ICT CAREER HELP & ADVICE
Are you considering a short or long term career in ICT? We have discovered that many "new entrants" to the field of ICT usually find it difficult to determine a road map for themselves. In other words, the common questions remain;
1. Where do I start from?
2. What courses are more marketable in Nigeria?
3. What do I need to know before choosing this course?
4. etc. (the list continues)
To help jumpstart you, we have provided a series of articles we hope would guide you in your quest fo success in the field of ICT. Let's get started;

A. First things first
Be true to yourself and NEVER follow the crowd. There are loads of success stories from people who have made tremendous success in ICT just as there are also stories of failure not too often publicized. For instance, I have sometimes wondered how much the creators of Jamb online registration portal would be making on an annual basis. Yes, people have succeeded but success in ICT takes much more than building a portal for an organisation. Nowadays, there are apparently so many portals because the technology is just becoming easier to understand and utilize than it was some years ago.
Everybody is quick to make reference to success of Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerburg and a host of others without also exploring the personal sacrifices, traits and other non-ICT skills they had to develop in order to attain success and also stay successful. 
As with other available non-ICT career paths, the first and most basic things to have before starting of is genuine interest, passion and general knowledge. 
Dear reader, do you really find ICT interesting, challenging or both? What will you be willing to give up to attain success? Can you afford the man hours of study, demands of concentration and focus. If you don't already have the basic resources like a good laptop, books and Internet access, how soon can you get them? Are you truly passionate about ICT?  
There is a sharp difference between wanting to acquire computer skills, IT awareness/literacy and studying to become a sound ICT Professional. The former requires a single dose of interest with short term commitment while the latter requires passion, focus and long term commitment.
Passion is key and crucial! When the odds are against you, it's your passion that will sustain you and drive you to eventually succeed. ICT remains a knowledge based economy in which its participants must be willing to consistently learn, unlearn, explore and innovate. ICT is all about problem solving using a multi-disciplinary approach. Do you really enjoy solving problems using technology? it's either you know how to do IT or you don't. Those who are guessing or are unsure will eventually have to give way for those who know what to do. Yesterday's knowledge can at best, take you as far as the next day. To survive beyond, its either innovate or "die"! This is the difference between Yahoo Messenger or Facebook chat. Finally, be true to yourself. Nobody can answer this questions for you. Having a first degree in Computer Science doesn't always translate to genuine passion for ICT. Follow you heart, whatever it is.

B. Acquire General Knowledge
I once interviewed a supposed Oracle Certified DBA who had never heard anything about MySQL or SQL Server. I was literally SHOCKED to my bones. As expected, he wasn't favourably considered for obvious reasons.
If you are convinced of your passion for ICT and have already taken steps to acquire basic resources like a good Laptop, stable Internet access, etc., before you take that leap, ensure you have taken time to find out about the various fields of ICT such as PC Engineering Technology (Hardware), Networking, Website Design, Website Development or Programming, Computer Security, Database Administration, Software Engineering, etc. and exactly how they are inter-related. What are the various Certifications in each of these fields and how can you distinguish between them?
Taking a cue from the medical field, every medical doctor initially qualifies to become a General Practitioner (or GP) who should have a general working knowledge of other fields of medicine like surgery, gynaecology, paediatrics, etc. Although everyone starts of as a GP, eventually, each Doctor is expected to choose their area(s) of specialization.
The above is also true in ICT. An ICT Professional MUST understand how ICT fields are inter-related and how ICT works, perhaps better than everyone else. It is only after acquiring proper general knowledge through training and self study that an intending ICT Pro should choose what s/he wants their core competence should be.

C. Ready to Take it on?
If you have done the first things first and also acquired general knowledge about this life changing field, then you should be ready to take the challenge.