Considering a career change? Opportunities in the tech industry are increasing, and for people who are always up to the challenge, this industry has the right balance of risk and reward that might suit your preference. Tech giants such as Amazon and Google are just two of many corporations that have gradually brought its workforce in the US alone into the 6-digit population. If this doesn’t seem like a promising industry to you, start reconsidering, because no other field can top it.
It goes without saying that the technology sector is advancing at unprecedented speeds, and although not all tech-related careers require you to be an IT or engineering graduate, finding the right opportunity in this industry has its challenges. Due to the fact that qualified professionals can be hard to find and jobs are aplenty, competition in the tech industry can be somewhat intense.
Despite the challenges, however, finding your place in the tech industry is not impossible. There are plenty of incredible opportunities waiting for you, but getting them is where things can get tricky.
If you are thinking about transition into the tech field without an IT or an engineering degree to show, brace yourself for the ride. It won’t be difficult, but it won’t be easy to get into the industry either; however, just persist and you’ll eventually get your tech-industry paycheck in no time!
Know the Industry
If the tech industry is foreign to you, but what has enticed you to go for an IT job is the potential, pay, and the promising opportunities, the first you should do is to know the industry. There are many jobs and roles you can fill in this industry, so start by getting a better understanding of what is and isn’t needed.
Try to understand how to web works, and you’ll pretty much understand the demands of the IT industry. Brush up on common IT lingo, read up on common tools and programming languages used by most companies today, and if you have time, learn how to code using free resources and websites on the internet, so you’ll get more acquainted with the new world that you could one day call home.
To succeed at this, you would have to sit in front of the computer and immerse yourself in the environment that many IT professionals are exposed to, day in and day out. Experiencing what programmers and other IT professionals feel will pretty much prepare you for the IT-life ahead. To withstand the sedentary lifestyle that many IT professionals lead, consider installing a sit-and-stand desk in your office so you can work better, or just as well as many IT professionals do.
Accept Junior Roles
The industry can be quite hard to break into especially if your previous profession was somewhere higher in the ranks. Sometimes, the easiest way to break into the industry is to welcome junior roles. For example, if you handled accounting in the past or held a senior accounting role in your previous workplace, you can break into IT-relevant financial corporations easily when you accept a starting role.
One of the main reasons why you would have to start at a lower role is because there is so much to learn in the industry, and immediately jumping to a senior role will only be a disadvantage to your personal growth. Not to worry: promotions come easily in the tech industry and you can be at a higher position in a year or two depending on performance.
Look into Digital Work Within Your Company
If you haven’t left your day job yet, take this time to explore digital work within your company. If you are in marketing, find out if there are digital marketers in your firm. If you are an art director or an artist, look into digital art positions in your workplace. Switching to IT does not necessarily mean leaving your true passion behind: because the industry is so vast, you can always find a digital counterpart of your current profession in this field. Instead of leaving your position altogether, or forgetting every ounce of knowledge and experienced you’ve gathered over the years, you can equip yourself with supplementary IT-relevant skills to go with your primary skill or profession.
Build Your LinkedIn Resume
If you want to find out what industries are looking for, or who is looking for something you might already know with some IT-related skills in the mix, consider building your LinkedIn resume or perusing LinkedIn’s job search feature. It also helps to build your presence on LinkedIn because this is the network of choice of many IT headhunters and recruiters.
If you can gracefully execute any of these career change hacks, you’ll definitely find your place in the tech industry in no time!
