VocabularyBasePractice words

Meaning & use

IT career

noun·Everyday

Last updated

UK/ˌaɪ ˈtiː kəˌrɪə/
US/ˌaɪ ˈtiː kəˌrɪr/

Meanings

  1. nouncountable

    a job or professional life working with computers, networks, and software systems.

    Grammar: Countable: you can say 'an IT career' or 'IT careers'. Often used with 'a' or 'in': 'a career in IT'.

    Patterns

    • an IT career
    • a career in IT
    • start an IT career
    • pursue an IT career

    She left teaching to start an IT career.

    He is taking evening classes to build an IT career.

    An IT career can involve fixing networks, writing code, or managing data.

  2. noununcountable

    the general field or industry of information technology as a place to work long-term.

    Grammar: Used without 'a' when talking about the field in general: 'a career in IT' or 'IT careers'.

    Patterns

    • a career in IT
    • work in IT
    • the IT industry

    Many young people want a career in IT because jobs are growing.

    After ten years in IT, he became a manager.

    The IT industry offers remote work and good pay.

Word forms

pluralIT careers

Common combinations

start an IT career
He started an IT career after getting a certificate in networking.
pursue an IT career
She decided to pursue an IT career instead of going to law school.
a career in IT
A career in IT can be very rewarding if you enjoy problem-solving.
IT career path
The company offers a clear IT career path from support to management.
IT career opportunities
There are many IT career opportunities in this city.

Synonyms and how they differ

tech career
'Tech career' is broader and more informal, covering startups and hardware as well as IT support and systems.
computing career
This is more formal and often used in academic contexts; it focuses on computing as a discipline rather than the industry.

Word family

IT noun
information technology; the use of computers to store and send data
IT support noun
a job helping people fix computer problems
IT department noun
the part of a company that manages computers and networks

Commonly confused: IT career or career? IT career or IT?

IT career vs career

'Career' alone means any long-term job path. Adding 'IT' specifies the field, so 'IT career' is not the same as 'career' in general.

IT career vs IT

'IT' is the field itself; 'IT career' is the personal job path within that field. You can work in IT without having a planned IT career.

Practice

Which sentence uses 'IT career' correctly?

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “IT career”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Your sentence stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.

Explore more words