How to does one make the transisition from advertising to information technology?

Question

I have a friend that has been in the advertising industry for 20 years or so, 10 of which he has been self-employed. He is a 'creative director', which means that he develops concepts, sells them to clients, writes copy, produces media (print or video), etc. Think Michael and Elliot's characters in the show 'Thirtysomething'.

Recently, he mentioned to me that he wants to get out of advertising and into IT. I guess my stories of [sarcasm]super-sexy work[/sarcasm] and multi-month assignments (as opposed to his day- or week-long ones) have left him thinking of changing jobs.

Problem is, he has no programming background.

The most obviously entry point are areas that build on his existing skills. I've mentioned CSS design and Flash animation.

Other than the skill-set limitations, I think he needs to understand his options and what it will cost him in time and money to pursue them. I don't thing going back to school is an option, however.

Suggestions from those of you that have made a transition from other fields to IT are appreciated.

Thanks.

Answer 1

It takes years to build a good programmer. Kids with the right motivation are getting out of college or graduating from the School of Hard Knocks every day. If I were him, I'd stay put.

Answer 2

I'd have the question of what part of IT does he really want as there are more than a few different parts:

1. Project Manager - Perhaps as a creative director he oversaw projects and can handle schedules and budgets, but this is a part of IT.
2. Quality Analyst - Testing can be a common entry point as while this does require attention to detail, there aren't a lot of technical skills like a developer would have.
3. Tech Support/help desk - Instead of trying out something, one has to handle given problems and give solutions to people.
4. Business Analyst - While this is a bit of a decoding job, his advertising background may be useful in knowing how some people would like a system to work.
5. System Administrator - If he wants the power trip of being given big responsibility and deal with possible bureaucracies.

Those are a few possibilities where he has to figure out which role he wants, what is he prepared to do to fit that role well and why he should get that entry level job in IT.