Tech Careers Exist Only at Top Tech Companies
One common myth is if you are not working at one of the well-recognized technology companies, like Google or Amazon, then you are not really in a tech job. Not so. All kinds of businesses, in many different industries, have tech jobs and need tech professionals.
Let's look at banks and major financial institutions as an example. Knowing that their customers want access to their financial information 24/7, with the ability to securely perform basic transactions any time, all the time, banks and financial institution realize that they need to make significant technology and talent investments to meet these demands.
To build a customer-facing mobile application, you'll need to assemble a team that not only knows how to program an app for a mobile device and deploy it on a cloud-based platform (so that the app is always accessible to the customer), but also has a thorough understanding of information security (so that customer information is secure at all times) and deep knowledge of the regulations that US-based financial institutions must comply with.
Finding people who have these skills and have a good grasp of the business environment and imperatives is difficult, which is why banks and financial institutions invest a ton of time and money on recruiting and pay highly competitive salaries.
Simply put, you want to look for a position that will provide the experiences you want to have and the skills you want to acquire—some of the best tech jobs may be right in front of you in a “non-tech” company.
Tech Careers Are Only for People with Certain Backgrounds, Grades, Etc.
This is not true at all. Your background, grades, and other qualities will limit you only to the extent that you allow them to limit you.
Some of the most famous tech professionals and innovators came from non-tech backgrounds, didn't complete school, and had terrible grades. Microsoft founder Bill Gates, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, and Bloomberg founder Michael Bloomberg are just a few, more well-known examples of people who achieved success despite failure, didn't complete their formal education, or came from a non-tech background.
But there are so many others—people of color—who are thriving in tech despite not having a “traditional” tech background. People like Esosa Igodharo, who left a financial services career to launch Cosign, a successful social-media shopping app. Or Porter Braswell and Ryan Williams, professionals with business backgrounds, who launched Jopwell, a great site that aims to connect more people of color to career and educational opportunities with major employers, including those in tech. Or Amanda Spann, who has built several successful tech app start-ups like tiphub but had a marketing background and knew that she loved technology but also knew that coding every day was not what she wanted.
I don't have what would be described as a “traditional” tech background. As I mentioned, I was in a completely different role and industry before arriving in tech. Even when I went back to school, I studied communications and information technology (not computer science) and was told, more or less, I should not “quit my day job” as evidenced by my grades for my programming projects (they weren't terrible but certainly nothing to brag about). Despite that, I was still able to find my path and transition into a tech career.
I believe that the following qualities are crucial when embarking on a tech career:
Confidence: Above all else, you must believe you can attain and be successful in a tech career. If you can't believe that you will be successful at a tech career, you're almost putting yourself in a self-fulfilling prophecy to fail.Having self-confidence may be one of the most difficult things to attain and maintain. While sometimes things happen to shake your self-confidence briefly, like a bad grade or work evaluation, I believe that for women of color, it is a bit harder because there may have been many times when they were made to feel they were in some way “inferior” by their communities, educational institutions, and workplaces, and perhaps, not deserving to feel confident. A misinformed comment here, a damaging comment there—over time, these microaggressions add up and feed into the belief that “I'm not good enough.”You are not only good enough, you're more than that. You are smart, are talented, and deserve a great career, whether in tech or another industry. You deserve to be confident in yourself and your capabilities. As you go through your journey, always remember this in your mind and your heart. Believe in your success wholeheartedly and unflinchingly, even on the days when it may the hardest to do so. Thinking anything otherwise may lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy destined for failure.
Self-motivation: This is your journey. You will have advice and help along the way, but no one can force you to act in your best educational or career interests. You must hold yourself accountable for your actions (and inaction). While there may be many things outside of your control, how you choose to act and respond to a situation is in your control.
Perseverance: You must be able to find the strength within to push through tough, and sometimes unfair, situations. While it isn't fair that women of color must work exceptionally harder to obtain tech jobs, as well as respect and equal pay, you need to be able to continue your path as obstacles and hardships are presented.To get where I am now, I had to deal with minor setbacks—a disappointing project grade, multiple job rejections, and the like. I also had to deal with more pressing things, like caring for an ill relative or figuring out how to continue my education while rent and other obligations needed to be paid.I've also had to deal with the stuff that just, well, isn't right. Sometimes at past jobs or at school, people make direct and unkind remarks about the texture of my hair or the color of my skin. I've had people avoid taking me seriously at work because they assumed that I was on the “mommy track,” meaning likely to take maternity leave and not return to work afterward. I've had male peers and colleagues talk down and “mansplain” things to me, as they assumed that I wouldn't be able understand a complex concept.I have, unfortunately, had these and many more crappy things happen to me not only as a result of my race and my gender, but just life in general. While I took action and fought back in situations where I believed I could, ultimately I had to keep moving to achieve my goals.I hope that you don't encounter experiences like this. I hope these experiences are nonexistent or few. Always keep in mind what your end goal is and what your goal is to move forward. Do not let experiences like this rob you of your momentum or power.
A commitment to continuous learning and improvement: Tech changes rapidly and at an exponential rate. Technologies, programming languages, ways of doing things, etc., can change rapidly and with little warning. Only those who put in the time and effort to continuously improve their skills and learn new ones tend to be successful in their tech careers.
Patience: Learning new skills, especially ones that you may initially struggle with, takes time. Often, you may not grasp material quickly, or at all. You must be willing to embrace a long-term approach to your skills development. Shortcuts rarely, if ever, will give you what you need.
Embracing failure and avoiding perfection: Successful people in tech know that perfection is a myth and can be a barrier to action and personal and professional growth. If you are always waiting for the right moment to present a pitch or start a project, you run the risk of never actually doing anything!Although experiencing failure is not a wonderful feeling, it is better to experience this early on so that you can learn from mistakes and improve quickly.
Prioritization and time management: There are only so many hours in the day; you must be able to prioritize what is important to you and firmly commit to how you spend your time. While you should always incorporate downtime and rest in your day (self-care is a must!), you may need to choose between studying or going to a party, attending a school networking event with complete strangers or hanging out with your friends, or thoroughly preparing for a technical interview or playing video games.Only you can determine what is important and should be a priority, as well as how much time you can and should devote to any one activity. Time management and task prioritization are skills you need in just about all aspects of your life.
Resourcefulness