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10.30.2024
5 Reasons to Make a Career Change Into Tech this Fall
By The Fullstack Academy Team
Regardless of the industry, some months are more conducive to job hunting than others. However, regardless of the time of year, there is always a respectable demand for fresh faces and new blood in IT, although it can vary based on location, job title, the economy, and other factors. But if you’re preparing for a career move, you must acquire new skills relevant to your destination field, especially if you’re considering making a career change into tech.
Technical roles offer an attractive option for professional advancement due to the high demand for skilled employees across the U.S., the availability of accelerated training programs, and the rapid growth of fields like machine learning and cloud computing.
Read on to learn some of the more compelling reasons why you should make a career change into tech and prepare yourself for new job opportunities:
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1. Improve Work-Life Balance
According to a survey by Flexjobs, one of the primary reasons for wanting to change careers is to achieve a better work-life balance. Whether you’re looking to escape the typical 9-5 grind entirely or simply want more job autonomy, a career change to tech could be the solution.
Many tech professionals, such as web developers and software engineers, remotely perform their jobs for the company they work for from the comfort of their homes—or almost anywhere in the world! Alternatively, as you build new skills and experience, you may consider starting your own entrepreneurial or freelance venture and setting your work hours.
2. Explore Personal Interests
Another reason to consider a career change is to pursue a role more aligned with your interests, strengths, and goals. For instance, if you’re an avid gamer, research what jobs gaming companies are hiring for and their required qualifications. Or, creatively think about how your gaming skills may transfer to a tech role and explore ways to leverage your natural interests into a fulfilling career.
3. Increase Earning Potential
Changing careers in tech can be daunting, but may be rewarding in the long run. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, tech areas like cybersecurity and data analytics are growing 4-6 times faster than other occupations.
High demand typically comes with higher pay—often in addition to increased autonomy and other attractive perks and benefits as companies look to meet this demand. For instance, entry-level cybersecurity professionals average a yearly salary of $132,962 (ZipRecruiter, September 2024). You can also move into higher-paying roles as you gain more professional experience and your career progresses.
4. Pursue Career Growth Opportunities
It’s easy to feel stuck in your career if your organization, field, or industry provides a limited upward trajectory. Making a career change can pave the way for a more suitable future with greater earning and growth potential.
Tech roles, in particular, provide significant growth opportunities due to the demand for skilled workers in emerging sectors such as cloud computing and machine learning. The tech workforce to grow twice as fast as the overall U.S. workforce in next ten years, with an average replacement rate of 6% annually. This translates to about 350,000 workers needed each year, totaling several million through 2034. (Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and Lightcast projections). It’s also important to note that, as of the last few years, more tech employers are hiring based on skills rather than formal educational background, thus lowering the barrier to entry for career changers.
5. Expand Your Professional Skill Set
With the increasing demand for tech skills, another reason to change careers is to build your professional skill set. Developing unique, expansive skills creates your own personal niche of expertise, increasing your value to companies and boosting your career potential.
Shifting to a career in tech can allow you to build in-demand hard skills that expand upon your existing soft skills. For example, if you love to organize and have an eye for detail, you could become a proficient product manager or data scientist with additional tech skills training. Or perhaps you are creative and enjoy problem-solving, which could translate well into an IT or software engineering career.
6. There’s a High Demand
As mentioned earlier, the tech sector has high demand and growth. Recruiting in the industry also remains robust. Although there will always be competition between candidates, more openings means more opportunities to pursue employment.
7. Increased Opportunities for Remote Work/Work at Home
Some excellent, high-paying remote tech jobs are available today. Many organizations are discovering that people enjoy the flexibility of working at home, not to mention the savings on infrastructure by encouraging home offices.
Why Is Now a Good Time to Switch to the Tech Industry?
Although some companies have experienced layoffs, it is still a good time to enter the tech industry. Here’s a brief breakdown of why we’re still in a good tech job climate with many opportunities.
There’s still a strong demand for tech workers in many industries.
The tech industry offers a diverse mix of roles and positions, making it easier for newcomers to get on board.
Many industries are still offering very competitive salaries and compensation packages.
The pace of technological innovations hasn’t slowed, meaning that, sooner or later, there will be greater demands for skilled tech workers to work with these new advances.
How Do You Get a Job in Today’s Tech Industry?
Here’s a step-by-step path to make a career switch and enter today’s fast-paced tech industry.
- Get training. There are many ways to gain tech skills, depending on your available time, resources, and other personal factors. Here’s a list of options:
Coding bootcamps
Online certification courses
In-person continuing education classes
Self-taught, independent learning via videos, online independent study, manuals
Do some networking. Join some industry-specific groups, including attending conferences and networking events. Networking builds contacts and is an excellent resource for learning more about the industry. You could even end up finding a mentor.
Create some personal projects. If you want to show a prospective employer what you can do, there’s nothing like giving them a sample of your work. It could be your own website, an online portfolio, or some other projects that showcase your skills and abilities.
Get an internship. Internships are perfect for getting hands-on experience as well as making important contacts. In some cases, interns end up getting hired by the company they worked for.
Research the companies you’re applying to. When you research companies that you’re interviewing with, it shows them several important things: you’re thorough, you’re thinking ahead, and you have a genuine interest in the organization you’re applying to. Recruiters especially like that last point.
Customize your resume. Study the job description of each position you’re applying for, then tweak your resume to conform to the role. This includes adding keywords found in the job description to your resume.
Call in a specialist. If the prospects of setting career goals, job searching, or creating a better resume are too daunting, consider getting outside help. Many professional career counselors, resume consultants, and 1:1 coaches can use their experience to make your career path easier.
Entry-Level Jobs to Consider When Switching to a Tech-Related Career
Here’s a brief list of entry-level jobs you should consider when making your move to the tech industry.
Junior Data Analyst. These professionals help companies by gathering, processing, and analyzing data that can be used to make more intelligent and informed decisions.
Junior Database Administrator. DBAs manage and maintain an organization’s database, ensuring its performance, security, and availability. They also are responsible for database design, backup, and recovery processes.
Junior Front-End Developer. These developers create and maintain website and web app user interfaces, using their knowledge of JavaScript and React to transform designs into interactive, dynamic web pages.
Junior Java Developer. These developers use tools like Java and Spring Boot to build and maintain server-side applications. These developers are also usually involved in many stages of the software development lifecycle, ranging from requirement analysis to deployment.
Junior Salesforce administrator. This role involves managing and configuring Salesforce CRM applications, designing user interfaces, setting up dashboards, ensuring data security, and streamlining business processes with tools like Process Builder and Flow Builder.
Research Assistant. Research assistants are valuable in the machine learning and artificial intelligence sectors and are often relied on to help with AI-related research projects. The information these assistants gather is vital to creating and training hierarchical neural networks (HNNs).
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Ready to Make Your Career Change Into Tech?
Career pivots can better align your work with your personal interests, financial goals, and professional aspirations. Plus, by moving into tech, you can make a difference—whether it’s keeping valuable cyber data safe, supporting technological advancements, or harnessing the power of AI for good.
Online tech bootcamps are a great option to close the gap between your existing skill set and the technical skills necessary to support a career change. Grace Hopper Program Tech Bootcamps provide immersive technical training and individual career support to help you succeed. For more tips, read our article on how to overcome barriers to a career change.
FAQs
What are the main reasons you would consider changing careers?
The primary reasons include:
Dissatisfaction with current career
A desire to get in on the tech boom
Wanting a position that potentially allows remote or in-home work
Earning a better salary
Improved job security.
Better career opportunities are available
How do you make a career change into tech?
Here’s a quick step-by-step checklist:
Identify your transferable skills
Research the industry you want
Fill in missing skills with online classes, certifications, bootcamps, and other courses
Contact and network with industry professionals
Build a portfolio that demonstrates your skills and projects
Apply for an entry-level position in your field of choice
Is the tech field a good choice for a career change?
Absolutely! A career change into tech can be a wise decision since the entire IT field is experiencing unprecedented job growth and demand.
Is tech a stressful career?
Every career comes with its share of stress, and the tech field is no exception. Unfortunately, there is no single answer to this. It depends on the company, the position, the workload, and even the individual since everyone has a different stress threshold.
What tech careers are most in demand?
Popular tech careers include but are not limited to:
Machine Learning Engineer
Software Developer/Software Engineer
DevOps Engineer
Data Scientist
AI and Machine Learning Engineer
