To ask your advice on moving into a tech career?

[RainbowChameleon]

I am pulling my finger out and starting to think seriously about switching roles. Am I bonkers to consider tech? Late 20s, I have no previous tech experience. Did a tiny bit of social media posting/Web design for a company I used to work at but was all very basic. I have no coding knowledge. I am competent and confident in using a computer. I have a degree and MA in social sciences. I currently work in an unrelated sector which I'm not passionate about.

Why am I attracted to it? It's something different that I would never consider but I'm being open-minded and not limiting my options. I don't particularly want to go back to uni and there seems to be lots of courses in this field that don't require uni. The earning potential and tech seems pretty future proof.

I've just been reading up on old threads, about girls code first and sky get into tech. Can anyone of you share your stories/experiences/advice? Thank you.

Also cloud computing is another one that's easy to self study. All 3 major platforms (Microsoft Azure, Amazon AWS, Google Cloud Platform) have their own certifications and training material. I would just learn 1, get a certificate or 2 from the vendor.

@Shelddd

Also cloud computing is another one that's easy to self study. All 3 major platforms (Microsoft Azure, Amazon AWS, Google Cloud Platform) have their own certifications and training material. I would just learn 1, get a certificate or 2 from the vendor.

This is bad advice. Cloud computing is one of the hardest - because you need good IT fundamentals to be remotely useful. The certifications are a money making gimmick and don’t teach you those. Only the quirks and features of each cloud provider. I would only advise someone to go for the certs once they were experienced developers or wanted to go infrastructure. Otherwise it’s more confusing for beginners than web development.

Also not sure why you’re suggesting data science - Tableau etc is correct but true data science roles require a through statistical grounding. ‘Data science’ conversion courses are mostly just data analysis. maybe that’s good enough for the OP but the title is somewhat misleading.

I'd highly recommend working for a start or scale up company. You can start working in one particular field (potentially non tech like I did) and then as they grow take on more technical tasks by showing enthusiasm and flexibility. Less likely to get pigeon holed, and an incredibly exciting environment to work in.

@CastawayQueen I disagree completely. Not sure what your background is.. that might be why we have a different viewpoint. I have a masters in data science, it was a conversion course but I have a technical bachelors, but 90% of the people doing the masters didn't have a technical bachelor's degree. Vast majority have data science jobs now and got them fairly quickly after graduating.

Cloud computing is easy. Infrastructure is easy. Service delivery is easy. Support is easy.

Programming is very hard. Data science is harder than the first 4 i mentioned but not as difficult as programming and it's a brand new field (commercially at least...) That is experiencing crazy growth.

Tableau is not data science... It's a data visualization product. It's considered part of business intelligence which is a different vertical than data science. Data science is basically programming + statistics.

I wasn't suggesting all of those things but rather giving different options.

And just for clarity the programming required in data science is very entry level compared to what's required as a programmer (coder, developer, whatever you want to call it).. you don't even have to remember any of it, it's more important to know the statistical side of it.

I also say this as someone who did 3-4 years in support than moved into programming for 5 years and just never could keep up... I was always able to do just enough to keep my job but that's about it. Never excelled. I switch to business intelligence (which i where I learned about tableau and data warehousing, etc).. which i excelled quite well in and enjoyed a lot. Last couple years I've spent doing data science which is more complex than BI but easier than programming.

Sorry, I meant MSc not MA.

As I said, I don't rate them, but it might be that the people I worked with who had them were not good examples.

I don't think it compares to a Masters degree. You already have a masters degree.

And I came back to suggest looking at Data Analysis and similar roles.

I moved from healthcare to IT in my early 30s. I had significant help from my husband (in software) in preparation though - who helped with hobby coding for a few years.

I would advise first looking on jobs boards to see what is available in the areas that are open to you (I had mortgage and 2 kids - so was not v mobile; but if you are able to move, then there might be access to different types of jobs).

For data analysis roles try search terms like: Analyst, excel, BI (business intelligence - use tools like power bi, tableau to look at company data, display metrics; identify cause of changes, basic forecasting).

For non-technical roles try business analyst (talks to internal and external stakeholders in a business to gather requirements for a project - British Computing Society do a diploma in business analysis and have reading materials available); scrum master (like a team manager - but working in a specific Agile way - there should be books and websites to describe it and courses to go on; but if you have team management experience it is good to consider. some people are business analysts or developers first then do scrum master). Also look at your current experience - my relatives started in banking then moved to fintech in non (software) technical roles, but making use of their financial expertise.

Entry level IT - I have known people to get in via entry level positions in admin, then manual testing in software firms. Other options are first line IT desk support (someone has an issue with laptop; you ask the first questions and gather info and direct them to right team), maybe data entry? Some of these might not lead anywhere, but they would get something on your cv and you might learn of other internal opportunities. Meanwhile you can do some hobby coding/courses/reading to expand your skills.

There are of course coding bootcamps and apprenticeships from large companies as options too. Good luck!

@sbhydrogen could I ask what was the name of the coding boot camp you did

I work in IT and started as a systems analyst. I have always had roles where I sit in between the really technical people and the business - so I know how things work but I don't need to know the coding side.
I've been a scrum master too, which is more of a project management type role, but it allows you to understand what is happening and gain lots of knowledge about the product/project you are supporting.
My organisation has a big focus on getting women into more technical roles and I'm now an IT Architect, but the solutions are fairly high level. I work to find the best solution for a particular problem and then the solution architects take over the lower level detail.
I'd really recommend getting into system analysis or business analysis within the IT area as it gives you a lot of the background you'll need. When I moved to architecture I was surprised at how much cross over there is between the two areas. I think it would be hard to just make the jump straight into a really technical role.

Hope that helps?

@Strawberriesandmelons I went with General Assembly, but Makers Academy are great, too.

Thanks @sbhydrogen

[quote Shelddd]@CastawayQueen I disagree completely. Not sure what your background is.. that might be why we have a different viewpoint. I have a masters in data science, it was a conversion course but I have a technical bachelors, but 90% of the people doing the masters didn't have a technical bachelor's degree. Vast majority have data science jobs now and got them fairly quickly after graduating.

Cloud computing is easy. Infrastructure is easy. Service delivery is easy. Support is easy.

Programming is very hard. Data science is harder than the first 4 i mentioned but not as difficult as programming and it's a brand new field (commercially at least...) That is experiencing crazy growth.

Tableau is not data science... It's a data visualization product. It's considered part of business intelligence which is a different vertical than data science. Data science is basically programming + statistics.

I wasn't suggesting all of those things but rather giving different options.[/quote]
I have the same background as you - started in support and moved into programming. My degree was not technical. I have several cloud computing qualifications and lots of programming/infrastructure experience under my belt. I have also been instrumental in bringing people from diverse backgrounds into the field, most of whom are not only still at it but have been promoted. Sometimes over people with ' the right things' like computer science degrees.

A tech support person (while they know how computers etc work) does not need any additional insight apart from how to troubleshoot and fix things. They have set steps that say if X - do Y. If the steps don't work they need to figure out why but it's all short term thinking with the only goal being to solve the problem at hand.

A programmer/infrastructure engineer requires an additional level of insight. Because they are creating something for the long term they need to know several methods to do something, the pros and cons, short vs long-term tradeoffs. That is why it is difficult.

There are people who think of themselves as programmers - but they are actually tech support people. Yes they write code - but it's only simple scripts to achieve a single task. Not a whole piece of software that will continuously be developed with other people, do several things, need improvement and maintainance, need to meet security standards, etc.

Now the reason that programming is easier to break into is because there are already a lot of bootcamps etc. Again this is very restricted to web development. 99% of bootcamps train people to be web developers because a) most computer science degrees teach things like Java and C, focus on theoretical principles and backend developing, leading to a talent shortage and b) Web development can be easily templated and is easier to pick up.

From this base people pivot into other things (such as infrastructure). But you won't find bootcamps for being an 'infrastructure developer' because there isn't quite a linear path. Most people if they don't start in tech support or direct infra engineers are programmers. Alice Goldfuss is a good example.

So if someone is considering programming the top 3 ways are:

1. Get into a bootcamp/apprenticeship structured programme that gives you a job at the end of it.

1. Get into a tech support role and then work your way into development. Google has free tech support qualifications.

1. Get into an unrelated role. Service delivery, service management, project management are all related but not quite.

And if someone only wanted 'a' good job and wasn't really interested in coding I would advise going for 3) Maybe do a couple of Python courses to show your interest in tech, but focus your effort on your people skills etc. The more things are automated the more these roles will expand. The building and maintenance of software is in fact 10% technical and 90% planning , communication and stakeholder management. The whole 'learn to code' is overblown.

But under none of these circumstances would I advise taking cloud qualifications on their own because they'll not only confuse you more, they also won't be worth very much. This happened in one of my orgs where graduates with no background at all were forced into taking the AWS courses. Lots of effort to pass, but when sent into the teams they weren't much use compared to graduates who didn't have the qualification but had infrastructure knowledge.

Also I can recommend Code First Girls - a lot of their instructors are graduates themselves, now in industry

Also was going to add - there is infrastructure /cloud computing work that is really just tech support, and there are actual infrastructure engineers, same as in programming.

Titles can be very deceptive in this field

@doadeer

I do marketing for tech companies. It's a great environment, fast paced, innovative and amazing salary.

Which area are you thinking about? If marketing of interest I can suggest courses but you'd need to take an entry marketing role without any experience.

I’d love to hear suggestions of courses please! I’m coming from a different angle as just worked on a two year bespoke calculation software build and loved it, i found my project management and people management skills were very much appreciated so very interested in learning more!

Robotic Process Automation RPA with Blue Prism looks like a good option to start. It’s no code and it high demand.
The reason there aren’t more women in tech is because it’s quite a sexist industry (sorry it is). I’m still the only woman in the room in the majority of meetings and after a while it starts to wear you down.
Pays really well and can be very flexible however.

I had a really interesting tech job

Over the years the technology evolved, so be aware that it will not remain static

24×7×365 environment
Male dominated

My employer off shored my job to a much cheaper non EU country

I managed to gain another job in a slightly different field

Some people start in one area & move to parallel departments

Goodluck

I would recommend pursuing the Business Analysis/Product Owner route. Perhaps start with the BCS/ISEB business analysis foundation course. The Product Owner role has more of a focus on the functional side of the platform or application but does still require BA skills. These roles can be very client facing so if that's something you enjoy it could be a good route to go. Product Owners are in a lot of demand right now and less likely to be off-shored. You could also look at applying for Graduate Business Analysis roles which will provide you with training. I think you will give yourself the edge with these roles if you have made the effort to do a foundation course first.

Ref moving to similar departments

It not always what you know, but who you know
Jobs for "mates"

Exame would be a move into cyber security

I did this OP, moved to IT within the company I already worked for in my late twenties. Did 6 months on the support desk and was then promoted to Test Analyst, I design and run manual tests and co-ordinate UAT but also help out with requirements taking as we are a legal services company and I'm the only one in the team that has legal services experience. My boss likes taking non-technical people on for roles that require little tech skills, he feels tech skills can be taught whereas soft skills like critical thinking, attention to detail etc are much more important and difficult to learn. Education wise I did a law degree, I've now done ITIL and ISTQB courses and am dipping my toes into some learning around automation testing with help from one of our .net devs. I love my job, it's very flexible and mostly wfh which is ideal with young children.

When you say "tech" do you just mean coding?

I've worked in technology for 20+ years and it's such a huge industry. I've never done any coding or software development - I started with a bit of IT support, but mostly my career has been what's called pre-sales engineering. Where you become a technical expert in your area, and work alongside a sales person to technically advise and guide potential customers so they choose your technology. It's a role which exists in so many tech areas and companies; software, cloud, hardware, networking, cybersecurity, end user compute etc. and I think it's a great job - you get to talk to customers, work with technology, it's like the best of both worlds for me!

Then there's all the roles which exist in technology companies, like the marketing, sales, 100's of other roles, which are around the tech but not focused on the tech.

I'm not trying to blow your mind with options, but just pointing out that "tech" doesn't just mean coding. Having said that, there does seem to be a need for good coders, based on what I see ! Particularly in certain languages.

I wonder if it's worth thinking of a technology area that interests you, to help you narrow it down a bit. I can't help in terms of getting started now (my route was reasonably traditional; A Levels > Work Experience > Degree > Work Experience during the degree > finish degree > Job > move jobs a few times) but don't assume tech = coding.

PS yes as others have said - very male dominated in most of the actual technical areas. From what I see actually dev is more women than any other tech area, but for all of my working life I've been the only woman in my team until recently. I remember going to a conference once and between one of 2000 in total. It was mildly intimidating!

@thinnerlikeachickendinner

For marketing I would suggest working through the Hubspot and Google Training Academy Resources.

For paid options I would look at Google Squared Digital Marketing Course or the Mark Ritson Mini Marketing MBA.

B2B Marketing has great resources on content marketing - there's a lot of terminology to learn.

It depends which area of marketing, tech companies usually encompass Digital, Events, Operations, Content, PR, Demand Generation & Campaign Marketing, Social Media, Customer Marketing and Partner Marketing. It's vast.