Transitioning from IT to HR: How Can I Leverage My Experience and Find Opportunities?

Hi all, I am an IT developer with 6 years of experience in Java/J2EE with a reputed organization in Pune. However, now I want to shift my career towards the HR field. I have also completed a one-year certification course in business administration from a reputed institute.

Career Transition to HR

I am not sure what kind of job I can apply for, what opportunities and packages to expect, and how my current experience will be valued in this new field. I am also unsure how to build my profile to approach companies.

If anybody here can guide and help me in this regard, I will be really grateful. Any insights anyone has will be appreciated.

Thanks,
Nilesh

Coming to your query, please elaborate on the reasons why you want to shift—a lot will depend on those aspects, especially since you are in a field where you should be doing well career-wise.

Regards,
RS

After working as a software engineer for many years, I have found that I am more interested in administrative and people management. My technical experience will be helpful for me to address the problems faced by people working in this field. I feel that I will grow faster in the HR field.

I understand your predicament and viewpoint. There are two ways you can look at your situation—and consequently, the action plan for your future.

1. You can continue to work in the technical line and focus on people management aspects—more of becoming a Program Manager as you go along.

2. You can move to HR (how is to be decided) and focus on the HR aspects with a technical ground knowledge. Please note that in this case, your contact with the latest technologies will decrease by the day—you need to be ready for this scenario in your career. You also need to be clear regarding another aspect—the monetary. Salaries as well as salary raises for software professionals are much higher than HR people—you need to be mentally prepared for it. There is no point regretting later in your life when you experience this aspect the hard way.

Making an Entry into the HR Field

Maybe you could do an MBA course with HR specialization and then make the shift. There are many such cases in most of the reputed colleges/institutions where people changed their career course after the MBA/PGDM, through the campus-hiring route.

You are right about using your technical knowledge/experience to your advantage in the HR line—I can vouch for it, having the same combination myself.

Regards,
TS

Thank you very much for your valuable inputs. I have a doubt regarding an MBA course in HR. Will a part-time or distance learning degree hold any value when job searching? I cannot afford to pursue a full-time course and leave my current job. Please let me know your thoughts. Thank you.

Choosing the Right Path for Your MBA in HR

Regarding where to do the MBA-HR, it depends on your priorities and circumstances. Like I mentioned in a few earlier postings for different queries, I repeat the quote: "In nature, there are no rewards or punishments, only consequences." So too in your case—there would be consequences for any option/choice you make.

Option 1: Part-Time/Correspondence MBA

Option 1 would be to do the MBA in some nondescript college through part-time/correspondence—just for the sake of the degree. The pros here would be: you have the comfort of an ongoing job with the associated financial comfort level and studying as per your convenience. The con would be the apprehensions you mentioned. While degrees from such institutions can't be said to have 'zero-value,' they surely have lesser value than the degrees from established institutions.

Option 2: Full-Time MBA from a Well-Known Institution

Option 2 would be to take a sabbatical from your career (depends on your financial/family situation) and do a full-time course from any well-known institution—through GATE. The cons here would be zero earnings for the duration of the degree and some amount of dislocation of life in general. The pros would be an assured future based on the degree you earn—since such institutions would invariably have campus recruitments. Whatever you may lose in terms of lost salary for this duration would be recouped then. Some such colleges also have financing options with bank tie-ups for the high cost of the study.

The choice/decision, finally, would be yours, since it's your career.

Regards,
TS

Hi Nilesh,

Just wanted to ask whether you were successful in changing your career. I have 4 years of IT experience, and then I pursued my masters in Human Resource Management. Now, I am looking for jobs, but it has become quite tough to start my career. I would appreciate any tips you may have.

Thanks,
Shravani