Is a Technology Career Path Rewarding for You?

Is a Technology Career Path Rewarding for You? | Technology | Emeritus

Technology is frequently at the forefront of innovation, and an integral part of human life. Technology specialists, across a variety of roles, are in constant demand to create, maintain, or use significant systems and software. Choosing a technology career path, therefore, is a smart decision for anyone with an affinity for that field, and this guide will give you the pointers necessary to get started.

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Why is Technology a Good Career Path?

To remain competitive, businesses seek cutting-edge technologies and advanced technical solutions for a wide range of purposes, from strategic to day-to-day. This establishes technology as a challenging and fulfilling career path with several options for people interested in this highly technical and fast-paced industry. Employers are typically searching for individuals that are devoted to lifelong learning, eager to broaden their knowledge and learn new skills, and grasp software applications as the possible uses of the latest technology emerge.

How to Start a Career in Technology?

Research Roles and Positions

Technology is a broad area with several specializations such as network engineering, software development, DevOps specialist, and product design, among others. Investigating the various jobs and opportunities will help you determine which ones could be a good fit for your current talents, interests, and career aspirations.

Create a Shortlist

After you research, make a short list of possible occupations. With your dream career in mind, keep researching the qualifications required to be recruited for the roles you’ve chosen.

Learn to Code

Languages to consider studying are JavaScript, Java, C++, Python, and Ruby. These are sophisticated languages that may need more formal instruction. 

Work on an Open-Source Project

You may get coding experience by building or contributing to open-source projects and sharing your skills with others. This not only expands your skill set, but it is also something you can include in your portfolio and résumé.

technologyEnroll in Education

Enroll for a course to reinforce your candidacy once you’ve settled on a career path and gained some experience. Taking a formal coding course or enrolling in an associate or bachelor’s degree program might be examples of this. 

Network with Professionals

Find opportunities to network with other technology professionals before embarking on your career. You boost your chances of receiving a job reference by attending networking events where you are likely to encounter such people. 

Freelance for Experience

After you’ve honed your relevant abilities and established your network, you can get experience by freelancing. Freelancing is an excellent option to enter the industry since it allows you to obtain expertise while still being compensated for your efforts.

Required Skills for Technology Careers

Technical Skills

  • Technical writing
  • Social media administration
  • Coding
  • Configuration of a network
  • Hardware installation
  • Understanding of the operating system
  • Database administration

Non-Technical Skills

  • Communication 
  • Organization 
  • Analytical skills
  • Creativity
  • Project management
  • Problem-solving
  • Resourcefulness
  • Leadership 
  • Flexibility

ALSO READ: What is DevOps and Why is it Important for Efficiency?

Tech Jobs Market

A recent wave of layoffs in the tech industry—including the firing of tens of thousands of employees by Twitter, Amazon, and Meta—has given other businesses a tremendous chance to expand, something they couldn’t previously do due to skilled labor shortage. For instance, they can now get fresh talent in a less competitive market by hiring from past ranks of top global digital firms. These skills can assist them in transforming their traditional business models into digitally agile ones in order to get ready for increasingly volatile business conditions. 

List 10 Career Opportunities in Technology

A career in technology can be found in a variety of settings, including fast-paced startups, innovative technology companies, and small Information Technology (IT) departments. Here are 10 technology career paths that you can pursue:

  • Mobile applications developer  
  • Database manager  
  • Data security analyst  
  • Artificial Intelligence (AI) engineer
  • Full-stack developer 
  • Cloud architect 
  • DevOps engineer 
  • Blockchain engineer
  • Big data engineer 
  • Data scientist

ALSO READ: How to Become a Big Data Engineer: A Simple Guide

Women’s Career Path in Technology

It’s no secret that women in technology were underrepresented at one time. According to research, just 14% of all software engineers in the workforce are women. However, there has been a continued attempt to encourage women to pursue careers in technology. 

Positive activities by many organizations are providing momentum to the effort to redress the gender imbalance in the tech industry. Women like Susan Wojcicki (CEO of YouTube and one of Google’s first employees), Melanie Perkins (CEO of Canva), and Bernadette Nixon (CEO of Cloud 100 newcomer company Algolia), are breaking stereotypes of technology being a male-dominated industry. 

Many tech organizations have also introduced policies like maternity leave, emphasis on work-life balance, additional monthly leaves, and flexible work schedules, among others. These reforms are making tech a women-friendly sector and helping diminish gender disparity. There have also been significant landmarks on the way to gender parity in coding jobs like learning how to code, peer-to-peer learning, and women’s cohorts. 

The growth may seem slow-paced but it still counts as growth. And looking at the current tech landscape, it can be said that it is only getting better.

Salary Outlook for Beginners, Intermediate, and Experienced Professionals

According to Glassdoor, the average annual salary of a beginner in the U.S. technology sector is $49,515. The salary for professionals with intermediate experience of three to four years goes up to $53,614 annually, and for advanced-level technology professionals to $64,018. You can also earn up to a six-figure monthly salary with the right skill sets, making technology a rewarding career for you.  

Future of a Career in Technology

Technology is so all-pervasive that there is a consistent demand for tech expertise. According to Deloitte research, the tech workforce has been growing steadily in recent years. For instance, there were 5.5 million IT workers worldwide in 2020, up 2.2% annually since 2001. The growth rate exceeds the 0.4% average yearly rise in total employment by a wide margin. There is a talent gap in technology that has to be addressed as diverse industries compete for talent, as well as a skill gap brought on by emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), and cloud computing that are revolutionizing the industry. There is a need for concerted initiatives to increase industry-specific skills and agility in this quickly expanding field in order to teach the next generation of tech employees.

If you want to work in an ever-changing profession full of new possibilities and opportunities, a technology career path could be the right choice for you. To upskill yourself and prepare for this, do explore the courses on technology offered by Emeritus, and become competitive in this market.

By Siddhesh Shinde

Write to us at content@emeritus.org

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About the Author

Content Marketing Manager, Emeritus Blog
Manasa is the content ninja that every brand needs. Apart from being an expert in tech-related trends and digital marketing, she has found her calling in edtech. Her 10-year-long tryst with education started with a teaching fellowship for underprivileged children, followed by a stint as an edupreneur. It gave her the perspective she now uses to create impactful content for Emeritus. Manasa loves the life of a digital nomad that allows her to travel and hopes her reels go viral on the Gram.
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