Have you ever wondered if you’re fit for the fast-paced technology industry? Are you intrigued by the opportunities that the tech industry provides now and for the future? Do you want to expertly type in lines of code while programming on your personal computer? If you are interested, read on!
Choosing a career path can be a daunting task. While many of us desire lucrative jobs in the fields of investment banking, medicine, or law — not everyone is cut out for the demands of those industries.
However, there’s one emerging field that shows a tonne of promise: technology.
Technology is one of the fastest-growing sectors worldwide, and the paths you can venture in tech are near-endless.
On one hand, you can potentially work for big-name corporations like Apple, YouTube, Google, and Twitter. On the other hand, there are many Silicon Valley-Esque locations around the world (Tech Central in Australia, for instance) if you’re keen on joining a trending tech startup.
And if coding forever is not something you see yourself doing for the long-term, there are other ways to progress in your career in technology. Common routes include:
Entrepreneurship
Freelancing
Consultancy
Education
Senior Executive
Whatever you go for, there are many pros of diving into the technology industry as a career. Let’s look at seven reasons why that is!
1) Tech is always hiring
The world is constantly evolving, and technology is always at the forefront of this movement. Needless to say, both large and small companies need software engineers to perform arduous tasks to maintain the upkeep of databases and develop technological solutions for businesses and consumers.
Programmers and qualified technology workers aren’t just hired for their coding skills. They also ideally should possess creativity and problem-solving skills to discover new and improved ways of doing things. The tech industry is constantly on the lookout for ways to automate repetitive tasks in order to focus on scaling other processes. This is why there are many new softwares dedicated to automating processes that emerge every year.
If you can provide out-of-the-box solutions to pressing problems, you’d be an invaluable asset for any tech team. There won’t be a world where technology stagnates. Many tech-based industries like virtual reality and artificial intelligence are forecasted to reach tens of billions of dollars by 2024.
Capitalise on the demand of technology, and you’ll be part of the industry that doesn’t stop moving.
2) Your growth potential is massive
It’s not unusual for software engineers and programmers to be coding Java in one year and shift to Python the next. It’s also possible that you’ll be taking up an entirely new language a decade down the line — increasing your repertoire of programming languages and your “value” to the tech industry as you do.
And if you don’t see yourself as a coder forever, you can pivot since the tech industry overlaps with many industries in the market. There’ll always be a need for an IT administrator in a school, healthcare facility, and insurance companies, for instance. And even thirty years from now, the world could be dealing with a vastly new business ecosphere to exercise your coding and technology prowess that you’ve accumulated over the years. The number of languages you can learn and opportunities you can acquire are endless. But to truly stay on top of the game, you must never stagnate and settle in this fast-moving industry.
3) It values merit over seniority
Zuckerberg founded Facebook in his college dorm room in Harvard. He now continues to spearhead the giant tech company that’s used by billions of people daily.
In traditional office structures, a story like Zuckerberg’s would not be possible since seniority would trump over merit. But in many tech companies, your value is based on what you can contribute to the team as opposed to your age or seniority level. Since tech has a low barrier to entry, anyone with an interest in learning about tech, no matter the age, can learn it as long as they have a computer. And given how accessible learning tech is with IT courses online, there’s no limit to how you want to approach the learning process.
4) You can turn your hobby into a profession
Instead of working at a job that you despise waking up to, why not merge passion with a profession by entering a tech field?
If you’ve read this far, the tech industry must be something you have some interest in. And if solving problems, creating and improving technological processes, and continuous learning sounds like something you’d enjoy — you absolutely can’t go wrong with jumping straight into tech.
If you’re already working a job, you can test the waters by studying code and building your portfolio at night. By doing so, you can maintain a constant stream of income while readying your pivot to the lucrative tech space.
5) You can work from everywhere
The beauty of tech is that there are many options for you to work from the comfort of home. You can even work from a beach if that suits your fancy.
Many tech jobs don’t require a physical presence in the office. Whether you work as a freelance web developer or an entrepreneureur, success in tech does not fit a singular picture. Tech is mostly reliant on software systems that can easily be accessed on a personal laptop or computer, and it’s not bound by the traditional corporate structure.
The mobility and freedom of the job is something that not many other industries can boast — and the tech industry opens that door to freedom for you.
6) You can earn big money
According to Payscale, experienced software engineers can reach up to AU$103k a month with their job. The road to getting there may be tough, but the income is more than enough to grant you a satisfying lifestyle. The pay can even be higher if you work from company to company on a per-project basis, making it a great and transferable skill that can pay well when you connect with the right company.
7) Many career options
Not everyone in the technology industry is a programmer. Here are some of the other career options that someone with a tech background can enter:
Data Scientist
Software Developer
Computer Support Specialist
Information Security Analyst
Computer Systems Analyst
Computer Research Scientist
Web Developer
Sales Engineer
Information Technology Manager
Network and Systems Administrator
There are many more career paths aside from those listed above that someone with a tech background can enter. Not only that, but since technology is constantly evolving, there will always be new job openings for fresh, new skills that you can learn to make you more marketable. Be on the lookout for the ever-changing skills that companies are hiring for, and don’t be afraid to dig your claws in to it to carve a niche for yourself.
With all that said, the tech industry is incredibly dynamic. If you’re too slow, you’ll fall behind. But if you commit yourself to the entire thing — you can ride alongside the neverending trend of the technology industry.
Guest Post By Rebecca Lee