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4 Min Read
Published
January 26, 2022
Author
Tom Taraniuk
Hearing about everyone working from home (or remotely) nowadays may make you wonder how you can enjoy the same lifestyle: waking up and having a slow breakfast, skipping the commute and logging on when your day is supposed to start, going on a walk at lunch break, and not spending 2 hours on the motorway at rush hour coming home. It all sounds pretty good, doesn’t it?
Well, you’re in luck because this lifestyle is easily attainable for you (even during Covid-19).
Right now is actually one of the best times to break into the tech industry and in this article, we’ll show you how to beef up your digital skills and switch careers to enjoy a more rewarding work-life balance!
If you are working an unfulfilling job, need a change of pace, or have been laid off due to Covid-19, now is the perfect time for you to jump into the tech industry with both feet.
It may seem intimidating, but the fact of the matter is that tech is still growing. Startups are still being funded by many Venture Capital firms, and bigger companies are starting to invest more in their tech presence, as Covid-19 has forced so many to “go digital” maybe before they were ready.
Regardless, you don’t need to have coding knowledge in order to break into the tech industry. In fact, many of the jobs at tech companies are not coding based.
Roles like customer support, marketing, project management, and sales are all required at tech companies as part of the business unit. And chances are, you have most of the skills required if you’re looking to switch industries. It’s just a matter of rearranging your CV.
If you want to get into other areas of the tech industry this year, take a look at our top four recommendations below.
And here’s how:
We’ve already touched on this above but working with a career mentor or the guidance department at a bootcamp (they sometimes offer consultations) can be a useful tool for your career. You may already possess a lot of the experience and skills necessary to work in tech but in a non-technical position.
Upskilling refers to learning new skills that could help you within your current organisation if your position is evolving into a more technical role, or your company is moving in the tech direction. You can make yourself invaluable at your current organisation by learning new skills and presenting opportunities to management, if they value innovation.
Reskilling is learning new skills with the intention of doing a different job, like someone in customer support learning project management skills so they can begin taking on PM roles.
Reskilling can boost your chances of being hired in the tech industry by taking classes or getting certifications in certain areas like project management, or even learning entirely new coding languages so that you’re the first pick when someone requires that skill.
Either way, upskilling and reskilling are both critical for your success within new or evolving roles as the landscape of the workforce continues to change.
Chances are you’ve been hearing the term “bootcamp” more and more recently. You may have even looked into a few of them if you’re curious about their results.
Today, there are many bootcamps available both online and in-person (safely operated) that don’t just focus on technical roles. While coding bootcamps were the original and are still the most popular option, there are not bootcamps for things like data science, digital marketing, and UX design.
Before taking on a bootcamp be sure you’re able to make the commitment. Full time bootcamps are often very intense, 8-10 week programs that are an entire crash course on coding, providing you with the necessary experience building coding projects in order to be eligible for an entry level position. Part-time bootcamps are also available but will obviously take longer to complete.
Bootcamps are perfect for career switchers; those looking to make a major change and jump into the tech industry in a completely different role.
Be sure to do the necessary research or check our other articles on the types of bootcamps that are available and which may be best suited to your situation.
Finally, focusing on your digital skills can be another great way to break into the tech industry. If you have any experience in graphic design, web design, specific tools like photoshop or figma, or even social media and digital marketing, there is a job in tech for you!
As fast as people are building this revolutionary technology, they are also creating designs and promotions for it and companies are always looking for high quality teammates who understand the digital side of things.
There are plenty of bootcamps or even single courses and certifications offered by popular bootcamp companies that can give you credible experience on the digital side of things.
With all of the options available for you to break into the tech industry, you may be wondering how to find a leading tech school or how you’re going to fund your learning. Knoma actually partners with leading tech and coding schools and offers an interest-fee and fee-free way to pay for courses that can help you break into the industry.
Have you found your perfect job in tech? Let us know in the comments below!
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