During the pandemic, the IT industry has become even more popular. However, many small and medium-sized businesses have faced serious problems - some have managed to stay afloat, while others have ceased their activities or been forced to reduce their staff. 

Over time, everyone is gradually adapting to the new realities, continuing to develop and become more flexible. If you have decided to connect your life with information technology, what direction should you choose? Most of us have probably asked ourselves this question. Excitement and fears of starting something new immediately arise.

It's worth remembering that in IT there are not only technical specialties (Web Developer, Mobile Developer, System Administrator, Tester, etc.), but also related ones (Sales Manager, Project Manager, HR Manager, Copywriter, etc.). 

Nowadays, there are a lot of video tutorials, career guidance tests, and forums that can tell you in advance which direction you should start moving and what abilities you should develop. If you have friends in the IT industry, you should take advantage of this opportunity to learn more about the features, responsibilities, and specifics of a particular specialty. It is better to consult several people on this issue so that you can compare their views. 

Of course, ideally, you want to find a job that you like, which will bring not only material but also moral satisfaction. An important criterion is natural inclination. If you are an applied scientist, you will be closer to work related to development or testing, if you are a humanitarian, you will be closer to design development or copywriting. 

To find new specialists, IT companies often run their own free courses for both beginners and people with little experience, with the prospect of employment. This is a great opportunity to try yourself and gain practical skills.

There are also special paid courses. One of the well-known computer academies, IT STEP, specializes in IT education and has branches in different cities of Ukraine. Below is a link to the Rivne branch: https://rivne.itstep.org/.

If you can't take paid courses, you can always find video tutorials from scratch on YouTube, such as this one:

• video tutorials from Logos IT Academy: https://www.youtube.com/c//videos 
• channel of freelancer Yevhen Andrikanich: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCedskVwIKiZJsO8XdJdLKnA

It is also equally important to speak English. In fact, many Ukrainian companies cooperate with foreign customers. You need to be prepared for briefings and technical documentation to be written in English. It is very important to correctly perceive the essence of the documentation, because the further success of the project will depend on understanding the professional slang. In addition, knowledge of the language greatly simplifies the job search and allows you to realize yourself in your professional activities. 

There are many free apps for learning English:

• Hello Talk - the ability to communicate with native speakers from anywhere in the world and perform various tasks to consolidate knowledge;
• Simpler - rules and exercises for learning;
• ReWord - learning English words and expanding your vocabulary;
• EWA - online courses, books and audiobooks, spoken language. 

The IT industry is quite dynamic. Every day you will learn new things, gain experience and share it. It is important to find the path in which even excessive work will be a joy. Listen to yourself, have patience, courage, and take action!