How to get a profession and a job in an IT company as a beginner

IT is increasingly being called the “new oil”: international companies are entering the Kazakh market, the state is doing everything possible to support investment inflows into the economy, students are launching startups, and universities and online schools are striving to train specialists. The demand for personnel is growing, as are developers’ salaries. How realistic is it now to learn an IT profession from scratch and quickly receive a job offer?

Financial interest

Kazakhstan ranks 30th in the world in the development of information and communication technologies. The number of local IT companies is increasing, and 2022 became a peak year for the number of international businesses entering the country’s market.

According to the Center for the Development of Labor Resources, about 70,000 employees worked in the IT sector at the end of last year. It is obvious that a 19-million-strong country that has chosen a course toward digitalization will need a larger number of professionals.

Since 2017, salaries in Kazakhstan’s IT industry have been constantly increasing. In 2022, increased competition fueled the “price increase” for professionals: specialists earned an average of $1,154 per month. The median salary for Junior backend developers was $861, while their Senior colleagues earned $2,882.

This looks good, but what if you work for a foreign company, for example, remotely? Despite the steady growth in salaries, specialists in Kazakhstan still earn less than many of their foreign counterparts. Ukrainian companies can serve as an example here. Due to a good balance of cost and quality of services, as well as their reputation, they are valued by global corporations, so even last year businesses did not lose clients or reduce salaries.

In 2022, the median salary for developers in Ukrainian companies was $3,400, according to a study of the Ukrainian IT industry. According to VP Team, IT specialists at the Middle level earn up to $6,000 per month, while Senior and Lead-level specialists earn $6,100–$8,000.

Training at an IT company

IT offers high salaries, interesting tasks, and the opportunity to work remotely. It also provides stability, as there is always a project for professionals. Demand has created supply, and in Ukraine in recent years, there has been a boom in IT education. New schools constantly launch courses and confidently promise, almost, a job at Google and a $5,000 salary within three months. In reality, it is not that simple.

Daniil Zatserykovnyy, a developer at the Ukrainian company Freshcode, warns: when choosing courses, do not be swayed by an overly short training period, believe in job placement guarantees if the program only covers basics, or ignore market trends. A low tuition price should also raise suspicion.

Daniil Zatserykovnyy, developer at the Ukrainian company Freshcode

Three years ago, I stood at a crossroads—deciding which doors to knock on to enter the IT field. The most important thing I paid attention to was the course curriculum. Why study outdated technologies and then have to learn new ones on my own? I chose the Java-Script Developer course at the educational center of the IT company Freshcode. I was hooked and dedicated almost all my free time to the classes. The culmination of the training was the successful defense of my graduation project and an offer from the parent company Freshcode, where I work now.

The company hires only graduates of its educational center for Junior-level developer and manager positions—they possess all the necessary knowledge and skills. The instructors are practicing Full-stack developers and project managers from Freshcode. Classes are held remotely, so students from Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Poland, and other countries study at the center.

Interesting projects and many challenges

Freshcode hires Middle-level specialists both in the domestic and external markets. Since last year, two developers from Kazakhstan have been working at the company. Ahmad Dias and Artem Medeushev are implementing projects for European and American markets.

At university, Ahmad Dias studied robotics. After graduating, he looked for a job in his specialty, but the task turned out to be difficult. In 2018, he joined one of Kazakhstan’s IT companies and had to learn web development almost from scratch.

Ahmad Dias

There are not many such specialists in the market. Colleagues were ready to become mentors; I only had to learn.

First, I did not pass the interview; it took me a second attempt. There are more prospects here, projects are larger, tasks are more interesting, and salaries are higher.

Currently, he is working on a large project in the biomedicine sector.

Freshcode’s portfolio includes more than 120 implemented projects for businesses in Europe and the USA over 8 years of operation. Among the most significant are the development of a system for counting Eurovision votes, a social network for students, and others.

Artem Medeushev

We have a very fast pace of work in our project; we look for and implement new solutions. I worked in the IT telecommunications sector in Kazakhstan for 17 years and also joined the Freshcode team last year. Despite my substantial experience, there are plenty of challenges. If there are no challenges, the work is boring. Information technology is developing rapidly. Therefore, you must constantly learn and improve.

According to experts, the arrival of international businesses in Kazakhstan brings both risks and opportunities. Competition is growing, and local companies need to develop and improve the quality of their products to avoid becoming outsiders. On the other hand, Kazakh IT specialists, working with foreign colleagues, can gain valuable experience, develop competencies, and in the future create local analogs and export their solutions.

Advice for beginners

Ahmad Dias believes that “entering IT” is possible; there are many untapped niches in the market, and professionals are needed. However, if he were starting his career now, he would choose training at an IT company to gain real knowledge and skills and quickly find a job.

Ahmad Dias

IT companies that create educational centers are interested in the quality of education because they are training specialists for themselves. It is important that the program includes plenty of practice so that students can analyze real cases. Therefore, obtaining a profession at an IT company is the most sensible option. A specialist with experience will definitely not be left without work, and it is great if you can gain it even during your studies.