Have you ever wondered, if the tech industry is for you? Are you keen to break into tech but struggle to get started?
Technology can be found in every industry and we are using it on a daily basis, sometimes even unconsciously! This leads to the situation, that over the comming years more jobs will be created in the tech industry. According to the WEF Future of Jobs Report 2020, 97 million jobs will be created in the division of labour between humans and machines. On the other side, the job demand will be decreasing by 85 million.
Given these stats, changing careers into tech can provide amazing opportunities for everyone. So let us give you some guidance, how you can build your best career in tech!

Step 1 – Know your skills

Start the journey into tech by assessing your skills. While it does not matter if you already working in the tech industry or not, transferrable skills are the basis of every career switch. Transferrable skills are for example creative problem solving, analytical thinking or communication skills. For sure, you have gained some of these in previous and current jobs.
At first, get your CV and check if it is complete. If you have not been updating your CV for a while, it is a good opportunity to do so (check out this blog post why you should update your CV regularly). Following the update of your CV, identify the tasks you have done in your positions. What kind of skills did you need or have you learned to do the task? If you are struggling with identiying these skills, check out this list of skills.

Need help identifying your skills? Check out our SKILLS FINDER project here.

Step 2 – Find your tech

Your next move is to find the area that interests you most to build your career in tech. Set aside your CV and investigate the different areas. Firstly, make a list of all the areas you know already. Identify which you know better and which are less known to you. Spend some time investigating these areas online. Furthermore, talk to friends and find out who knows more about the areas and what do they know.
Finally make a list that helps you sort your search result. For each area summarize your investigation outcome and indicate, which of these are triggering some exciting feelings. Consequently, you should end up with a list showing your top 3 areas of interests.

Step 3 – Define the gap

Now that you know your skills and the area your interested in, it is time to find out what is required to move into this area. Even though you might not have a degree or certification in a specific area, there are still opportunities to switch into this area with your skills set. Therefore, it is important to identify now what kind of roles exists in this area. Research which skills are required for these roles and compare them with your skills list to find the most suitable role for you. Next identify the expertise knowledge that is required and write them down in the area of interest.
By the end of step 3 you know what roles could be relevant to your skill set and which expertises you need.

Step 4 – Close the gap

Consequently, it is now time to close the gap! The first step is to research if there are any education or courses you can attend to gain the expertise required. Check out open position and see what companies require in regards to certifiction. On the other hand, find people for example on LinkedIn who are holding these positions and investigate how they have reched this position. Alternatively you can reach out to your network and interview people in these areas. Certainly don’t forget to list your findings with all relevant information such as institution, duration and costs.

Step 5 – Plan your career switch

At last, you have all the information you need to plan your career switch. Subsequently, create a high-level timeline and mark the dates where for example a course starts and how long it lasts. Think about what you can do until the course starts. You might want to read more about the topic or attend events to expand your network into this area. If a certification is required for a position, don’t wait until you received the certificate to start your job hunt. Inidcate in your plan, how you can build your network with people and companies during your certification to increase your chances of finding a job. Finally, it is important that you set yourself some milestones in your plan to track your progresss.

Final thoughts

„Nothing is impossible“ used to be a slogan of a famouse sportswear brand. Although this might be true, one should be aware of what is really required to do a career switch. Before you put your plan into action, think about the feasibility. Do you have the required resources (e.g. time and money)? Are you aware of the committment you have to give to reach your goals? 

Switching careers can lead to lifelong satisfaction – be wholeheartedly committed and determined to build your best career in tech.

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