Is it true that you MUST have a computer science degree or be a math genius to succeed in Tech?
ABSOLUTELY NOT!
So, what actually is required to be successful in the field of Tech?
Well, no one really has a recipe for success that works for everyone. But let’s first answer…
Why should you get into Tech?
In our last post — Evolution of Technology, we discussed why we think learning Technology is absolutely essential, especially today. Check that out if you haven’t already.
One of the primary motives is that automation and AI are already here, and they are here to stay. They are learning fast and they are only going to get better.
What used to take hundreds of workers and a lot of time & money, can now be done with a few workers and a set of specialized machines — much faster and cheaper.
In this regard the number of jobs that are available for humans is dropping quickly, specially the ones that are repetitive or non-technical.
But, the demand for talented people in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields is ever more increasing. Most of us aren’t actually aware of the career opportunities that Tech has to offer.
When I was starting out, no one came and said…
Random-person: “Hey man, these are the most promising careers today, this is how much you can expect to earn, and these are the requirements needed to reach them. Best of luck!”
Me: “Oh, Thanks man!”
That would have made my life so much easier and less confusing.
Thus, that is what we will address here. We’ll learn about some of the most promising careers in Technology today, which are growing in demand and are expected to do so in the future.
Some job roles require specialized knowledge, certifications or years of experience. But there are others that are much easier to get into.
Alright, onto the careers…
Career Paths
We will look into the top careers in the 3 main career paths in Technology:
- Engineering
- Design
- Business
Engineering Path
Job Title(s): Software Engineer / Software Developer
Median annual salary (US): $80k-$100k (source: Glassdoor)
Expected growth (2018–2028): 21% (source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)
Requirements: Strong practical or technical experience / Bachelor’s degree
One of the fastest ways to get into tech is undeniably by writing code. A **Software Engineer **or Software Developer is primarily concerned with the task of building software — by writing, testing and maintaining code. They are the craftsmen of this Information Age.
Software Engineering could be the segway to many other engineering and technical jobs in the industry. Their titles could be general like the ones mentioned, or they could be:
- Platform specific: Web Developer, Mobile Application Developer etc.
- Stack specific: **Front-end Developer, Backend Developer, Fullstack Developer **etc.
- Language/Framework Specific: Python Engineer, React Developer etc.
There is a huge variety of titles that could fall under this path, thus any generic statements about them should be taken with a grain of salt.
Free or cheap online learning resources to get you started:
Job Title(s): Data Scientist / Data Engineer
Median annual salary (US): $100–115k (source: Glassdoor)
Job growth (since 2012): 650% (source: LinkedIn)
Requirements: Bachelors or Masters Degree / Certifications / Experience
A huge amount of data is being generated everyday, from every swipe of your mobile screen, every click of a button on a website to movements of robots and IOT devices in large factories. Understanding the data and how it relates to the improvement of a business is greatly valuable. This is where a data scientist comes in.
A Data Scientist uses past data to draw valuable insights. They are expected to have strong analytical and problem solving skills along with a solid grasp of statistics, databases, algorithms and machine learning.
Due to the complexity of the job and business value they provide, they are one of the highest paid professions in Tech.
Free or cheap online learning resources to get you started:
- John Hopkins University — Data Science Specialization
- IBM — Data Science Fundamentals
- Udacity — Intro to Machine Learning
- Kaggle
- edX — Data Science Courses
- Data Camp
Design Path
Job Title(s): UI/UX Designer
Median annual salary (US): $75-$85k (source: Glassdoor)
Expected growth (2019–2029): 14.9% (source: Dice.com)
Requirements: Design work experience / certification / solid portfolio
It doesn’t matter whether you’re the greatest engineer or problem solver, if the product you’re developing is not appealing or understandable to your customers. This is why we need good User Experience (UX) and User Interface (UI) Designers.
A UI/UX Designer is the creative genius behind the amazing user experience of a well crafted app. Some key skills that make them different are empathy, creativity, problem solving, and adaptability.
Depending on the project, a UI/UX Designer may be expected to be well versed in graphics design, prototyping, web design, branding, design research etc.
Free or cheap online learning resources to get you started:
- Product Design course by Google
- Introduction to User Experience Design — Coursera
- Free UX Design Curriculum — Springboard
- Dribbble
- HackDesign
- LAWS OF UX
- Ultimate Start guide for beginner UX/UI designers — Johny Vino
Business Path
Job Title(s): Digital Marketing Specialist / Manager
Median annual salary(US): $55–70k (source: Glassdoor)
Expected growth: 8–10% (source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)
Requirements: Marketing experience / Bachelors Degree / Certifications
If a company cannot sell its products or services, it will not develop any — and thus go extinct. Therefore, along with designing and developing a product, a business needs to make sure it can reach its customers and satisfy their needs.
Enter the Digital Marketer.
Today, most of the outreach and promotion of products and services is done online i.e. via Digital Marketing. A Digital Marketing Specialist/Manager is responsible for the planning, development, implementation and management of the overall digital marketing strategy for a company.
Digital Marketing roles come in many other forms like: Content Marketing Manager, Social Media Marketing Manager, SEO Specialist, Market Research Analyst etc.
As the online business scene gets more crowded, the need for talented and innovative digital marketers grows rapidly. This is why they are compensated well, and thus become a very lucrative career to pursue.
Free or cheap online learning resources to get you started:
- Google — Fundamentals of digital marketing course
- Learn Facebook for Business
- Social Media 101 course by Constant Contact
- HubSpot Academy
- SEMrush Academy
How can YOU break into Tech?
- First, pick the career path of your choice.
- Then, learn about the top roles in that career path and pick the top one(s) of your liking.
- Using online resources, make a study plan.
- Make it a top priority and start learning!
- Build up your technical skills and portfolio.
- Apply for jobs and prepare for interviews.
- Break into Tech!
Conclusion
So, wrapping up…
We did NOT make a comprehensive list of all the job titles — that’d be very boring and likely incomplete as many new jobs are being created everyday.
Our goal was rather to show you the high level career paths in Technology, so that you can identify the path that inspires you the most and hopefully, aim for the role that suits you best!
If you know other great learning resources or if you think we missed any important job titles, definitely let us know.
We hope this little post inspires you to get into Tech, or improve yourself if you’re already in it! Best of luck! 🙂
Tech Care!
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