How to start your tech career

Are you considering a technology career? It’s difficult to decide where to begin. Should you first obtain a technical certification? Or should you learn a programming language? There are all sorts of options to shape your aspirations for a tech career.

IT training programs from top institutes can involve pretty hefty investments and time. But there are other practical and non-traditional means to get IT training  and become a developer, designer, strategist, or tech expert across different niches. These non-conventional and emerging tech careers are equally rewarding and full of career opportunities.

Read on for all the steps and options to start a tech career. 

Find a mentor 

Tech experts and app developers can offer practical guidance for starters and new tech career aspirants. You can be introduced to many tech wizards and seasoned developers who can easily mentor your tech career with advice and suggestions in industry meetings.

Some industries also look for fresh talents through their existing networks, as they’re able to assess your potential for the long-term company goals. In such programs, you can ask many questions and get answers from top industry experts.

Engage in a boot camp program

Tech jobs can be demanding, and hence companies always look for suitably qualified applicants. Companies look at applicants’ skills, and are often satisfied with those gained in boot camps. In fact, many developers sharpen their skills at boot camps, so these programs are viewed with equal importance in the job market.

Through these boot camps for technical training, companies provide you with an accelerated learning experience. Boot camp training offers fast-paced learning suitable for modern learning environments.

There are few important things to consider with this option. Firstly, is an accelerated course going to provide you with enough information to excel? And of course associated costs can sometimes be prohibitive for students.

Learn HTML & CSS

HTML is the primary web language that most techies know, and one that a tech career aspirant can quickly learn. HTML coding skills continue to experience high demand across many industries, from web developers and designers to technical content writers, information architects, and content creators.

Similarly, today’s developers are expected to have a strong command of Cross-Site Scripting (CSS). Learning these web languages is easy, and they can serve as the entry point skills for your tech career. You can even get HTML and CSS training for free from LinkedIn Learning as a UTS student.

Learn IT skills on your own

In the tech industry, hands-on skills, exposure to projects, and real experience can be even more valued than a degree. Though many companies have a strict policy to hire only developers with degrees from reputed institutions, many startups and aspiring tech ventures would like to put their bet on practical skills instead of degrees. For these companies, your self-acquired tech skills still matter.

If you can solve crucial IT problems for different enterprise needs, a lack of a degree will not deter you from having a great career. On the other hand, tech skills can quickly become obsolete if you do not update them with new value additions and emerging practices and tools.

Do you know to code an app or a web interface? You can post code samples or practical coding help for troubleshooting on platforms like GitHub and draw the attention of experts. Learning programming online on your own involves quite rigorous efforts and time. Still, you can soon position yourself as a skilled developer without spending too much money or time on courses. 

Build a website by using WordPress

To sharpen your web development skills on a popular platform, WordPress CMS offers a great choice. You can create a domain, spend some money on a hosting plan, and build a WordPress website using some themes and plugins.

WordPress offers all the building blocks for shaping a website, although there are some technical aspects that you need to detect through a thorough website audit and further fine-tune them by using the right plugins and bringing some changes.

By engaging in WordPress development, you will soon get training on essential web development. Many web developers started on the web by building and managing their WordPress website. It is also a less expensive way to get your first web development training.

Enroll in an IT workshop

Finally, you can always start with your IT career by opting for some unconventional or semi-conventional curriculums like small IT workshops, courses offered by TAFE, part-time courses from universities, and government-sponsored technology training centers.

Remember, these courses and workshops can only help you build the foundation you need to gather practical development, networking, and programming skills. Various short-spanned online courses are offering bite-sized learning of specific IT skills.

These courses will aid your tech career when you use the skills in practical projects and further update your knowledge with new skills. Since the IT field is continuously evolving, you always need to be looking ahead.

Conclusion

There is no best approach to skill development to fulfill your tech career aspirations. It all depends upon your learning capability and capacity to cope with the evolving tech field, and sharpening your skills through practical projects is always recommended.  

Featured image courtesy of Unsplash