Out of IT's comfort zone

A degree in Computer Science is a prelude to an exciting career, which may develop surprisingly far from your major field of interest. Most IT professionals realise they have excellent analytical and problem-solving skills, but stepping out of their comfort zone remains a distant possibility they prefer not to consider. Nonetheless, thousands of opportunities await them outside the IT world. Do you need examples?

Banking

Financial and IT services are the drivewheels of modern economies and attract the most highly-qualified experts. Although the cooperation between them has always been profound, individuals working for them hold a view of complete and utter separateness of the spheres. However, if one can join Google with a degree in literature, why can’t a programmer be employed in a bank? “Nothing stands in the way” is obviously the right answer. In many Polish banks the outsourcing model is not operating anymore and institutions establish their own IT departments within their structures, which guarantees close cooperation. Anything else? Software houses are relatively fresh on the Polish IT market, but the popularity of Scrum technology has also made them quite common. Banks may use software house services to create dedicated programs with the use of modern business analysis tools.

Consulting

Giving advice does is not restricted to business only. While consultants work on finding the best solutions for their clients, IT experts are there to help them create and implement them. Technology can successfully get any company through transition, merger or acquisition. Such jobs can be challenging and refreshing for those slightly bored with their original industry, as they allow for switching from one functional area to another, e.g. operations or marketing.

Accounting

Working in accounting may not be the first thing that springs to a fresh IT graduate’s mind, but it is definitely becoming a trend now. Many jobs in the field require Computer Science degrees instead of Business or Accounting university programmes. Some colleges have even introduced new courses called Accounting and Information Systems. As the days of paper and pencil are now buried in the past, all sorts of calculations are to be done with the use of information technology, and it is high time accountants got familiar with it.

Investment

While investment funds are developing, they rely heavily on technology. Facilitating trading and monitoring activities is crucial for constant improvement, which makes IT experts in-demand. Investment banks tend to either recruit them into specific roles, or assign them rotational jobs within company structures, so that IT graduates may be able to give this new area a try. Even if you are a technologist with little or no background in investment funds, you may easily gain knowledge, which may be beneficial in the future.

Marketing

Technology is key to every modern marketing strategy. Marketing experts are able to understand customers, but it is IT’s invaluable role to add its steady approach to the combination. Security regulations and practices may be one of the most useful things for marketers dealing with personal data chunks, while generally establishing proper infrastructure for marketing processes is also crucial. Marketing is in need of tools and applications that can be delivered thanks to technology.

Our expert

Michał Całka

Infrastructure Tech Analyst at Citi Service Center Poland

The main difference between IT activities in a bank and other fields is the high responsibility for our customer’s finances. As our infrastructure and services are used by millions of users per day, the quality of provided service needs to be at a highest level. This allows us to ensure that our customer’s data becomes integral and secure.