How to Switch to a Career in Tech: A Step-by-Step Guide
Tech is hot these days, and everyone loves the changes sweeping through them. If you’re not already working in the industry, it’s normal to consider a career in technology, especially if you’re not happy with your current employment situation.
Regardless of why you want to try a new career, there are certain things you need to do in order to transition and be successful at it. This article provides a step-by-step approach to guide you on your journey to a new, successful tech career.
1. Find a tech career that interests you
When you change careers, you must first understand your reasons and motivations. Need a more fulfilling career? Or would you like to face a new challenge?
Next, research other career options to find the one you enjoy working with the most and that fits your interests and aspirations. Some of the most popular these days are data science and software engineering.
Ideally, your research should cover the type of job, educational requirements, skills required, technicalities of the job, and job prospects. Thorough research will pave the way for an easy start into a new career by helping you fully understand the career you are starting.
2. Identify your transferrable skills
If you are looking for alternative careers in the technology industry, you need to assess yourself to know if you have what it takes to succeed in your new career. Assessing yourself means understanding your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, also known as SWOT analysis, which is helpful for your personal development. It is important to complete this analysis as it will help you understand yourself and determine the job that best suits your unique skillset.
Additionally, you can apply transferrable skills gained from your previous job to your new career in engineering. For example, if you’re moving from a management science job to data science or analytics, your ability to organize data, pay attention to detail, and interpersonal skills will serve you well. Therefore, you need to identify the soft and technical skills that you already possess, as they form the basis for the development of other skills.
3. Find out what your new career entails
Now that you have decided to pursue a technical career, you must acquire the required education and technical skills before you will be given an opportunity. You can earn a college degree for specialized, formal training, or complete online courses and certifications on sites like Coursera and Udemy, among others.
Alternatively, you can attend tech training workshops to learn the basics of your chosen profession. Technology has made it easy for you to learn about your desired tech career from the comfort of your home.
4. Develop other important technical and social skills
A tech career typically requires extensive knowledge of computer programming, cloud computing, DevOps, and time and project management skills, depending on the field chosen. Soft skills such as analytical and critical thinking, data management and attention to detail are also essential skills.
In addition, you should be comfortable using office apps like Microsoft Office Suite and Google Workspace, video conferencing apps like Zoom and Skype, and online collaboration software like Asana for project management. These skills are critical in most industries today, and a tech career requires expertise in more than a few areas.
5. Connect with tech professionals
As you build a career in the technology industry, you will find networking very helpful. Networking with other tech professionals through conferences, seminars, and workshops makes it easy for you to learn about tech careers and break into the tech industry.
Networking also helps you find mentors and experts who can help you make the most of your tech journey. Additionally, you will benefit from attending mastermind groups as you will learn from experts in your field. These benefits include personal coaching, sharing ideas and building positive habits.
You should also use social media platforms like LinkedIn to connect with tech experts and nurture your online professional network with a click of a button. A 2016 LinkedIn survey found that 85% of job seekers get a job through networking, so you might be lucky enough to connect with someone who can offer you a job or introduce you to hiring managers.
6. Align your resume with a specific role in the tech industry
You must create a resume that matches your preferred tech job before accepting a role in the highly competitive tech industry. Your new resume should cover the basics, including your education, experience, relevant technical/IT and soft skills, and other technology-related certifications.
You can also improve your resume by taking on personal engineering projects and developing new skills including some top level engineering skills to have on your resume. Beautify the document and make it visually appealing and straight to the point. This helps recruiters find the information they need to decide if you’re a good fit for the job.
7. Gain experience in your new role
To complete your transition to a career in technology, you must gain hands-on experience in the technology industry. The question is: how do you gain the experience you need for your first tech job?
As a newcomer, you can start with internship positions in technology companies to present yourself. Reach out to technology organizations that offer you opportunities to apply your knowledge while learning on the job. Make sure you learn from and document your positions, as these experiences pave the way for more hands-on experience in full-time positions.
Make the switch to a career in tech today
Changing careers can be overwhelming if you don’t have a guide to help you take the right steps in the right direction. It’s incredibly important to do your homework when deciding on a new career, and working to build yourself up in the new position will ease the transition.
Find out about career opportunities in the technical field, identify the knowledge and skills needed, receive the necessary education and training and develop the necessary technical skills. Also design a good resume that can get you the job you want. The steps outlined in this article will help you get your desired tech job and build a great career in the tech industry.