Finding your place in the tech world

Building a tech career is not a walk in the park. It requires time, patience, perseverance, and consistency. Technology is a very broad field, and a career in it is one without boundaries. It is one that is so interconnected that it allows people to easily switch or transition from one path to another with nothing more than some transferrable skills and a knack for continuous learning. To be fair, if you do not have a knack for reading and continuous learning, tech as a career path may not be for you.

A tech career can be highly profitable and successful, but always keep in mind that tech is more than just the dough. It could be difficult as well. It is not a get-rich-quick scheme; you must pay your dues. People assume you simply grab a skill and earn millions starting with your next breath. And this is often what motivates them to pursue a career in technology; they choose the one that they hear is the highest-paying. LoL.?? There’s a popular saying that goes, “Tech is blood money.” The only gimmick is that it requires your own blood. I am not here to discourage you. I’m just checking to make sure it’s what you really want.

The truth is, you don’t have to be a genius to work in technology. You may believe you are not qualified to pursue a career in technology, but give yourself a chance. I believe that anyone can do it.

Now let’s dive into how you can find your place in the tech world.

DYOR(Do Your Own Research)

Tech is broad. This means that there are various fields in tech that require specific skills, each with its glories and perks. You must conduct some research to discover the right role for you. You need to properly look at each of these skills side by side with what you consider your strengths and weaknesses before making a decision.

The truth is that there is no information or resource you will require about a specific career path or skill that you will not find on the internet. You simply need to ask specific questions about what you want to learn. For example, if you want to learn about the top ten in-demand skills in the tech industry, structure your questions as follows: “The top ten in-demand skills in the tech industry.”

If you want to learn the skills or requirements for becoming a software engineer, ask the following question:?"What skills are required to become a software engineer?"?or?"How do I get a job as a software engineer?"?If you decide to ask someone who is already in the field, try to be polite and to the point. Do not say?"hello"?or?"hi"?and wait for a response that may or may not come. Instead, use this format to send a structured message.

"Hello,?Max. My name is Jae, and I've been researching various tech career paths. I found a lot of useful articles online, but I was wondering how you knew Product Management was the right career path for you, how you got started, and how things are going. I understand if you can't respond due to your busy schedule, but I'd appreciate it if you could. "

This is a brief and straightforward message that covers the essentials while also demonstrating that you have done your homework and are not entitled to their time. Because, in reality, nobody owes you anything.

Make a decision and stick to it.

We have a wide range of tech skills like?Web and Mobile development, Product Management, Technical Writing, UI/UX Design, Product Design, Graphic Design, Data Science, Community Management, Quality Assurance, Cloud Computing, Social Media Management, Content Writing,?and many more. You can find more when you do your research. Pick one and stick to it. It’s simple. Eyes on your lane. Choose one skill and work on improving it before attempting to learn another. Juggling so many balls can make the journey exhausting and slow. When starting in tech, try not to be a jack of all trades. You can always do that in the future when you have gained experience that makes it easy to transition from one path to another with little or no additional learning involved.

Go for passion but with practicality.

It is always advised to choose a career path based on one’s passion, but some argue that passion may not pay the bills. Why not combine the two? Choose a career path that you are passionate about, or are not so passionate about, learn it, and become so good at it that opportunities can’t ignore you. The moral of the story is that it is acceptable to choose a role because you believe the opportunities are better, even if you are not particularly enthusiastic about it.

Find resources online.

As I previously stated, it is nearly impossible not to find the resources you require to get started online.?"Seek, and ye shall find."?Google is your friend; use it to your advantage.

To find these resources, use Google to search for them using keywords and phrases such as?"Where can I learn Data Analytics for Free?"?Always start with the free courses to get a feel for the material. You can decide to pay for courses once you have gained a certain level of knowledge about the skill, which will help you determine whether the course is truly worth your time and money.

Finding the right resource is critical.

Get started and stay consistent

"The greatest amount of wasted time is the time not getting started."?__Dawson Trotman

Don’t gather resources and wait for the right moment. There is no such thing as a perfect time. Begin with the fundamentals and build your knowledge and grit from there. Make a plan that works for you and stick to it throughout your learning journey. Choose a study time, say 2 hours per day, depending on your schedule. Spend more time learning if you have more time on your hands. Remember to take breaks in between. It is a sprint, not a marathon.??

Remember to be consistent.

Practice!!!

It’s in trying to be that we become. When it comes to tech skills, one of the best ways to learn is by doing. Put what you’ve learned into practice. It goes a long way toward demonstrating your progress and increases your chances of landing a job. If you are learning how to write code, start building basic projects. It helps to cement your knowledge. Many people believe that they must know everything before they can begin building, but they end up spending months watching tutorials and taking courses with nothing to show for it.

Write if you want to learn how to be a good writer. Build your personal brand by creating content for social media platforms (topic for a future newsletter). When writing and creating content, keep in mind that we all have something to teach someone else and something to learn from the next person.

Parting Thoughts??

Choosing what you might want to do for a living isn’t always an easy decision – especially when there are so many choices out there! In tech, the choice can be even more difficult, but that shouldn’t deter you from treading this path.?Tech may be it for you.

As always, if you know anyone that wants to get into tech, please ask them to subscribe to this?newsletter. You’d be doing them a solid. Also, share this newsletter on other social media platforms to increase its visibility.

Finally, if you have any suggestions for how we can make this newsletter more useful or convenient for you, please reply to this newsletter or send me a DM.?

Thank you for being part of the Everything Tech Series.??

Stay Jiggy.??