When you finish studying for IT, it can be tricky deciding what to do next. Here are 5 reasons to launch your IT career in London…
You’re close to finishing school or have just graduated, and the question that’s uppermost in your mind is where to begin your tech career. In our opinion, the best place for an IT graduate to live, work, learn and grow is London – no contest. Here are the top 5 reasons to launch your IT career in London and consider this exciting and unique city as your starting point.
Live at a Global Destination
London is a hub of commerce, art and fashion, a cutting edge city and an incubator of global trends. Many of the world’s largest and most successful corporations have headquarters here. Tech startups like BenevolentAI and Blippar are among the successful UK startups in the fields of artificial intelligence and augmented reality. These tech companies have “unicorn” status, being valued at over £745 million each.
London is home to hundreds of other tech startups, and the city hosts the Internet of Things Tech Expo each April, a conference that brings together IT experts from around the world. The city’s culture is also world-class. You can experience the internationally famous Chelsea Flower Show in the spring, and in the fall, the London Film Festival draws attendees from across the globe.
Meet All Kinds of People
Over a third of all Londoners come from outside the UK, and the city is home to native speakers of around 200 different languages. Some of them begin their London adventures as students, while others are drawn to the city for its opportunities. Living and working in London will not only broaden your own worldview but will give you the cultural competence that today’s major employers expect.
There are dozens of outdoor festivals in the city that highlight the abundance of cultures here. From Chinese New Year to St. Patrick’s Day, you’ll experience the best of diverse traditions. Interestingly, many Londoners prefer to identify with the city than with their countries of origin. Data shows that “this sense of identity cuts across class, race, and age boundaries far more evenly than English identity.”
Be a Part of a Living History
Launching your career here means you’re a bus or train ride away from places that some people only dream about seeing. Besides the usual attractions, in London you can visit an authentic Museum of Curiosities that feels like it belongs in a Harry Potter novel. If you’re in the mood, you might also stop at the outdoor flying trapeze school that’s held each summer at Regent’s Park.
The Eel Pie Island nature preserve and artist’s retreat is open to the public for a few days each year. This private island was a counter-culture musical destination in the 1960s. A new museum in Twickenham chronicles Eel Pie Island’s mid-century dalliance with rock-and-roll greats like The Kinks, David Bowie and The Rolling Stones. Everywhere you turn in London, you’ll encounter landmarks and reminders of the incredible history of this unique city.
Learn to Be an Expert Bargain Hunter
Living in a mecca for tech, finance, art, film, dining and so much more isn’t cheap, and it takes some ingenuity to find an affordable place to live. However, young professionals and recent grads can find house share opportunities at reasonable rates. There are advantages to this type of arrangement, like living closer to the city centre or in a nicer neighbourhood. House sharing can also be an opportunity to make new friends more quickly.
Luckily, transportation is affordable in London, via The Tube, light rail, bus and tram. The Tube is the most inexpensive and efficient way to travel, with stops that are only a 10-minute walk from each other and trains that run from 5 a.m. to midnight. Buying an Oyster card saves money on just about any public transportation within the city limits.
Be Where the Action Is
You’ll never run out of things to do in London, and you’ll never want for a cup of tea or a pint of beer – making this one of our favourite in our 5 Reasons to Launch Your IT Career in London. There are dozens of museums and art galleries, and many of them are free to the public. You can also indulge your taste buds in the frenetic West End with just about any kind of food or beverage. If the outdoors is your thing, you can try rollerblading at Battersea Park, swimming or kayaking at multiple locations, or taking a spin on one of the city’s municipal bikes. London boasts four Top 40 universities, the most of any city worldwide. If you pursue an IT career in the city, you may find an employer that’s willing to pay for continuing education. There’s a wealth of online training available for working professionals in tech fields like cyber security, database administration and programming. You can even train in more esoteric fields such as machine learning and ethical hacking.
A World of Opportunities in one Great City
London is truly a melting pot of ethnicities, political views, classes and cultures. It’s an ideal place to launch your tech career with its global atmosphere and unlimited opportunities for growth. Besides the career and educational benefits, it offers you a chance to meet a wide range of people while living in one of the world’s most exciting cities.
What do you think of our top 5 Reasons to Launch Your IT Career in London? Let us know in the comments below!
