10 things I Wish I Knew Before Getting into Tech

First things first, “working in tech” isn’t ONLY about coding or software engineering. While knowing how to code could be significant, it is about both core and complementary roles that facilitate the development of software and software tools and technologies in a tech-inclined organization or company.

For instance, a Product Manager working in a company building a HR tool may, on many occasions, not need to “code”, but has experience in building and tracking a roadmap for actualizing that software platform for the benefit of end users. That Product Manager works in tech.

As they say, “hindsight is 20/20”, meaning, in hindsight, things are obvious now that may not have been obvious from the outset, and so, evaluating one’s choices clearer now than in the outset.

In hindsight, these are things I wish I knew before getting into tech. They can also be helpful to you if you’re looking to transition to tech or, as an employer or manager trying to understand the peculiarities of new tech joiners in your company, whether as interns or juniors.

You’ll try so many things

In my undergraduate bachelor’s degree programme in Computer Science, I did an internship in a firm as a Networking Engineer. I was fully convinced this was it. Shortly after my first degree, in my master’s programme, I delved into Matlab and AnyLogic, because apparently, it was useful in many modelling projects we were assigned as graduate students.

Afterwards, I started out with C# programming on the .NET Framework, and boy, nothing was sweeter. Part of my project was based on the language.

Not to go any further, you get the picture. In hindsight, these hops were helpful in hindsight, as they gave me a broader breath of understanding of most tech stacks, from networking to programming.

If you’re thinking of getting started in tech or just starting out, keep this in mind: you’ll try a lot of things. And that’s fine. As a mentor once said, “all of tech is connected anyway”.

Just begin where you are.

You’ll fail. A lot.

This isn’t to discourage you; this is just calling out reality. In hindsight, “failing” isn’t as important as “learning from failure”. I traversed many tech areas and failed in several of them.

For instance, after trying out Networking for eons, I messed up so badly in the first CCNA certification exam I took that I started questioning my cognitive capacity. Wait, wasn’t CCNA supposed to be an “entry level” exam? I failed the exam twice and had to go back to the drawing board and tell myself, “Alright, Johnmark, this isn’t for you”.

In hindsight, you learn more from failure than you learn from success. Having the prospect of failure at the back of your mind is the first true motivation of success.

“Imposter syndrome” is a no-brainer.

Think you finally understand a concept? Wait till you meet someone who regards that concept as a “beginner perspective”.

As the Germans know, “no matter how you speed on the autobahn - the Bundesautobahn, there’s always a faster car”.

The foundation of imposter syndrome is comparison, first, with yourself - where you should be, and with others - where you think they are, relative to you. Don’t compare yourself with the games your mind is playing on you and don’t compare yourself with others.

It’s a game of time. Take yours incrementally, because there’ll always be someone better. And that’s fine. Focus on your own growth.

You won’t earn much. At first.

Someone once asked me, “where is the best place to begin in order to start earning big on time?”. I replied, “no area and all areas”.

There’s an illusion that getting into tech is the equivalent of being immersed into an unending rainfall of dollars. While that’s possible, it’s an exception rather than the rule.

By the rule, you may even need to work for free to prove your mettle. Sometimes, you may earn a pittance when you just begin. But the fact is, you’ll earn higher than your dreams, ultimately.

It’s foregoing that initial expectation that separates the wheat from the chaff - those that go on to earn a lot and those that are disappointed when the reality of their first incomes don’t match their expectation.

You may spend a lot of time doing “thankless work”.

You may spend a lot of time “working for the wind” but in hindsight, those years of doing “thankless work” becomes the foundation of your success.

What’s “thankless work”?

Say you want to go into UI/UX or technical writing, you may spend so much time building your portfolio - could be in the form of samples in design and writing. Why is it thankless? You’re “wasting” time building but aren’t getting paid.

However, those portfolios ultimately become the steppingstone for something higher - a paid job.

Do not underrate your “thankless work”. There’s no plant without a root.

You’ll always wish you started earlier.

Always.

This is the theme of regret. When you finally start building a portfolio, or writing that article, or posting those designs, or working on those hypothetical product developments or simulating that DevOps environment, there’ll always be a nagging feeling of, “this is great, why didn’t I start earlier?”.

That feeling brings despondency and clouds your judgment in choosing your path. But it’s normal. There will always be things you wish you started earlier.

Let this drive you into mentoring others down the road, who may be caught on on such mindset.

You’re your number one mentor and motivator.

Mentors are great. Every professional in every field needs one. But there’s no mentor who will be with you 24/7 to guide you when you fail or are sunken in desperation - of landing a job or increasing your income.

You are your number one mentor and motivator.

Speak to yourself. “[Your name] keep trying…keep pushing!”. Every hour or day, depending on your own frequency. Dependence on anyone in your tech journey is the perfect picture of shooting yourself in the foot.

It’s your journey. Own it.

Your growth will be slow. And suddenly fast.

I should have added “very” but let me reduce the discouragement factor. Most of your growth will be like the diagram below:

There is a primary reason for this: most of the ‘flat line’ consists of doing “thankless work” that later compounds in the future. In other words, a surge in our growth is predicated on your “thankless work”.

Again, while there are exceptions, this is the rule. Having this rule at the back of your mind makes you better prepared than someone expecting neck-break speed ending up being disappointed at reality.

You must always be ready to pivot.

Few things exemplify “change is constant” more than tech. Being “always ready to pivot” doesn’t imply always chasing the next big thing - “the shiny object syndrome”, it implies keeping in touch with the times, within a particular field.

For instance, as a software engineer, I began with ASP.NET Web Forms. But then came .NET MVC and .NET Core. Imagine I stayed on with Web Forms, I probably would have become unmarketable.

“Readiness to pivot” implies a concrete mindset to keep learning on the latest trends as it affects your professional learning journey.

Always stay learning and get ready to change what you think you’ve known, at the first sign of superior knowledge.

Consistency will be your Achilles heel and also your reward.

One failure shouldn’t make you sure something isn’t for you. To be fair, multiple failures might suggest that. But whether you fail once or multiple times, do your part - be consistent.

Winston Churchill once said, “success is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm”.

This also applies to organizations as much as it applies to individuals - “Failing fast requires a culture where the team has the freedom to fail but can learn something from each failure that helps the team succeed faster the next time”.

Even in failure, be consistent. Success is nearby.

If you have more tips that have helped you in your journey into tech, please share.