Getting started
Here’s How To Get Started
Embarking on a tech journey as a beginner can feel like entering a maze, with countless career paths branching out before you. It’s natural to be bombarded with questions: Should you venture into web development or cybersecurity? Perhaps you’re intrigued by the strategic dynamics of product management or the analytical allure of data analysis. Or maybe, your calling lies in the creative world of technical writing or UI/UX Design.
The truth is, these answers won’t magically appear by endlessly scrolling through ‘tech Twitter’ or catching snippets of advice in passing conversations. Your initial steps into tech demand curiosity, patience, and deliberate exploration of the various career opportunities available. It’s perfectly normal to experiment with multiple niches before finding the one that resonates with your skills and passion—the one where you feel inspired to dedicate your time and energy.
The key is to embrace this discovery process with an open mind and a commitment to learning.
Thinking of a Job In Tech?
Keep in mind that transitioning into tech is a phased process that necessitates patience and an openness to learn and grow. The tech field isn’t limited to just developers, engineers, or data scientists – those coding and technical wizards. There is an expansive range of non-technical roles like marketing, product management, writing, and design that tech companies are seeking talented individuals for.
In this article, we will journey through some of the most in-demand roles in tech, exploring their key responsibilities and providing guidance on how to get started. We’ll categorize these various skills into two distinct paths, aiming to provide a comprehensive guide for your tech journey.
Technical Path
Non-Technical Path
Technical Path
Let’s look at the list from an engineering perspective.
Software Engineering
Software engineering is an integral part of computer science, deeply rooted in developing and crafting computer systems software and application software. It’s the art of transforming abstract ideas into a tangible piece of software, with a methodical process involving requirement gathering, determining software architecture, designing, writing, testing, and finally releasing the code to the users.
What does a Software Engineer do?
As a software engineer, you wear many hats, applying engineering principles, harnessing computer science knowledge, and utilising mathematical insights to write, design, test, and debug software programs. The role extends beyond just creating new applications; it also involves refining and modifying existing software. The canvas of software engineering is broad; you could specialise as a front-end, back-end, full-stack developer, System Designer, DevOps engineer, mobile developer, or quality assurance engineer.
Why Software Engineering may be the right path for you?
Software engineering could be your calling if you have a flair for design, creativity, and an eye for detail. The field is an amalgamation of various disciplines, demanding an array of roles to bring a piece of software to life. It’s akin to a team sport, requiring collaboration and synergy. If you thrive in a team environment and love problem-solving, then software engineering might be your perfect match.
Data Science
Data science is a dynamic field that leverages advanced analytics and innovative techniques to mine valuable insights from unstructured data, guiding business decisions, strategic planning, and a wide range of other applications.
What does a Data Scientist do?
A data scientist is the mastermind behind data analysis strategies. Their duties encompass preparing data for analysis, exploring and visualising data, crafting models with data, and integrating these models into applications. The data science field boasts a plethora of roles, from data center technicians, data analysts, data scientists, data engineers, and data architects, to machine learning engineers.
Why Data Science may be the right path for you?
If you possess a curious mind and take pleasure in diving into data, analyzing it, and spotting patterns, data science might be the right fit for you. As a data scientist, you have the opportunity to create value by scrutinizing data to discover insights, thereby aiding your company in solving intricate problems and fostering growth. Your innate curiosity and analytical mind could transform into a career where you bring clarity to complexity and drive data-informed decisions.
Cloud Computing
Cloud computing revolutionizes the delivery of computing services, ranging from servers, storage, databases, networking, software, and analytics, to intelligence. By harnessing the internet’s potential, cloud computing facilitates rapid innovation, flexible resources, and economies of scale.
What does a Cloud Professional do?
Professionals in the cloud computing field oversee the comprehensive lifecycle of a cloud environment. Their expertise lies in designing applications for the cloud, orchestrating the cloud architecture, bolstering security measures, provisioning resources, and maintaining the cloud’s components. Careers in cloud computing are diverse and include roles such as cloud engineering, cloud computing, cloud consulting, and cloud architecture.
Why Cloud Computing may be the right path for you?
If you identify as a tech enthusiast with a growth mindset, excellent communication skills, and a penchant for collaboration, cloud computing could be your ideal career path. Success in cloud technology requires curiosity, flexibility, problem-solving prowess, and people management skills. Understanding the fundamental concepts and their interplay is a critical first step towards a rewarding career in this field.
Cyber Security
In an increasingly digital world, cyber security has become a cornerstone of information protection. This field entails safeguarding computer systems, servers, networks, mobile devices, and sensitive data from detrimental digital attacks. These can include information disclosure, theft, malware, fake communications, and the insertion of malicious codes.
What does a Cyber Security Administrator do?
A cyber security officer assumes a multifaceted role in the world of digital protection. Their duties range from preventing data loss and protecting an organization’s network and data files to ensuring network and security architecture’s integrity. They are also responsible for devising comprehensive security plans, as well as tracking and managing cyber vulnerabilities. The field of cyber security offers a broad array of career opportunities, including positions such as information security analysts, cyber security engineers, ethical hackers, and information security managers.
Why Cyber Security may be the right path for you?
You should choose this career path if you are not only imaginative, curious and creative but also have an eye for detail, identifying what could go wrong, and problem-solving. You have to love working proactively and responding timely to cyber threats and security breaches when they happen. We recommend you enrol for this enriched beginner course on Cyber Security to help you get started.
Non-Technical Path
Now let’s also look at the list from a non-engineering perspective.
UI/UX Design
While UI design stands for User Interface Design, UX design refers to the term User Experience Design. UI design is the process designers use to build interfaces in software or computerized devices, focusing on looks, feel or style. Conversely, UX design considers every element that shapes user interaction and experience, how it makes them feel, and how easy it is for them to accomplish their desired tasks. Simply put, UI design is all about how the product’s interfaces look and function, while UX design focuses on the overall feel of the experience.
What do UI/UX Designers do?
The major role of a UI designer is to create visually appealing and intuitive interfaces that accurately convey brands, which are easy and enjoyable to navigate from the user’s perspective. They care for colours and imagery, typography and layout, visual and responsive design, spacing, and animations. UX designers make a product or service usable, functional, enjoyable, and accessible. To achieve this, they understand the user and the brand, conduct extensive user research, develop user personas, build organized information architecture, create wireframes, prototypes and high-fidelity design, and conduct user testing.
Why UI/UX Design may be the sublime path for you?
You should consider becoming a UI/UX designer if you’ve got a strong creative impulse, a background in design, an interest in digital products, and a desire to work in tech. With the same end goal, UI/UX designers work with a team of product managers and engineers to ensure a positive experience for users. Problem-solving, the ability to collaborate, analytical thinking, curiosity, and intriguing learning interests are common traits of good UI/UX designers. We recommend this course.
Project Management
Project management is the application of processes, methods, skills, knowledge and experience towards the organization of a company’s resources to move a specific task, event, or duty from start to finish.
What does a Project Manager do?
A project manager defines the objectives and goals for any project their organization undertakes, organizes and motivates the project team towards realizing the project goals.
Why Project Management may be the sublime path for you?
Are you organised, a master communicator, and love collaborating with and managing people? With a team headed in the same direction, project managers drive the realisation of a high-quality project outcome within the scheduled project timeline. You must also have efficient risk management and problem-solving skills as a project manager.
Product Management
Product management is an organizational function that guides every step of a product’s life – from development to positioning and pricing – with the foremost focus on the product and its customers.
What does a Product Manager do?
Product managers identify customer needs and business objectives that a product will fulfil, articulate what success looks like for the product, and rally a team to turn that vision into a reality.
Why Product Management may be the sublime path for you?
It is quite possible product management is the perfect career choice for you if you have a great vision of how things work, need to understand customers, and have a desire to help build things, innovate, and make an impact. Also, consider product management if your life has led you to creative thinking, problem-solving, and curiosity.
Technical Writing
Technical writing is a writing discipline where the author writes about a particular subject that requires direction, instruction, or explanation. It involves efficiently explaining complex concepts, processes, or products that are easy for the intended readers to understand and apply.
What does a Technical Writer do?
Technical writers are responsible for preparing, editing, revising, and maintaining documentation, distilling technical information and clarity.
Why Technical Writing may be the sublime path for you?
If you love writing, have an eye for detail, and do not fancy the coding aspect of tech, technical writing could be a suitable career for you. All you have to do is acquire and master the necessary skills and tools there is to break into this lucrative field.
Customer Success Management
CSM involves maintaining a company’s relationships with its customers to ensure they find success using your product or service after the purchase. Learn the eight elements of Customer Success Management.
What does a Customer Success Manager do?
A CSM ensures that customers have a great experience with a company’s product or service by evaluating and analysing customer’s needs, developing a healthy relationship with them, build trust and transparency to promote retention.
Why CSM may be the sublime path for you?
Customer success managers majorly ensure customers are happy by building a close relationship with them. You should become a CSM if you are an excellent communicator driven by results, with thoughtful, passionate and persuasive traits.
Product Marketing
Product marketing is a sub-field of marketing focused on aligning product positioning in the market with customers’ needs so that customers will actually buy and use those products.
What Do Product Marketers do?
Product marketers research, define and articulate products’ position and features in the market to strengthen the brand and boost sales. They also oversee the creation and distribution of effective promotional campaigns for key products.
Why Product Marketing may be the sublime path for you?
You should choose product marketing if you are passionate about problem-solving, business, marketing, and communication. Product marketers focus on driving demand for and adoption of a product among existing customers. They also must have in-depth knowledge of product instinct and technical sense. Read more on product marketing and how it works here.
Digital Marketing
Digital marketing is the promotion of brands to connect with potential customers using the internet and other forms of digital communication, such as search engines, websites, email, mobile apps, social media, and text messaging.
What do Digital Marketers do?
Digital marketers maintain a brand’s online presence, reach customers, and plan and manage marketing campaigns that promote the brand’s products and services across various digital channels.
Why Digital Marketing may be the sublime path for you?
If you are a digital native, can innately understand the people around you, and communicate effectively, efficiently and creatively, then digital marketing is a path you may need to explore. As an aspiring digital marketer, you must also be willing to be flexible and work in an ever-changing environment.
Conclusion
Final Words
Now that you’ve decided to get into tech, the next step is learning and mastering skills relevant to your chosen path.
Where do you get started?
aptLearn, an e-learning platform that trains over 50,000 students monthly from across the globe, offers a robust course library covering today’s most in-demand skills you need to compete in our fast-evolving tech ecosystem.
aptLearn recognises the myriad opportunities technology creates and is passionate about youths tapping into these opportunities. With aptLearn, you’ll have access to a wide range of fun, easy and engaging courses with video content and certification at a fraction of the cost, time and location.
