for this. There are still a lot of developers doing mainframe / desktop development and many others working on programs for phones and tablets. If you want a job in development in the area where you currently live, then you should probably do some research on which companies have local development shops and what kind of people they hire. By "what kind" I mean both their specific knowledge of languages, development methodologies, frameworks and so forth as well as what formal training they are expected to have (e.g. College or University). Understanding what the companies in your area are mainly looking for will help you decide if web development is the right place to focus/start. It can be difficult to get the first job without any formal experience so you'll want as much info as you can on which companies are more likely to hire beginners. As a career changer some companies might see that as having some benefits (work experience and maturity) but it might also be a problem in that you might have to take a pay cut to do it. You can look at ads for developers to see what they are asking for. Colleges and Universities should have people familiar with your local job market so they should be able to give you some input on who the employers are and what they are looking for.

If I was in your shoes, I'd first determine if development was something that I really liked to do and could be very good at. As a career switch, it may not be sufficient to just be OK at it. There are lots of free resources for learning and you can easily install free development facilities for the desktop and/or the web and start spending your nights developing. I'd start with an interpreted language because it makes it simpler. This will take some time. You need to develop and try out your logic design and debugging capabilities. You can get some help and maybe some feedback on how you are doing from people on sites such as this one.

You will probably need to get some formal training. Without it, you may find it difficult or impossible to get through the door with any employers. It wouldn't stop you from doing things as an independent entrepreneur but that is a difficult path, even for someone with all of the right skills and experience.

If you have an in-depth knowledge of IT Security then a career adjustment may be easier than a total career change. If you were able to find employers that develop security / auditing software, then you would be able to leverage your existing knowledge. You should be able to find companies that do this through your IT Security contacts.

Good Luck.