#Transitioning to a Tech Job is Easy!
So, you're working in some uninspired job right now and you want to move to a more challenging and possibly more meaningful career. What are you waiting for?
There are positions for almost every kind of person in the technology universe. Here are just a handful of suggestions to get you thinking:
| Creative | Analytical | |
|---|---|---|
| Technical | Graphic Designer User Experience Designer UX/UI Web Designer |
Data Architect Business Intelligence Analyst Developer Network Engineer Systems Administration |
| Non-Technical | Social Media Manager Content Writer Blogger Vlogger |
Scrum Master Project Manager Business Analyst Quality Tester |
Writing and communication skills combined with a collaborative and creative nature are the building blocks of a great contributor in the tech community. The idea that you need to be a genius or a math whiz in order to be in the technology world is a really narrow view. There are many important roles in the technology industry that employ very little high level math, including some developer positions.
Here are a few posts that might help remove some of the "math fear" of software development: https://www.mutuallyhuman.com/blog/2014/01/14/math-is-not-necessary-for-software-development/ http://www.skorks.com/2010/03/you-dont-need-math-skills-to-be-a-good-developer-but-you-do-need-them-to-be-a-great-one/ http://www.sarahmei.com/blog/2014/07/15/programming-is-not-math/ http://www.codingdojo.com/blog/5-myths-about-how-to-become-a-software-developer/
People often express great trepidation about making a change to work in technology. They have built it up in their minds to be something incomprehensible. But it shouldn't be. Like any other job or industry, there is a lingo you have to learn and concepts to understand. Beyond that, the skills you use here are pretty much the same as skills you use in all other jobs. I have transitioned jobs several times over the years from industries as varied as manufacturing video gaming machines to clinical research for an orthopaedic surgery center. I was able to handle the responsibilities of both jobs very well because there are a few things I do every time I change jobs:
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Connect with others in the industry - Once I landed my first tech position, I began to see a trend among my co-workers. They were all on Twitter and other sites that supported their tech community (Reddit, Github, Technology User Groups or Chats). As a Project Manager, I found a lot of connections and PM groups on LinkedIn. Over time, I transitioned away from the traditional PM role and more into a Product Owner position and I found new groups to support my new role. You can find organizations that provide support and education for your role like Scrum Alliance, CodeCademy, Treehouse, etc. Whatever tech career you are interested in, there is a huge network online to provide information and encouragement for you to transition. All you need to do is look. Once you have a few skills for a position you're targeting, it's time to start connecting with recruiters in person and online. Ask friends that are in the industry or the role you are targeting to make recommendations and then make some phone calls and set up appointments to meet recruiters. They are happy to help you figure out ways to grow your skills even if you aren't ready for a job today. Another way to get your foot in the door of the technology community is to volunteer. You can work at technology events and if you are learning to be a developer, you can probably provide some help developing free apps for non-profits.
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Connect with co-workers - If you are starting a job in a tech position, make an effort to get to know your co-workers and ask them questions about what they do every day. It will help you to be better at your job if you understand how all of your roles function together to acheive the overall goals of the company. If you are not yet in a tech position, try to get to know people in your current company who have tech jobs and ask them questions about what they do. Most people like talking about their work and will be happy to share infomation with you if you are interested in knowing more about their role. That's the approach I took. I was working in a manufacturing company in the accounting department and I became friends with one of the project managers that worked in another office. He guided me through the process of formalizing the skills I already had for managing projects into a certification. That certification helped me make a solid transition to technology jobs thereafter.
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Read articles about current trends - While you are getting connected with people and groups online, you will undoubtedly come across a plethora of articles around your new tech career. Read them. Read a lot of them. You'll soon become a source of information yourself and will start sharing it with others in your network.
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Complete training to learn more about a specific role - However you learn best, there is a place for you to do that. There are online courses in the form of presentations, articles, tutorials and videos. There are many meetups and user groups that you can go to in person to hear speakers and attend sessions (many of them are free). Countless organizations provide education for your desired position and right now the need is so great for developers and other tech positions that you can find them for free or seriously cheap. If you have the means to pay for training, there are many options to choose from both online and in person. I chose to initially do a tough certification, the Project Management Professional (PMP) via Project Management Institute (PMI). It took me about 2 years to accumulate the experience and education needed to finish the certification and it was well worth it. Since then I have completed other certifications because I find it helps me keep on track with my training. I'm not pushing certifications in general or any specific one but I am encouraging you to find whatever compels you to learn.
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Start calling yourself what you want to be - If you are studying development, start telling people you are a developer in training. If you are looking to be a social media manager, start saying that you are working on being a social media expert. No one else is going to recognize you in a particular role until you believe it yourself.
So that's it, my little secret to making a move to a new job pain free. I've used this same method over and over again to learn new industries and new roles over the years and it has worked. I guess the last thing to this list is never give up. Sometimes learning is hard and you might not understand a concept the first time you read it. You might fail at something, even spectacularly. Don't let that stop you...failure is not a stopping point, it's a learning opportunity.
Great article Deanna!