What I Wish I Knew Before Working in Tech (Plus Advice for Navigating It)

Over the last few years, I’ve been reflecting on my experience entering the tech industry. I entered the field without knowing much about it—certainly with no primer for navigating the industry.?

Not surprisingly, it has been a wild ride. ?? I’ve had the privilege of sharing some of what I’ve learned with others as part of mentorship programs and group discussions.

If we’ve ever talked, you’ve probably heard me say I’m an expert on literally nothing. What I do have to offer is perspective and experience, a reassurance of what’s normal and what’s not, and a realistic look at what you can reasonably expect.

Which leads me to this! Some things I wish someone had told me when I started, to save myself from headaches and unnecessary frustration. (This is just my list—please add your own thoughts to the comments!)

Strategy and goals are guaranteed to change.

Things move fast. Technology changes. The economy is up and down. Instead of expecting the strategy and goals to stay the same—to work on the same things you committed to January 1st—expect that they will change and move forward accordingly. Instead of circling, create a plan to reach your goals as they stand today, report on your progress regularly, and adapt when the strategy or goals change.?

There’s a difference between mentorship and sponsorship.?

One person will coach you to develop. The other will give you opportunities to advance in the organization and bring you up in conversations you’re not part of yet. You need both.

Not everything that you think is a priority is a priority.

This is a hard one. Especially when it comes to people strategy, which I tend to think is one of the most important things you can work on. But not everything that you think is a priority is a priority. Think you should be product-led? That you should build a partner ecosystem? That you should fix XYZ product problem?

YOU may see that as a problem, but the business/executive leadership may not see it as high of a priority. We can influence, provide a business case with supporting data to make our point, but if you don’t call the shots, you don’t call the shots.

One of the biggest things I learned about executive leadership teams is they’re looking at so much more than I am. When they look at the full breadth of the organization—at all the problems currently on the table—they have to stack rank ALL of those things, not just the problems I’ve identified. (See point below about good leadership—you need to work for leaders you can trust to make wise decisions, even if you don’t agree with all of them.)

Advancement is not only about your performance.

Of course, in order to advance in the organization, you must be performing. But timing plays a role. Org structure and size play a role. Honestly, politics play a role.?

You need to think about each of these things, and ask yourself if not receiving a promotion opportunity is a reflection of your work or the environment.

If you want to be promoted, make sure you’re having explicit conversations with your manager. Outline a growth plan. Identify goals you need to achieve. Learn the promotion process—does your company do promotions during the review process? Only at certain times of year? Can you earn “field” promotions? How frequently and how quickly do people get promoted??

If you reach all of those goals and no one can identify why you’re not being promoted, you need to ask your boss explicitly: Is this something the company is able to do? Sometimes they’re not in a position to offer a promotion or a raise, due to budget, optics, politics, etc. If that’s the case and you really want to advance, you may have to look elsewhere.

Go beyond your role—but know when to stay in your lane.

To really make a difference, you often need to be a problem solver. Build cross-functional relationships. Look beyond your role to see what else is happening and how you can improve things.?

But it’s also important to know when to stay in your own lane. As one mentor told me, “Sometimes you just need to put your head down, get the work done, and show the results.” That same mentor told me that sometimes bringing up problems and trying to solve them before the business is ready is more annoying than it is helpful. These are the truths we need to hear!

Take ownership—but remember it’s not always your fault.?

I do believe it’s important to always self-reflect first and ask: What could I have done better or differently? There is usually something.

But not every stalled project or flop of a campaign is your fault. There might be other dynamics at play. Consider those, but don’t point fingers. We need to be able to not take things personally, but continue to identify opportunities to grow.

Ask about salary bands, do your research, and be bold in your ask.?

In my first corporate job, I made $48K a year. My salary progressed quickly, but when I took my first tech job, I took what they offered that worked for my budget. I didn’t want to seem greedy, and I didn’t know what tech companies typically paid for roles.?

Long story short, I was pretty underpaid for my role—and became increasingly underpaid over time compared to colleagues. After that, I learned to proactively ask about salary bands so I could understand what the company was offering—not offer up what I was comfortable accepting.?

Another lesson here, especially if you’re a high performer and top candidate, is to not be shy about what you ask for. It’s OK to negotiate. Just remember there are people who do your job ? as well but have 2x the confidence who get paid more. Let’s strive to be the people who get paid what we’re worth.

There are lots of different company characteristics to consider.

I learned this one from Roberta D. . When I entered the tech world, I didn’t know about stages of growth. I didn’t understand that headcount didn’t equal maturity. I didn’t know what the difference was between working for a PE-backed company vs. a VC-backed company vs. a privately held company vs. a public company. I was focused more on: Is this an industry I’m interested in? Is this a role I feel confident performing in? Do I see myself working well with the manager and team?

The hard thing to know is what combination works best for you. It depends on what matters most to you—and that’s different for everyone. It’s OK and it’s normal to find yourself in a position where you realize this stage or this size or this level of maturity isn’t right for you. Sometimes we learn by jumping in and figuring out what we don’t want.?

On that note, there are problems at every company.

There is no perfect organization. You will never agree with 100% of everything. You will encounter disappointments and frustrations. It’s not about finding a company free of problems. Past your first 90 days, you will find them. It’s about figuring out what matters most to you, what you can and can’t deal with, and making your peace with the rest.?

Good leadership makes all the difference.

Yes, you want a good manager. Someone who will support you, coach you, listen to you, and advocate for you. But you also want to be under a leadership team that “gets it.” Not all executives are created equal. Some are there because they founded a company or stayed with the company for a long time. Dig into how they make decisions, their values, etc.?

Change happens from the top-down.

While you can try to be a change agent from anywhere in the org, the only way to create true, lasting change in an organization is to have buy-in at the executive level. Until your C-Suite puts something as a top priority, you will struggle to move that thing forward. People do what they’re rewarded for and paid to do. If it’s not something they’re being held accountable to, out the window it goes (not always, obviously some people are exceptions).

If it’s not a priority for your C-Suite, stop sweating it. If it’s really important to you, but not a company priority, that might be one of your signs to look for a company more aligned with your values.?

Promote yourself.

Don’t know if it’s too extreme to say this, but no one is paying attention. There’s too much going on—not just in the company, but in the world. Especially if you’re remote, you are out of sight and out of mind. Talk about what you’re working on and the results you’re producing more often than you think you should.

What do you wish you knew when you started in tech? Share your insights in the comments. This is honestly the conversation we all need to hear.

DISCLAIMER: It’s 2023, so I do not believe we still need to add these disclaimers but just in case: These opinions are my own and do not reflect my current employer’s opinions. Etc. Etc.?