How to get into tech

Hello and welcome to the first issue of my newsletter! if you are new to me, I'm Joanna and I wear many hats - first and foremost I'm a proud black woman in tech, a career coach, a speaker and a consultant.

I've created this space to share my experiences, provide insights, and help guide those of you who are aspirants, newcomers, or currently finding your way in the tech world.

For this inaugural edition, I'm diving right into one of my favorite topics... how to get into tech.

See when I got into tech I didn't exactly have a big plan nor was I day dreaming about getting into tech, all I knew was that you went to college and once you graduate you get a job in your chosen field, however it didn't exactly all work out like that, but I would say I got lucky and got the very first tech job I applied for. I didn't always work in the roles I wanted, but I've learned a lot and I'm going to share that with you.

Every other day, someone asks me how to get into tech and my answer has been consistent over the years.

1. First you want to identify your interest, sit down and actually document what your interests are even if they are unrelated to tech. It's not enough to say you want to get into tech, you need to conduct some research to identify the tech role that best aligns with your goals, interests and experiences.
2. Find a tech role that aligns with your interests, identify the necessary skills needed for that role - write them down.
3. Identify the skills you already have that can transfer to your desired role, then create a plan of action to learn the skills you don't have.
4. Connect with professionals in your desired field to learn valuable insights, if you are currently working, try shadowing someone from the IT department, this will help provide practical perspective on how tech intersects with everyday work.
5. Build a portfolio to showcase your work, even if it's from personal or volunteer projects. What matters is that you demonstrate your ability and employers/recruiters have the opportunity to learn more about you long before a position becomes available in their company. (Hint: LinkedIn is a great place to start).
6. Tailor your resume to the new job and start applying, highlight your newly acquired skills and transferable ones from past experiences.
7. Apply for the role you want.

And there you have it, transitioning into a tech role is a journey not a race. Take one step at a time and before you know it, you'll be exactly where you want to be.

In the coming issues, I'll dive deeper into these steps and explore other important topics around careers, DEI and tech. I hope we can make this newsletter interactive and packed with helpful tips, so please do not hesitate to share your questions, experiences and topic suggestions.