If you’re reading this, you can’t imagine your life without following the latest news in the tech world. You’re curious about what makes various technologies tick, down to the nitty-gritty. What’s more, you want to turn that passion into a job.
You might be convinced it’s hard or impossible. But even if you think, “I’m already working towards a different college degree!”, don’t worry. Having a computer science degree isn’t mandatory in this industry at all. Your skills and experience matter the most.
Sure, if you want to turn your passion into a career while in college, you’ll have to cut some corners to make time for building the right set of skills. “Wait… Maybe, I should pay someone to write my paper to free up some time?” Yes, most likely, it’ll be your best option. You can always pay for essays at EssayPro.com. After all, you should treat laying the groundwork for your future career as a part-time job, at least.
That said, let’s break down all the most common ways you can build a career fueled by your love for tech.
4 Steps Towards Launching Your Tech Career
Let’s start with the most obvious option: becoming a developer. But it’s easier said than done, right? Where do you even start?
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Get the Lay of the Land
Long gone are the days when “software developer” was an all-encompassing job title. Now, dozens of occupations fall under that umbrella term. Here are just some of them:
- Web developer;
- Mobile app developer;
- Artificial intelligence/machine learning engineer;
- Network and systems administrator;
- Database developer/administrator;
- Computer network architect;
- Java/PHP/Python/etc. developer;
- Information security analyst;
- Data analyst/scientist.
This isn’t an exhaustive list, of course. Some in the industry would argue that it’s just the tip of the iceberg, and they wouldn’t be wrong.
If you haven’t chosen a specific occupation yet, here are four questions you should ask yourself right now:
- What particular technologies are you passionate about?
- What projects do you see yourself working on? Think about their scale, type, and target industry.
- What skills do you already possess? Which ones would you like to develop?
- Think about your experience. Are there any particular activities you enjoy doing? (E.g., managing local networks, coding in JavaScript, etc.)
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Build the Right Set of Skills
Even if you apply exclusively for entry-level positions, you’ll need some starter skills to show for yourself. Otherwise, you won’t manage to land one.
Luckily, there’s no need to spend a small fortune to obtain the said skills. You can build them all on your own, on a minimum (or even zero) budget.
As for which particular skills you have to build, they differ from occupation to occupation. So, do your in-depth research: browse the job postings, ask people already working in the field, et cetera.
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Work on Side Projects
The best way to build any skill is practice, times three. And while textbook exercises are good training, they alone wouldn’t be enough. You need to try to build side projects from scratch.
But be careful: try to think of projects that would be similar to the ones you’d get your hand on in the real-world setting. Or, if you feel entrepreneurial, come up with a project that’s never been done before.
Besides, you never know: maybe, an app you’ve built for fun or practice will turn out to be a commercial success. And don’t think you’re too young to start your own business: plenty of apps were created by students like you! That even includes apps like Snapchat and Reddit.
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Start Small to Build a Portfolio
Having a portfolio is a must not just for creative professions. A well-curated selection of projects and code snippets is expected of most developers, too.
Here’s a popular misconception: you need a job first to start working on a portfolio. But that’s not true. You can build it before you land your first job. Here’s what you can do:
- Find several freelancing gigs;
- Add your side projects;
- Agree to do some charity work.
Not a Fan of Coding? Here Are 4 Other Ways to Capitalize on Your Passion
If you don’t think coding is your cup of tea, don’t be too quick to call it quits! Not all jobs that are related to technology require you to write code.
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Start Blogging or Vlogging About Tech
Is reading articles on tech blogs like WIRED a vital part of your day? Or, maybe, you can’t live a single day without watching the latest videos from your favorite tech YouTube channels?
Even websites like WIRED had to start somewhere. They had to start small. And so can you!
Creating a website or a blog isn’t as difficult as you might think. Neither is shooting and editing videos for a YouTube channel. All you need is great content. That means your content should be so interesting for your audience that they’ll want to come back for more.
Of course, you’ll need to play the long game here. Your creation won’t be profitable from the get-go. You’ll need to spend a couple of years building an audience before you can think about monetizing it.
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Write About Tech for Other Companies
If you want to start earning as soon as possible, you don’t have to forget about writing about tech altogether. There are plenty of businesses that need someone who’s great at writing – and knows their way around the topic, too.
These businesses belong in either of the two broad categories: tech companies and news outlets. The former ones typically look for:
- Technical writers to create manuals and how-to guides;
- Copywriters to write guest posts and optimize their search engine rankings;
- Content writers to fill their corporate blogs.
News outlets like the New York Times and WIRED, in their turn, need journalists that stay on top of the latest developments in the world of tech.
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Fix Others’ Tech for a Living
Are you the go-to person when someone needs help fixing their device? Are you one of those people who know plenty of tips and tricks for using a PC or smartphone? Do you enjoy tinkering with hardware?
If that hits close to home, why not start helping others with their devices for more than a “thank you”? You can find a job at one of the existing repair shops or service centers – or open your own!
Be mindful of any legal requirements you might encounter in this occupation, however. You may be obligated to pay for a particular type of insurance by law, for example.
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Consider These 6 Non-Tech Jobs
While developers are important, they’re not the only ones that any tech company needs to run smoothly. So, if coding isn’t your thing, you can always decide to build the right set of skills to land a job as a:
- Product marketing manager;
- Project manager;
- Brand specialist;
- Social media marketer;
- Content manager;
- Research analyst.
In Conclusion
As you can see, your passion for all things tech can open up so many career paths for you. It’s up to you, however, which one you choose to work towards. But before you do, make sure to know exactly what you want.
Each of these paths, of course, requires a particular set of skills. That’s why there’s no universal linear path you can opt for. But that’s the beauty of it: you can thrive with just the writing skills, or you can decide to learn what it takes to become a web developer instead. The world is your oyster, as they say.
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