We all have skills we use every day. Yet, even in a digital world, many of us don’t have the tools and competencies we need. However, as a computer or tech-savvy person, you can use your IT skills to better your home life and further your career. Because of the introduction of new tech all the time and the transition to online services for almost everything these days, these skills are highly beneficial for maybe starting a new business, installing smart tech, and using online tools.

Transitioning into a New Career

It’s hard to find a job listing on any career site that doesn’t mention at least basic IT skills. With It skills, you have an advantage when it comes to landing a job, as almost all use IT in some way. But you can also use any specific IT skills you have to transition into a new career entirely. For example, moving from military IT comms using PLCs, switches, and industrial PCs will land you a job at pharmaceutical packaging companies that rely on all of these for process automation.

Starting a New Business

Some of the most successful businesses are the ones that use existing skills and build on others. IT skills are valuable for a variety of reasons in business, and you can think of starting a new business based on your area of expertise. There are many, but a quick glance includes:

• Using your IT skills for completing online work such as programming and tech support.
• Building custom computers for clients, such as office PCs and video game rigs.
• Writing tech eBooks about IT roles such as OSs, networking, or cybersecurity.
• Fixing laptops or devices for paying customers who cannot afford new computers.

These are all valuable roles that will use your IT skills and keep them sharp. From a software perspective, you need to stay up-to-date with operating systems and apps. As a hardware person, building PCs with the latest processors, boards, and GPUs is pretty exciting.

Use Your IT Skills to Work from Home

Working from home has become a lot more common since COVID-19 hit us a few years ago, and we were forced inside. Things have gotten back to normal now, but many people have stayed working from home. Globally, around 33% of people work from home some of the time or full-time. With IT skills, this is made much easier since many work-from-home jobs require IT skills such as using log-in portals, understanding remote tech, and troubleshooting networks.

Helping Others Understand IT

The best way to use any skill is to teach it to others. Teach a man to fish and all that! Seriously though, there are tons of people who still don’t have basic IT skills, and this also covers all age ranges. Not every kid is tech-savvy, and not every elderly person is IT illiterate. However, you can help others get the most out of modern systems by helping them understand how they work. TV, security systems, and even putting the heating on are transitioning to online systems.

Planning Your Day Accordingly

We can often have too much to do, and it never feels like there is enough time. Whether you are single without kids or married with four children, it doesn’t matter. We can all have hectic lives based on what we need to do at home and our professional responsibilities. This can also leave out the time we need for ourselves. One of the best things about IT is that it is very logical, and you can use digital apps and tools to plan what you need to get done on any given day.

Scheduling Important Dates

As an extension to the above point, online apps and tools are also excellent for planning ahead. The free Calendar app with Windows 11 can be a lifesaver when it comes to appointments. And many of these kinds of apps can even integrate into your email system, so any schedules are updated straight from your work messages. The only downside to this is you can’t really make any excuse for missing a meeting or appointment since your HR team or boss knows about it!

Setting Up a Smart Home

There are an estimated 300 smart homes all over the world. The technology used in smart devices is becoming easier, and anyone who understands how Wi-Fi and Bluetooth work can begin learning. Yet, as an IT professional with skills, you can make the most of smart devices:

• Begin by installing smart lighting solutions to save time and money.
• Consider installing smart plugs that can be switched off remotely.
• Control your thermostat remotely with smart apps to save money.
• Create a seamless entertainment experience with smart speakers.
• Use media streaming devices to play movies and TV to any device.
• Secure your home with devices such as smart locks and video doorbells.
• Buy smart-capable appliances moving forward for better control.

Just using smart lighting is very convenient for anyone, and any device can be a massive help for people with mobility issues. Using either a smartphone or voice control, smart devices can assist you with almost anything, such as a morning routine for coffee, heating, and a shower.

Keeping a Wellness Routine

Further to routines, knowing how certain apps or devices work because of your IT skills can help you create, develop, and stick to a wellness routine. Some of the first apps were focused on wellness, and there are many that can help you today, such as Headspace. Yet you can take it further using devices like FitBit to track progress towards certain health and fitness goals. You can also get more rewards from this by helping others set up their health and fitness devices.

Saving Money with Computer Upgrades

Almost all of us need a computer of some kind. However, they are expensive devices that come with many issues. The more powerful the machine, the more expensive it will be. However, learning how to build your own will save you a ton of money. You can build a PC at a quarter of the price from a store. But you can also upgrade as needed instead of buying a new one or voiding a warranty. Having IT skills will make it much easier to understand this new niche hobby.

Communicating with Family and Friends

Did you even know about Zoom or Teams before COVID? Many of us had never heard of them, and while some offices used them, they were used rarely. Lockdown events exposed the entire world to remote calling apps either for meeting virtually for work or to drop by and say hi to our loved ones. Having IT skills makes it much easier to understand how these systems work and what is needed to make them work well, which you can use either at home or at the office.

You Can Use Your IT Skills for Safety

IT skills encompass more than being able to use electronics and computers effectively. There are also many practical skills that come with IT knowledge. One of these is cabling. Sounds boring, and it is. But you know what it also is? It is very safe. In the UK alone, over 1,000 accidents per year are caused by electrical shocks. Unsecured cables will contribute to this. But of course, there’s also the issue of understanding online safety and cybersecurity problems.

Using Computers for Entertainment

For the most part, people use their computers for a bit of work and tons of entertainment. This is often playing games on a laptop or PC or console gaming. However, you can set up entertainment hubs when you have the IT knowledge to bring multiple devices together:

• Connecting multiple devices for complete systems across the home.
• Streaming movies and music from your computer to TV via multimedia servers.
• Using video game streaming apps such as PlayStation and Xbox on one device
• Get alerts to new videos from your favorite YouTubers as they are uploaded.

More and more entertainment services are transitioning to the “as a service” model, including games. And this means more and more subscriptions and devices. But with savvy IT skills, it is possible to minimize how many of these you need and integrate multiple systems into one.

Taking Online Classes

It doesn’t matter how basic or advanced your IT skills are; you will need them for certain things. You may even want to learn more about IT systems and decide to enroll in an online course. For this alone, everything will be done remotely. This means you will need to understand remote systems, and believe it or not, many people still struggle with account creation and logging in. Therefore, you will need to use your online skills to further your existing skill set for your career.

Summary

Making the switch to a new career or even starting a new business will require that you use your IT skills, no matter how basic or advanced they are. This is especially true for some sectors, and even if you must work remotely from home. Yet having IT skills can also be a massive help in general and can help you set up a smart home, plan your day and schedule, and even configure your home devices into a single entertainment unit for convenience and saving time and money.