People often ask, “what exactly is it that you do in this tech?” to people in tech career paths.
There is some vagueness that follows the term “tech”, what it entails, the prerequisites for landing tech roles and other interesting facts about it. Gatekeeping is also a factor that prevents people from knowing more about tech roles and careers, or how to even get into them. This may be a result of a certain complex or the need to “protect” something that people deem as sacred, for the sake of statuses or classism.
Gatekeeping in tech presents itself in various ways such as;
- A “know-it-all” perspective
- A “how could you not know this” perspective
- An unwillingness to learn, adapt or change
- A simple superiority complex
In an attempt to educate curious people about my tech job, I try to explain the nature of the job, why it matters, why I take it seriously and how it even relates to anything remotely important. I do this because it is nice to get more people involved in this line of work, so that more technological innovations are made, more people tap into this industry and less people are left in the dark about it.
A lot of people are not aware that you don’t need to perform some magical “Abracadabra” to land yourself a cool tech job, or even know some facts about it. It’s great to begin from somewhere, so here are a couple of interesting facts you should know about the tech industry. If you’re looking to secure employment in a tech company, these could give you an idea of what you’d need, expectations to have and other basic facts:
- No Degree Needed
A degree in computer science, engineering or any related field is great, but not entirely necessary if you want to start a career in tech. It is a great starting point, but not the only path to success. This is because there are so many resources freely available now more than ever.
One of the interesting things about getting into tech is that you can decide to dedicate a year or less to learning a skill without previous knowledge of it, and you can totally kill it! Most times, people aren’t practising what they studied at school, so don’t let your academic background limit your mindset. Your potential employer just wants to know that you understand what needs to be done, and that you’re good at your job.
Keep in mind that as a rookie, you would most likely be learning on the job if all of it is new to you, but that shouldn’t deter you. The earlier you feed into your interests in your tech career, the better you are at what you’ll be doing. As long as you want to learn and put in the work, the world stage is yours!
- Early Career Pay is High
At least once or twice, you’ve been advised by an older person to work a job without getting paid – even if it’s just one time. While the sentiments behind this are reasonable, I think we can agree that it feels pretty good to be paid for a job well done. Because tech talents are in demand, the start of your career usually comes with a decent remuneration.
The better you are at your job, the higher your salary will be. This means climbing through the ranks and getting deserved promotions at work in due time. The best tech companies recruit the best and the brightest, so the earlier you get into it, the more time you have to sharpen your skills. Check out the top 5 Early Median Salaries here.
- Juicy Salaries
Speaking of salaries, keep in mind that money is not the only motivator for getting into tech, but because we all know that truth that we’d rather not say, let’s get into salaries.
The average tech person out-earns their non-tech salary earner by a reasonable margin. So what’s not to love about that? Of course, this is dependent on different countries and how well they prioritise tech roles over non-tech roles and vice versa. The education level of the labour market also plays a role here. Where more people are less tech inclined, those (tech) jobs tend to pay higher salaries.
The trenches are temporary, soft life is the ultimate goal. But, there is no soft life without money, so hold on to that. You can read more about this and compare the salaries of technical positions over non-technical positions here.
- Young Workforce
Many young people are interested in tech because they are more interactive with technology; social media, smart phones, computers, etc. There is so much potential in these technologies that can be used to make our lives easier. Many tech companies are run by millennials and many of their employees comprise both millennials and Gen-Z. Chances are, you get to work with your peers and grow through the ranks with them.
There are many examples of young people who run tech companies with a young workforce. Oladosu Teyibo is a Tech Entrepreneur (and a millennial) who runs Analog Teams, a successful software company that hires talents from underrepresented communities. Analog Teams has expanded into 6 African countries, some of which are Nigeria, Ghana and Kenya.
Anne Onyeneho is another awesome example of young people who utilise technology for the good of many. Anne is the founder of PlantBaed, is a Lifestyle Cook who launched a meal prepping service named after the cookbook (PlantBaed) that she authored. Her customers buy healthy meals from her which are laced with healthy recipes free of additives and artificial substances. How cool is that?! Check out more millennial and Gen Z entrepreneurs and tech founders here.
- A Community
There is always a tech community that is willing to help and teach tech newbies how to get around their new careers and interests. A community is also great for encouragement and efficiency because you will be surrounded by people who keep improving. It’s a great idea for every new techie to join a productive tech community that will keep you abreast of new trends, updates and so much more that relates to your field. The NextGen Academy will link you to tech communities of like minds, mentors, professionals and experts that will contribute to your growth.
Thanks for taking the time to read this article. I hope it touched you in more ways than one😉. Be sure to sign up for the NextGen Academy where you can learn in-demand tech skills that will give you a competitive edge over others when seeking employment.
