How to Transition into a Technology Career with No Background
The technology industry has changed the world, and it has become one of the most exciting industries to be in. But what if you started out in humanities or medical fields and only recently discovered that you are interested in building a tech career?
Being a career shifter is not without its requisite bone building pains. But you can do it. There are some ways that can help improve your chances of making it. Check out these tips below:
A lot of people switch to tech for the money. But make sure that money is not your only motivation. There are people here who build wicked solutions in a technical way because it’s their life’s calling.
Take the learning seriously but don’t forget to have fun and at least a sense of meaning to the solutions you are trying to give to the world as a career shifter.
While it might seem like switching to technology from an unrelated profession is starting from scratch, it’s really not. At the very least, the skills you have already developed could come in handy in ways you don’t expect.
Technology professionals have a hard time communicating or working with soft skills, so having these before you work in tech is a bonus that you can bring. Never stop learning and applying what you learn and you will find yourself successful soon.
1. Work on your troubleshooting skills
You don’t need the repairman expertise of workers in Zebra repair service and the like. But you need to know how to translate technical problems into something that adds business value to your potential boss or customers in this industry. You can always collect certificates, but it’s the value you add to your connections that sticks more than fancy pieces of paper you can hang on a wall.2. Think of a tech problem and work on solving it
The problem with some career shifters is that they engorge themselves with 100 online courses. But those courses, while helpful, are not entirely very geared towards producing results. Think of some tech problem that you’d like to solve and work doggedly on it. You can fill in the gaps with online courses later, but at least you have something working already. For example, if you are a psychology major, you can take a crack at learning Python programming language to try natural language processing (NLP) methods to assess sentiment or feelings from a block of text. This is something close to your major, and cutting edge enough to be noticed by tech head hunters.3. Take some extra courses or certifications
A highly recommended coding course is Free Code Camp as it is comprehensive and free and powerful, noticed even by Silicon Valley companies. For getting into cloud-related professions, taking the Amazon Web Services certifications like solutions architect associate and pro exams may be options for you. If you are into cybersecurity, then you can try ethical hacking certificates. For aspiring IT professionals, you can go for Linux system and network administration certifications.4. Seek advice from experts in your target industry
If taking another college degree is too expensive, get someone to mentor you with practical knowledge. Some experienced professionals are flattered with the prospect of having a fan. Some of them will be more than happy to train someone if they see you have done your homework and you are hustling to make it in the industry.5. Enjoy and hustle so you can keep growing
A lot of people switch to tech for the money. But make sure that money is not your only motivation. There are people here who build wicked solutions in a technical way because it’s their life’s calling.
Take the learning seriously but don’t forget to have fun and at least a sense of meaning to the solutions you are trying to give to the world as a career shifter.
While it might seem like switching to technology from an unrelated profession is starting from scratch, it’s really not. At the very least, the skills you have already developed could come in handy in ways you don’t expect.
Technology professionals have a hard time communicating or working with soft skills, so having these before you work in tech is a bonus that you can bring. Never stop learning and applying what you learn and you will find yourself successful soon.