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The Ada Software Engineering Internship Program has been an educative and insightful experience for me. In this article I will share tips on 'Designing A Tech Career Roadmap.'
Transitioning into tech can be challenging, there is usually a lot of uncertainty and fear. The knowledge can be overwhelming and aspects of it can be frustrating without adequate guidance.
One’s road map in their tech career mainly depends on the individual involved, the opportunities gotten and the level of preparedness for those opportunities.
Evaluating Who You Are Now
Understanding who you are is the essential first step in your tech journey.
- What motivates you?
- What do people say you are good at?
- What do you enjoy the most?
- What do you enjoy the least?
- What are the top things you have done in your career that you can be proud of?
Answering questions like the ones listed above can help you better understand yourself, the reason for your interest in a career in tech and which is most suited for you.
The next steps to take after having a better understanding of yourself and your interests include:
- Explore those interests, you can start with your initial curiosity
- Take a crash course
- Try out a side project or volunteer for one
- Join a community
- Get a mentor or shadow someone senior (offline or online)
- Identify your transferable skills and highlight them on your resume/CV
- Build on your new knowledge and start applying for jobs/opportunities including internships, support roles, freelance gigs, project-based work etc.
- Keep learning
What A Tech Career Roadmap Should Be
It is crucial to emphasize that there is no set path for a career in technology. In theory, one should begin in a role and advance through it until reaching the role's professional peak(a linear path), however this is not always obtainable. An example of a linear path of a product manager is shown below
Another example is the linear career path of a software engineer
Depending on interests, the opportunities that are available, needs, etc., some persons may begin their careers in technical areas and subsequently transition to non-technical roles, or vice verse, as illustrated below
Transitioning into tech mustn’t necessarily have a linear path.
Examples of Technical Roles
- UX Designers
- UI Designers
- Web Developers
- Mobile App Developers
- Software Engineers
- Data Scientists
- Dev Ops (Developer Operations)
- Dev Rel (Developer Relations)
- Cloud Engineer
Examples Of Non-Technical Roles
- Data Analyst
- Digital Marketers
- Sales
- Business Development
- Partnerships
- Operations
- Finance
- HR
- Product Manager
- Product Marketing
- Project Management
- Quality Management
- Business Intelligence
- Solutions Architect
There could be concerns about applying for non-technical roles in tech companies. In cases like this, your focus should be making the recruiters understand that you understand and probably have some experience with these non-technical roles, even if the knowledge was not necessarily gained from a tech organization.
Certain things can differentiate you and give you the attention needed to get to your desired position or role. As you embark on your journey, it is essential to have a great work ethic and a great attitude. Produce consistently excellent work, document your wins and be valuable to your team and organization.
Sharing your work or learnings online, keeping your profile up to date, networking, volunteering at events, asking insightful questions in professional settings both online and offline, subscribing to and reading tech blogs, being visible are all important strategies that will aid your growth
As a techie, certain websites like LinkedIn offer crucial networking opportunities for your career. You have access to people in positions you are aspiring to occupy, job opportunities, a wealth of knowledge about roles you are interested in, and other resources which you could find helpful
Personal Development
The importance of personal development cannot be over-emphasized. Aspire to take at least 1 course every year or every 6 months. They could be general courses for your soft skills such as presentation, sales, or courses more tailored to your desired tech role from good platforms such as Udacity, Coursera, Udemy, Harvard Uni edX etc.
Growing Your Career While Working With Startups
Working with startups is also an opportunity for growth. Work closely with decision makers so you learn and grow quicker. It also enables you to take up leadership roles faster and scale faster. As is expected, working with startups also has its disadvantages. Management issues could occur, operations could be chaotic and there could be a lot of pressure on the few employees available.
I hope you enjoyed reading this post and gained some useful knowledge that will aid you in designing and navigating a tech career roadmap.