Learn learn learn! Always be open to learning a new skill. You have the potential to advance in your tech career in as little as 30 days, as long as you’re willing to put in the work. Making a high salary in the tech industry is NOT a get-rich-quick-scheme and never will be. It all starts with YOU and how much work you’re willing to put in. No, that does not mean hard, intense labor. That could mean putting in 12-15 hour shifts: your regular 8 hour day job and then 4-7 hours after work to study and learn a new skill.
If you’re not sure how to enter into the tech industry, look at job descriptions. Job descriptions will soon become your new friend, as they do not only give you an idea of what may interest you but they also tell you what to study and if you need to acquire any certifications. Job descriptions tell you what skills, software, or platform that you need to learn and then you can study on sites such as LinkedIn-Learning, Udemy, Coursera, etc. I recommend taking vendor-led courses, because they’re sometimes free and after completion, they almost guarantee you a high-paying job that you can turn into a career. Example: The SaaS (software as a service) Salesforce has training courses called Trailhead. After taking the Salesforce Trailhead courses, you become certified in their software and you can apply for jobs directly from their website. Including your certification within your application almost guarantees you, at the least an interview.
To begin the process of reading job descriptions, look at apps you already have downloaded on your phone or start off with major tech companies, such as Microsoft, and go to their “Careers” section, and start reading some of their job descriptions for the positions they have open. Use this method as a guide to see what job titles may interest you, what tasks you feel you can do, and what to search for in Google, Indeed, ZipRecruiter etc, during your job hunt. Remember, this is just to give you an idea and a feel for what each role may require; not to be an obligation of what to apply for.
Another way to get into the tech industry is to search on Google what software and skills that are in demand. Learning how to search on Google is definitely a helpful tool, such as typing in a question vs. typing in keywords. Learning a little SEO (search engine optimization) can help you in the long run as well. SEO basically teaches you how to use keywords to search for topics within manuals and documentation. Learning this skill can be valuable in your tech career, especially when you have a ton of resources to filter through, such as Salesforce guides, ServiceNow documents, etc. An example search in Google is: “in demand certifications for 2022.” Alter some of the wording and phrases to get the results you’re looking for.
Overall, this blog post is the basic blueprint if you want to transition into the tech industry. Make sure to also read Before you sign up for any type of Bootcamp… to use as a guide to help you figure out your study habits and learning style. Whether you study two hours per day, in dispersed 30 minute increments throughout the day or study one full hour non-stop, learning a new skill is key to transitioning and advancing in your tech career.
