7 Simple Steps on How To Switch To A Career in Tech

Apart from the number of jobs in technology increasing in leaps and bounds over the past few years, jobs in technology are among the highest paying jobs. Technology is the future and there is not a better time to think of switching to a career in tech than now (well, except for earlier than now).

Many of the jobs you see today will no longer exist in 10 to 20 years from now just as some of the “top shot” jobs in the past, are no longer available. Remember when the hype was around being a doctor, lawyer or an accountant? So, how are you preparing yourself for the future of work?

Maybe you are getting dissatisfied with your current role/industry or you’ve been desiring a major switch to a career in tech or you have just been wondering what the hype around tech is about or what the future of work is like.

I want to, with this post, be able to give you clarity on ways in which you can switch or start a career in tech. Do read this post on career opportunities in tech, not necessarily programming to give you an idea of areas in tech that you can switch to.

So, how can you switch to a career in tech?

1.  Get a degree in Computer Science? Nope: You don’t need a degree in computer science to be a techie or work in the tech industry, even as a programmer. I have many friends and have seen so many people from different fields such as Nursing, Agric, Business, etc. switch to a career in tech. What you need is an inquisitive mindset and a passion to learn.
2.  Start attending tech events or become a part of the community: If you are not familiar with the tech space at all, you can start by attending tech events, just to have a feel of what the tech space is about and then go a step further by belonging to some of these communities(I’ll put up a post on some tech communities you can join, make sure you subscribe to the blog).

   

3. Volunteer at tech events: You can go a step forward by volunteering at these events. This will give you access to people, places and information you may not have had access to.
4. Get a job or volunteer at a tech or tech-related firm: There are many roles in technology firms that are non-techie, getting a job in a tech firm will get you used to the terrain and give you inside scope and a better insight on what part of tech to transition to. The possibilities are endless – you could pursue an IT occupation in the IT industry, an IT occupation in another industry, or a non-tech occupation in the IT industry. If you want to have a career in technology, your choices are many: you could pursue an IT occupation in the IT industry, an IT occupation in another industry, or a non-tech occupation in the IT industry. Click To Tweet
5. Determine what area of tech you want to transition to: This can be tricky and you may not get it at once, but you need to do your homework. Attend job fairs, ask questions, read, research and see where your current skill set can fit in or what area is more aligned to your passion. Also, you should decide if you want to work with a start-up, a private organization, multinational, consulting firm, etc.
6. Get trained: When you know what area of tech you re interested in, the next step will be to get trained in such fields. Training can either be paid or free; online, in-class or mixed.
7. Work on projects: It is not enough to get trained, you need to get your hands dirty with practical projects either by getting sample tasks online, working on a pet project or volunteering.
8. Bonus Point – Apply to jobs: Apparently, the aim of all this is for you to get that job right, so apply away. There are many tech openings online; do your research and start applying.

Cheers to living out your career dreams.

Do you have any questions, feedback or comments? Do share them with me in the comment section.