So you’re probably thinking…I know that I want to work in tech…but where do I start?
I hear this question A LOT from my students.
Many come from other industries that operate differently or don’t have much overlap with tech - and it seems daunting to learn a whole new industry. You’re not alone!
Here are a couple tips to get you started:
Start with the tech you engage with every day.
Are you a huge fan of using Instagram or Snapchat to document your day? Consider whether you want to work for a tech company that runs a social media platform. Or maybe consider working for an ad-tech firm that helps its clients develop marketing strategies on social media platforms.
Did you enjoy helping your previous employer train your team on how to use Salesforce? Consider whether you would like working for a large B2B cloud platform like Salesforce or Workday to help other businesses run their Sales or HR operations more smoothly. Or maybe consider working for a company like Gainsight that helps other companies integrate many tech tools together in one dashboard to help improve their customer’s experiences (very meta, I know).
Do you enjoy comparing personal finance tools and making recommendations to your friends? Maybe fintech firms like Intuit (that runs Mint.com) or Paypal (that runs Venmo) might be worth checking out. Or you could consider working for a big bank like Goldman Sachs on their Marcus platform.
If you see a term that you don’t know, look it up or ask someone to help explain it.
Do you know what B2B means? Business-to-Business
What about ‘machine learning’ or ‘fintech’?
While I’ve provided some links here, I highly encourage you to use your trusty Google search bar to look these topics up for yourself to get used to developing your own tech knowledge base.
Most people I know in tech are always looking up new terms and educating themselves because they find these topics fascinating and likely they will want to help you understand them too - if you just ask.
Note: if you have done some research and still don’t find a tech topic interesting, that’s a great piece of feedback for yourself. Add it to your ‘not interested’ list - and consider that a helpful way to narrow your focus!
If you spend some time doing both of the suggestions above, you’ll be well on your way to making your tech dream a reality! The Tech Search Compass course will also guide you through this learning process too.
