How to grow your I.T career in 2026(and beyond)

2026 na!

Kung naka-enroll ka sa mga courses or trainings natin, you’re on your way.

Meron ka nang goal.

Ipagpatuloy mo lang yan at sundan ang ating mga study planner at mga resources.

Eyes on the goal ika nga.

Now, kung hindi naman naka-enroll, I’d like to give you some tips and simple steps on how you can earn more as an I.T professional(or an aspiring one) in the coming new year and years ahead.

These could be simple tips pero if you implement it, I’m 101% sure it will change the trajectory of your career in the coming years ahead.

Ready?

Let’s start.

Step#1 Acquire in demand and high-paying skills

Keeping your skills up-to-date is essential in the rapidly changing field of IT.

Dapat nag-aadapt tayo sa kung anong kailangan or hinahanap sa market.

Kasi isipin mo, most of the skills na meron tayo 10 or even 5 years ago are almost obsolete or slowly being replaced right now.

Marami ng new technologies ang bago ngayon sa I.T industry at kapag hindi tayo nag-upskill, maiiwan at maiiwan talaga tayo.

That’s why the best and #1 tip para mag-grow ang I.T career mo, in terms of financial and other aspects, you need to acquire and learn new skills.

Skills that are in-demand sa market right now and in the years to come.

Skills na highly paid.

Skills na hinahanap ng malalaking company at mga international enterprises.

Ano ano ang mga skills na yun?

Marami .

In my personal opinion, ito yung mga area na nakikita kong boom at magbo-boom pa in 2026 and in the coming years.

• anything related to artificial intelligence (agentic AI is now on fire)
• cybersecurity
• big data/data analysis
• app development
• cloud
• anything IoT related
• anything automation-related
• and of course, networking (kasi ito ang backbone ng lahat)

Marami pang hindi kasama diyan .

Yan lang yung unang mga naisip ko habang isinusulat ko itong email.

And take note, each of that area are so broad.

Mas maganda, you pick one ‘niche’ or specialization muna in the area na interesado ka and then grow from there.

For example, AI is a wide area in the I.T.

Pwede kang mag-focus sa machine learning, robotics and so on.

Agentic AI or using AI agents are so on fire and in-demand right now.

As I’ve said, choose a ‘niche’ or sub-category in the area you’re interested and then grow from there.

Ganun din sa cybersecurity.

We have pentesting, digital forensics, threat hunting and so on.

Pili ka muna ng isa, learn and acquire the skills needed, build a strong foundation and then grow from there.

The key is to learn the fundamentals first para maka-build ka ng foundation.

Go deep before going wide ika nga.

Consider earning certifications din to stay competitive and increase your value as an IT professional.

If you’re part of our premium courses and alumni community, good.

Ituloy-tuloy mo lang at sure ako you’re moving closer to your goals.

Imagine this , kung ilalaan mo yung next 6 months(or even 12 months next year) in learning a new skill and earning a certification related to that skill, trust me, it’ll bring your I.T career in the level you never imagine.

You can take courses(online or offline), training, seminars and other activities na makakatulong sayo in acquiring the new skill na gusto mo sa area na interesado ka.

It may cost some money pero like I always said, think of it as an investment(not expenses).

Isipin mo, nagde-deposit ka lang sa banko na ang pangalan ay YOU Bank Inc. Then after ilang years, you’ll get it back with interests in multiple folds.

Trust me , this is the best investment you can have to make a better future.

Now, you’re probably asking, “sir Billy, hindi ko alam kung anong path ang tatahakin ko eh. Paano ako makakapili sa mga yan?”

Good question.

Let me give you 3 simple ways on how you can choose your path para maka-move forward ka.

1. Based on your interest​
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   With those I.T areas na nabanggit ko sa taas, saan ka mas interesado?
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   Alin yung mga activities or anything related doon na nacu-curious ka or nag-eenjoy ka?
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   If you checked your Google, Yahoo or Youtube search history, anong I.T related videos or channel ang pinapanood mo?
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   Anong mga tutorials ang nag-eenjoy ka?
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   Ibig sabihin, interesado ka doon.
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   Yun yung piliin mo.
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   That doesn’t mean you’ll be in that area forever or permanente na yun. Kailangan mo lang magsimula at maka-usad.
   ​
   I’m sure kapag nandun ka na, the next step will unfold itself.​
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2. Based on your current job role​
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   Ipagpalagay na natin nagta-trabaho ka ngayon as an I.T(in any of those areas) at sabihin na natin na gusto mo naman at nag-eenjoy ka sa ginagawa mo, that means kailangan mo lang mag-upskill or mag-aral ng anything related sa job role mo para makapag-upskill.
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   As I mentioned, you can take courses or trainings and a certification related to that skill para makapag-level up.
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   Kung ikaw ay isang helpdesk or NOC at gusto mong makalipat sa Network Engineering, learn networks and earn a certification like CCNA.
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   If you’re an L1 cloud engineer, learn advance cloud technologies and earn higher level cloud certification related to that para makapag-upskill.
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   Does that make sense ?
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   You already took the first step eh, kasi andiyan ka na sa role na gusto mo. Ang kailangan mo na lang is to go up the ladder by learning new skill and earning a certification para tumaas ang value mo.
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   In proportion, I’m sure, tataas din ang salary mo as an I.T.​
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3. Based on people/place or anything that inspires you​
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   Sabihin na natin na wala ka pa rin mapili based dun sa first 2 options na ibinigay ko. You can also choose based on people/person na naka-inspire sayo.
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   For example, if you’re inspired by my story(kunwari lang), you can start learning networks and earn your CCNA to build your foundation in becoming a network engineer.
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   If you’re inspired by someone na kakilala mo or napanood mo and you think yun ang gusto mo para sa sarili mo, decide based on that.
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   For example, may pinsan kang I.T sa abroad or sa barko.
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   Or di kaya naman, gusto mong mag-trabaho sa Singapore or sa ibang bansa as an I.T, you can decide based on that.
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   Again, take note, this is just so you can get started.
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   It can change along the way and it’s ok.
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   Sabi ko nga, the next step will unfold itself.
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   Kailangan mo lang makapag-simula para maka-usad.
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   Wag ka ng gumaya sa iba na kaka-plano at kaka-isip hanggang ngayon ganun at andun pa rin(analysis paralysis yorn!).

Are we good ?

Ayos!

Now, let’s move on to your next step.

Step #2 Apply for a promotion and negotiate a salary increase

Now that you have acquired a new skill(and a certification related to that hopefully), the next move you can do is to ask for a promotion and negotiate a salary increase in your current company.

This is given na you still want to work on that job and that company.

Kagaya ng example ko kanina, if you’re on the helpdesk/NOC department, and then sabihin na natin na by June next year, you learned and solidified your networking skills tapos you earned your CCNA, you can apply sa ‘network department’ na to make a transition.

Talk to you boss or talk to someone in the network department and see if there’s any opening or promotion.

Kahit entry-level network admin or engineer lang muna pwede na yun.

At least you are in a new role and you’ll be exposed sa network tasks and responsibilities na makakapagbigay sayo ng solid experience to solidify your networking skills and learn more.

I-prioritize mo muna ang learning and gaining experience.

Trust me, in just a short period of time, lalo na kapag lagi kang ‘babad’ sa mga network outages at RFCs, andami mong matututunan at mas lalawak at lalalim pa ang networking skills mo.

By the next year, you’ll be in a new level and confidence that will make you more valuable and highly-paid.

Yan yung ginawa ko at nangyari sa akin kaya sure ako, it will work.

Of course, given na deserve mo talaga.

And take note, it can be applied in any role or area kung nasaan ka man ngayon.

Same concept and strategy.

Try mo wala naman mawawala eh.

Now, ang problema minsan with ‘internal promotion’ medyo mababa ang bigayan or salary increase.

Most of the time, meron nang existing rules ang company for that and usually it is on a percentage(%) basis.

Kaya karaniwan, maliit lang din yung itataas ng sahod mo.

Pero ok lang yun.

At least nakalipat ka na.

Sabi ko nga, prioritize learning and experience muna.

If this step will not work for you, then the best move is to look for new opportunities outside at mag-apply sa ibang company(which will be our step#3).

Step#3 Look for new job opportunities outside

This is one of the most common step na ginagawa ng karamihan(lalo na sa I.T industry) to increase their salary.

Kagaya ng sinabi ko kanina, ipagpalagay na natin na you’ve learned a new skill and earned a certification related to that skill, you can start applying to a new job outside your company.

Kadalasan, mas mataas ang bigayan lalo na kung mapo-prove mo na deserve mo talaga yun.

You can also ask your friends and colleagues na nagwo-work na ibang I.T companies if they have an opening at baka matulungan ka.

Usually, this always works.

Ang best move is, mag-apply ka muna and then kapag hired ka na(or may j.o na) tska ka mag-resign para sureball na may lilipatan ka na.

The key is to look for a new job na related sa new skill mo, na gusto mo at nag-ooffer na mas mataas na sahod.

That way you can have a higher chance of earning more and increasing your salary.

Then if ever, in the future, pwede ka naman bumalik in that company kung talagang gusto mo yung culture at yung company mismo.

Wheew!

Ang haba nito .

Pero trust me, if you follow these 3 simple steps and work hard on it, it will bring you results as it did to me and others who shared their successful I.T stories.

Disappear(meaning laylo ka muna sa ibang bagay) for the next 6 or 12 months.

Focus on learning and honing a new skill.

Then apply the 3 simple steps above.

Trust me, it will change your I.T career and your life in a way you never imagine.

This is the best time to asses yourself. I already laid out a plan for you.

Kailangan mo na lang mag-take action.

So pano balikan kita next year ?

I’m excited for your success.

Good luck!