How to Get into Tech with No Experience

For someone with no experience, entering the tech industry can seem daunting. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, getting a college degree can take four years and cost between $27,100 and $58,600 per year on average.

Fortunately, there are other routes into the field. Tech offers a wide assortment of career paths for workers without experience or a college degree, whether they’re changing jobs or seeking their first one:

• Employment in computer and information technology (IT) will grow by 26% from 2023 to 2033, the BLS projects—almost twice the 7% rate for the average occupation.

• As many as 25% of tech professionals earned their positions without a traditional four-year college degree, BLS figures show.

Prospective workers can utilize a number of resources to get into tech with no experience—and one of the best ways to get started is to learn how to code.

What Are Tech Jobs?

A tech job is defined as any occupation that involves creating, building, maintaining, or supporting hardware or software. Here’s a partial list of occupations under the “tech job” banner.

• Computer Hardware Engineer

• Database Manager

• Data Scientist

• Software Engineer

• Network Engineer

• Web Developer

• IT Support

How To Get a Coding Job With No Experience

While automation and technology have made many jobs obsolete, they’ve also created new classes of jobs: ones that make automation and technology possible. Many of these jobs involve coding—creating, maintaining, designing, or optimizing the programs behind everything from software applications to websites to games.

While many earn a computer science degree, others have found it possible to get a coding job with no experience. Aspiring coders can find an abundance of guides, tutorials, and articles to help them learn the basics, both in print and online. Another option is a tech bootcamp that squeezes those essentials into as few as three intensive months.

Whatever the learning method, two key areas for study are core concepts and programming languages.

Core Concepts in Coding

Programming languages each involve their own complexities, but they have certain core concepts in common. Mastering these concepts makes it easier to learn both a first language and additional ones.

Variables

A variable is a placeholder. It reserves a memory location for a specific kind of data, like a number or a name. As data is entered into variables, a program can manipulate them to produce outputs like charts and texts.

Data Structures

Like a filing system, a data structure is a framework for storing data to make it easy to access when it’s needed. Different structures have different kinds of uses, and a programmer should be familiar with various uses.

Tools

Much as a plumber keeps various wrenches for different repairs, a coder uses programming tools to simplify different kinds of jobs. Two common kinds of tools are debuggers, which test programs for errors, and compilers, which translate high-level languages into low-level machine language.

Programming Languages

When learning a foreign language, a student chooses one that’s useful for a particular goal, like taking Spanish for a trip to Spain. Programming languages are similar. The tech area in which a student wants to work should influence what language the student learns first. Some popular programming languages and what they’re used for are as follows:

Python

For maximum flexibility from one industry to another, Python is a leading language. It’s relatively easy to learn, but it can write a wide variety of tasks, from simple automation scripts to computer programs and web applications. It’s also used in machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI).

Java

Java is the chief language behind Android, which powers 85% of mobile devices. It’s the top language for smart applications.

JavaScript

For working on websites, JavaScript is the No. 1 language. It can set up lively and visually striking user interfaces, web animations, and interactive features.

C and C++

C is the closest to a universal programming language. It was first developed for writing operating systems, like UNIX and Windows. Its versatility makes it relatively simple to adapt code for one device or operating system (OS) to run on another. C++ is a high-performance offshoot that helps programs run faster and use less memory.

What Are The Top Entry-Level Tech Jobs?

The following are the top entry-level tech jobs available that don’t require technical experience.

• Entry-Level Technical Project Managers: A technical project manager’s chief responsibility is planning, developing, and overseeing all technical projects. These junior managers establish standard workflow and best practices, coordinate the team’s collaboration, and delegate any necessary work to other employees.

• Junior Database Administrators: These administrators design, create, test, and maintain databases. These junior administrators monitor system performance, troubleshoot problems and issues, and ensure everyone follows all company policies and standards.

• IT Support Technicians: These entry-level IT technicians respond to help desk requests, troubleshoot applications and computer systems, interact with users and customers, and install and configure software and hardware. Additionally, they document, track, and report on support-related issues and user requests.

• Data Entry Specialists: This job involves digitizing data for storage and retrieval. A data entry analyst maintains the organization of a company’s filing system, routinely reviews and updates data for accuracy, and researches and analyzes their findings.

• Junior Technical Writers: Technical writers create and update company documents such as procedural guides, reference materials, instructional manuals, and product descriptions. These junior writers work closely with product teams and may design visual aids and diagrams to better convey information to non-technical people.

How Do You Ensure You Qualify for Tech Jobs Without Experience?

Here are some tips for ensuring you qualify for tech jobs that don’t require technical experience.

• Enhance Your Resume: This is one of the most critical steps before applying for an entry-level position. Employers often use an applicant tracking system (ATS) to process candidates quickly, using filters to identify specific keywords. So, your resume may more likely be seen if your chosen language matches those keywords your potential employer uses to describe particular skills.

• Keep Current With Emerging Industry Trends: Once you have chosen a tech industry specialization (e.g., cybersecurity, cloud computing, full-stack development), keep up with the appropriate industry leaders and fellow professionals. Consult articles, blogs, press releases, and YouTube videos to identify necessary in-demand skills and tools. Then, use your insights to demonstrate your flexibility and adaptability, a highly-desired core skill for any tech professional.

• Conduct Your Research: Browse through job postings before applying anywhere. See who’s hiring, what positions are open, and what compensation looks like. Read up on the companies that are hiring; get familiar with them. Recruiters love it when applicants show they are interested enough in the organization to research in advance.

Tactics for Finding a Coding Job With No Experience

A programmer learns by doing. As students learn core concepts and languages, they practice by doing hands-on coding. Such projects help them strengthen their skills and learn from their mistakes.

Additionally, coding projects can expose a student’s work to other programmers and to potential employers. The online ecosystem of coders offers numerous routes for someone seeking a coding job with no experience to demonstrate coding skills. Some of those routes are self-created projects, coding challenges, open-source software, and freelance projects.

Self-Created Projects

While working with an existing app, a student may find problems that need fixing or opportunities to create entirely new apps. It can boost visibility to post the code online as it’s developed, either on a personal website or on a software repository like GitHub.

Coding Challenges

A coding challenge is a sort of programming puzzle. Some challenge websites, like Codewars, rank coders as they work their way through challenges. Others, like Topcoder, have prize money attached. Either way, taking on challenges can sharpen programming skills.

It can also help prepare for job interviews, since many employers use programming challenges to test candidates. Sites like LeetCode provide technical questions for practicing the kinds of challenges that an interviewer might pose.

Open-Source Software

Open-source programs are usually free for anyone to use and open for anyone to contribute to. Many widely used OSs and programs are open source, such as the Android mobile OS and the web development platform WordPress.

For beginners, adding to an open-source project provides them an opportunity to demonstrate their coding skills. More than that, it can make a student part of a community, collaborating with more experienced programmers. Such connections can help build a professional network and lead to work opportunities.

Freelance Projects

As a step to getting hired as a full-time programmer, many beginning coders build a robust portfolio outside a traditional work setting by taking freelance jobs. Freelance projects can come out of networking, but coders can also seek them out in online marketplaces.

Since freelance work is usually time-limited and paid by the project, it can be ideal for someone looking to transition from another career. The person can accumulate a record of freelance work while still in an existing job.

How To Get Into The Tech Industry With No Experience

Coding provides one example of how to get into the tech industry with no experience, but many other kinds of tech jobs are open as well. For example, 37% of computer user support specialists and 29% of network and computer systems administrators have no college degree, according to the BLS.

Other tech occupations with high percentages of workers without a degree include information security analyst, database administrator, and web developer.

Once workers have developed skills in these fields, they can use several common strategies for seeking an entry-level job.

1. Get Certified

While a computer science degree typically takes four years, studying for certification and sitting for an exam can be accomplished in a matter of months. Earning one or more certifications can help a job seeker’s resume stand out. It’s evidence that the job seeker has mastered a specific set of skills and that a professional organization has verified them.

Certifications run the gamut from expertise in particular software to networking, user support, project management, and cybersecurity. Large companies like Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, and Cisco offer certifications specific to their products. For example, Amazon Web Services certifies professionals in specialties such as data analytics and cloud computing.

2. Network

In tech, perhaps even more than in the rest of the business world, who you know can be as important as what you know. Many job openings are never advertised. They get filled through networking in online communities.

The scope of online communities can dwarf those of brick-and-mortar businesses. A site like Stack Overflow, with 14 million registered users, allows a beginner to ask programming questions and get answers, while meeting others with similar targeted interests.

Nontechnical social media sites can also aid a tech job seeker:

• A LinkedIn profile can display qualifications to an employer that’s seeking your skill set. It can also allow you to search and connect with individuals and companies that align with your interests.

• A Twitter account can help build a personal brand, while making professional connections through tweeting and being retweeted.

3. Blog

As beginners start creating their own projects, blogging about them is another way to increase both visibility and credibility—particularly to possible colleagues who might discover a blog through a search engine.

Refreshing a blog with new content can build a steady audience. Insights on programming, as well as tips and tricks, can keep readers and potential clients coming back.

4. Seek Out Startups

Tech giants like Google and Facebook began as startups with limited resources. Startups often can’t afford more experienced professionals. They’re often more open to onboarding newcomers who are eager to learn and can demonstrate solid skills, even with no experience.

At first, a startup may need only part-time work or onetime projects. Reaching out to a startup can be an opportunity to build both a portfolio and a relationship. As the business expands, the relationship may blossom into a full-time job, as well as sharing financially in the business’s growth.

What Can You Do With Coding Skills?

Occupational horizons keep expanding for workers with coding skills. Cultivating those skills can open the door to a wide assortment of professional roles that encourage creativity and innovation.

A survey by the tech interview platform CoderPad demonstrates how the number and variety of opportunities are increasing. In 2024, 30% of companies surveyed planned to hire more than 50 developers. Also, an increasing number of recruiters are discarding degree requirements, which is a great boon for anyone who wants to enter the tech field without an appropriate degree.

Pursue a Dynamic Career Path in Tech

For someone with little experience, few industries offer the opportunities that tech does for launching a fulfilling and well-paying career. One avenue for how to get into tech with no experience is by pursuing a bootcamp, like the ones that Grace Hopper Program offers. In as few as 12 intensive weeks, a student can be prepared to earn certifications and seek jobs in coding. Learn more about how a tech bootcamp can help both first-time workers and career changers pursue their professional ambitions.

FAQs

1. What is the most straightforward tech job to get into?

Many experts agree that IT support specialists or help desk analysts are the simplest tech jobs to get into. These positions typically require little to no experience, emphasize troubleshooting basics, and expose you to more advanced IT concepts.

2. Can I start a tech company with no experience?

Believe it or not, yes, you can! If you have the right team, partnerships, support, and product, you can launch your own startup despite not knowing a single line of code.

3. How can I get into tech without a tech background?

Follow these steps:

• Identify any of your skills that will be useful in transitioning

• Sign up for coding bootcamps and other online courses to bring your tech skills up to speed

• Create your own projects, and build a portfolio to show them off

• Network with industry people, including signing up for online forums and attending workshops and in-person events

• Look into entry-level roles or internships

Recommended Readings

How a Marketing Professional Used JavaScript to Transition Into Tech

How to Become a Software Developer Without Quitting Your Job

How to Get a Job in Cybersecurity