Looking to break into the tech industry with no skills or experience? Discover how you can easily secure a job in technology. We’ve got you covered! In another article, we explored the 17 steps to break into the tech industry, but now we’ve broken it down even further with 11 actionable ways to get started and jumpstart your tech career.

These action items serve as a template, providing you with a starting point to land a tech role successfully.

The tech industry is booming in the UK, with a high demand for digital skills. Companies and government programs are eager to fill the digital skills gap.

But how can you get your foot in the door without any previous tech experience? Follow our expert tips and be on your way to a thriving career in tech!

Aim for the big dogs!

If you intend to get experience and exposure, then you should go for this. When you’re first getting started in tech, don’t be afraid to apply to a big company.

Hey! I mean if you want a successful tech career, you need some level of ambition, would you agree?

What I define as a big company is any company that’s a global leader in its field. I bet a few companies are popping up in your mind already, right? Well, it’s not that difficult to think of these companies.

Big companies offer great experience and exposure, which is why you should always consider applying to one as this is where huge opportunities are.

When it comes to experience you can get a lot of it because of the size and scale of the business. You get the opportunity to work with industry leaders with specialist skills and learn things beyond your wildest dreams.

With experience you get exposure, and the only way to get this is to make use of opportunities. Not every opportunity will give you the exposure you need. You want to go for the best options, so you have to be strategic.

So where do I start?

Great question! Start by doing your research on all the big companies that align with your skillset (more on this later). Create a mini-checklist full of the pros and cons, and compare what you like and dislike about different companies – it could be anything. Next, you want to look at the entry-level requirements.

You’ll probably come across a ton of options. But you only want to choose what’s relevant to you and your level of skill. Don’t waste an application applying to a company that’s asking for 8 years of coding experience, when you don’t have it! – This is not the narrative that’s being pushed here.

What I am suggesting, is that you select a big company (whale-size one – HUGE!) and see what entry-level roles they have for someone with, let’s say, less than one year of experience.

What you’ll find is that a number of them offer training and other opportunities that might tickle your fancy.

At a big company, you’ll be surrounded by many experts and talented individuals. You will gain a lot just by being in the same environment. You have people from all walks of life who can share knowledge, train, and coach you.

Big companies also offer a lot of stability, growth, and a good reputation which is why they tend to attract some of the best talent.

Sometimes it’s just about getting your foot through the door. If this is your intention then apply to a startup.

Why??

1. Low barrier to entry (compared to a larger company)
2. Great stepping stone

You should consider applying to a tech startup because it has low barriers to entry. Don’t miss that!

What this means is your chances of securing a job in a startup are much higher compared to a larger company. The entry requirements will also differ significantly.

You do not need to possess a specific university degree or specialist skills, you can enter just as you are. The only thing to be mindful of, however, is to show your passion and demonstrate some level of competency.

What gets you into a startup is a combination of things, passion being one of them. Your attitude and character are also top of that list.

Instead of hiring someone with a first-class degree, which is what a super-duper tech giant would do, startups would rather hire a second-class graduate who has a positive outlook on life.

Some may challenge this thought process, but ultimately, the way you’re assessed is different, which presents an opportunity you and I can take advantage of.

If you’re starting out with no skills or experience, working for a startup is a great stepping stone that can further harness bigger opportunities.

A good approach is to take advantage of even the most menial tasks and do it with all the integrity it deserves.

You’ll often be given tasks that might not excite you or even challenge you, at first. But never let that dishearten you – keep executing these tasks, over time this will transition into more challenging work.

Once you’re able to deliver consistently, you can use this as leverage to get to the next level.

Startups are a great place for trial and error, making mistakes and learning as you go along.

Never overlook the importance of starting out small, it can help you build confidence over time and gain invaluable skills.

Look for a company that will train you! The great news is… a lot of companies do this for FREE! Yep, you heard it here first (well, maybe not first, but hey!).

Joining a boot camp or training course is a great way you get started in tech without having any skills or previous experience.

Depending on what you want to achieve, there are a variety of options available that can help upskill, reskill, and potentially land you a job by the end of it.

Boot camps and training courses led by reputable companies are a great place to start. Some examples of these are QA, Ten10, Sparta Global, and FDM.

OK, who are they?

All of these companies are known for award-winning industry training that can help you get started in tech for those with no skills or experience.

QA

If you’re an individual looking to upskill or reskill then this is a company that can offer you one of the best learning and development training to meet your needs.

QA is a digital education and skills company providing fresh talent across the tech space to a range of sectors including government, healthcare, and defence, just to name a few.

They are most popular for their award-winning training boot camp ‘QA Talent’.

Over 1,500 tech specialists have been fast-tracked via QA Talent. The average income of QA learners after taking the course increases by around £3,600.

Joining QA’s talent academy is a great avenue you can take to quickly get started in the tech industry. This consists of a 12-week programme with expert mentors that provide training to help you secure your future as a tech specialist, or what they would call a QAdet.

At the end of the training, you get the opportunity to receive a funded membership.

QA offers a range of pathways for you to choose from, to help you decide your specialism once you complete the training programme. You can either specialise in Cloud computing, Software Engineering, DevOps, or Software Testing.

90% of learners recommend QA after completing the training. Also, QA was awarded #1 for Microsoft training provider in the UK. I’ve taken part in the QA training myself. My experience overall was fantastic.

Although I was coming with previous experience, I was training alongside people from all walks of life, some with no tech experience, others who changed careers, and some ex-military.

It was a good mixture of talent which is what made this type of training worthwhile. Was I rewarded at the end of it… let’s just say I left the boot camp with a big smile on my face.

Ten10

Ten10 is one of the UK’s leading software engineering companies that recruit, train, and deploy talent across many industries.

Ten10’s Tech Academy offers individuals a grad scheme-like training course that runs over 6 to 12 weeks, providing top-quality training as per industry standards.

Why I consider Ten10 another great choice to help you get started in tech, is because the Ten10 Academy is not limited to a Computer Science degree. They select people based on aptitude, soft skills, and ambition.

They provide the technical training needed to fast-track your career. You’ll also have the opportunity to leave with a professional certification at the end of the training.

The last time that I checked, the selection process consisted of 4 stages:

(1) Send your CV application,

(2) Have a telephone interview (which in my opinion is just a friendly chat),

(3) Complete a video interview,

(4) Attend an assessment day.

Do not let any of the above intimidate you, the reason I know you’ll be fine is because I went through the same process myself. Ten10 was one of the first companies I applied to when trying to get started in tech.

I have no regrets, overall it was a great experience and this was how I got started in tech. They support you from start to finish.

You’ll go through a period of intensity. The first few weeks will seem quite simple, but as you get deeper into the process, the content becomes more challenging.

Once you navigate through all the phases you’ll reflect upon when you first started and realise the amazing growth you’ve made.

So the process is simple… you send your CV to them, and after that, they will reach out to you for a telephone interview – which, essentially, is a short conversation on why you want to work in tech.

They want to hear your passion and understand your motivation to get started in tech.

Once you pass the telephone interview, you will then be invited to do a video call – where you’ll simply record yourself answering pre-recorded questions (not sure if this has changed at all, but this wasn’t a live video call when I did it).

Finally, the last stage is an assessment day – you’ll spend the day in person with other finalists in an interactive session, where you’ll be assessed on your aptitude, soft skills, and motivation.

Sparta Global

Sparta Global is an award-winning technology consultancy and training partner that hires, trains and deploys talent.

Sparta focuses on technology and business talent, providing 8-10 weeks of paid training. They’ve made the training programme suitable for graduates, non-graduates, and career changers.

This provides a nice gateway for you to get your foot through the door, especially if you’re a non-graduate or career changer.

You will benefit from one of the best industry-led training boot camps, which is something you can leverage to boost your career prospects.

Sparta Global has a diversity-first approach, with 53% ethnic minority, 31% women, and 42% 1st generation university graduates.

So if you want to be at a company that values diversity and inclusion, then I’d recommend them as a start.

Over 100 partner employers exist with Sparta Global, which allows them to deploy the 3000 trained talent, where 96% of them convert to a client. You also have the opportunity to earn an average of £50,000 in your third year.

Successful applicants are hired based on their attitude, aptitude, and potential for success. Having a university degree or coming from a STEM background is not required.

All you need to be successful with Sparta Global is a passion for technology, a strong work ethic and a willingness to learn.

I haven’t taken part in any training through Sparta Global, but from what they offer applicants I most definitely recommend them as a strong choice to help start your career in tech.

FDM

FDM is a global professional services provider with a focus on IT. They were once awarded Tech Industry Gold for accredited training.

FDM is another great choice for training people from different backgrounds, whether it’s business or technical skills.

They give you the option to immediately specialise in one of their available pathways, depending on your preference. The range of training courses includes:

• Business Analysis
• Business Intelligence
• Software Testing
• Project Management
• Software Development
• Risk, Regulation & Compliance

Just a heads up! In contrast to the other examples above, when recruiting, FDM does look at technical ability to a certain extent.

However, this does not change their model of recruiting, training, and deploying new talent.

FDM possesses a strong portfolio of university relationships that separate it from its competitors. They recruit from 500+ universities across the globe, and 4,500+ employees globally.

The training you get from any one of these companies is highly recommended as they are in line with industry standards. You can also trust the sources of information as these companies are regulated, accredited, and professionally recognized.

You save a lot of time not having to try figuring things out by leveraging a training provider who teaches you skills relevant to the industry, using some of the latest technology.

The options here are only limited by your expectations. If you want to code, all these companies provide training in line with this expectation.

Are you interested in big data? There’s a place for you here. Are you interested in AI technology? There’s a place for you here too.

Do you like quantum computing it’s likely there’s a place for you here. If you want to make a million – calm down, don’t get too excited!

My point is, that any industry-leading topic that you would want to get involved in can be accomplished through any of the above training programmes.

Knowing what your core skills are and knowing how to showcase these skills is an important step when getting started in tech.

Let’s start by asking two simple questions:

• What are your core skills?
• What do you find easy that others struggle with?

OK, if some of you find this easy, then, congratulations. For those finding it difficult to quickly answer these questions, don’t worry about it, keep reading.

Most people struggle with this activity, which is normal. It’s not an easy task to talk about yourself, especially when you get asked on the spot. I get it because you don’t want to come across as arrogant, but at the same time, you want to show why you’re the best person for the job.

Showcasing your skills helps you easily answer questions like “What skills can you bring to the table?”.

You can do this in many ways. But a simple approach you can use is… Personality Tests.

Personality tests are great because they help you easily identify your strengths without the hassle of breaking your brain. These tests do all the heavy lifting and provide the objective view we need about ourselves. We can then use these, for reference, in job interviews.

There are thousands of personality tests to choose from, but a good one I’ve used and recommend is the 16 personalities test. The 16 personalities test is a great way for you to gain a much deeper understanding of the strengths that come naturally and easily to you.

There are 4 main personas which each hold a basket of the different personality types. You have Analysts, who are intuitive and thinking types, known for their rationality, impartiality, and intellectual excellence.

You have the Diplomat persona, who is the intuitive and emotional type, known for empathy, diplomatic skills, and passionate idealism.

You have Sentinels, who are the observant and judging types, known for their practicality, focus on order, security, and stability.

And finally, you have the Explorers, who are the observant and prospecting types, known for their spontaneity, ingenuity, and flexibility.

The test is a short multiple-choice quiz, which does a deep dive into your personality.

What does this give you?

Something reusable, a template.

Once you receive your test results, you can export these into a file and use it whenever you want.

Or you can simply note down on a piece of paper what your skills are and then look at the impact it has in a work environment.

By utilising the results you get from a personality test, you can skip the task of having to memorise your skills, and is a really nice way to showcase the strengths that come naturally to you.

You need to have an approach. You have to think… How will I guarantee myself success? The best way to do this is by using a framework, or in other words, following a proven model.

Why?…

Frameworks give you a template, it provides structure. They’re reusable, so there’s no need to reinvent the wheel.

It’s indifferent and shows your ability to portray a certain perspective – even when it’s not the most popular perspective.

The good thing is, you can make it your own.

However, let’s be fair, there are some cons to this. Frameworks may not be the most flexible, as in, it’s static. There may be gaps in what you’ve covered.

For example, how do you know you’ve covered everything? It’s never 100 percent and there’s always room for tweaks.

Ultimately, frameworks are still a great use of time. Therefore, I’d suggest you consider utilising this approach.

When using a framework, you’re being a fortune teller. Some of the most prominent theorists and frameworks, today, came from (who I like to refer to as fortune tellers) – Abraham Maslow, Fredrick Winslow Taylor, and Dwight D. Eisenhower.

I’m not going to tell you who they are, that’s some homework for you to do – sorry!

I like to use something called the ‘V-R-I-O’.

Essentially, this is a framework I use that helps strategically analyse a company’s resources & capabilities, and whether they’re organised to have a competitive advantage.

It looks a little something like this…

But what does it mean? And how do I use it? – Great question.

This framework is meant to break down a company’s most important assets (the things that make the business what it is) – which we define as those resources and capabilities that support its activities.

Resources can be tangible or intangible, for example, a company’s brand. A company’s brand alone can be a key resource that cannot be easily imitated by competitors.

Here’s where each part fits in nicely because all you have to do is follow this sequence:

1. Is the brand valuable (V)? – Yes/No
2. Is the brand rare (R)? – Yes/No
3. Is the brand easy to imitate (I)? – Yes/No
4. Is the brand organised to capture maximum value (O)? – Yes/No

Just think of it as a process whereby you’re walking through whether a company’s resources and capabilities are valuable, i.e. does it add value?

When compared with its competitors is it rare? Has this resource or capability been imitated? If it hasn’t, how easy is it to imitate? E.g. A brand may not be as easy as you think, it takes decades to build a strong brand.

And finally, how is it positioned? Are the resources and capabilities organised to capture maximum value? And to what extent?

Understanding a business in this way puts you in a much more comfortable position compared to your counterparts. How many people do you think are spending time analysing companies using this framework?

Doing such an analysis helps you easily identify what those core elements are in a business.

And if you’re able to break down a company’s business model, without having even worked there, then you’ve just made yourself a great first impression my friend!

People have different skills. Each individual may bring something different, and that’s what we want. Our experiences may vary depending on the industries in which we’ve worked.

But regardless of this, there is always something from our experiences that we can bring into the tech.

You may be wondering… but I have literally no experience, I haven’t even worked with a computer. That’s okay! I don’t know every industry or role out there but what I do know is that transferable skills are everywhere.

For example, take the customer assistant, the salesman, the chef, and the teacher, I will demonstrate how you can align these sets of skills with a business.

Let’s say you are a customer assistant, coming from a customer service background, there are several skills you can bring from this experience.

For example, people skills. If you’ve worked in a customer service role then you would have acquired some soft skills which would have been part of your day-to-day activities. This may have included collaboration, communication, and listening.

Don’t ignore these!

The tech industry involves a lot of customers, or should I say client-facing work.

You need to be able to collaborate with the customer, at times, and different project teams to deliver, for example, a new software update.

You’ll need to understand and listen to what the customer wants.

Coming from a customer service background means you can pick up on the ever-changing behaviours of customers, i.e. socio-economic trends.

Your experience resonates with a real-world environment, the world in which we live and breathe. Customer service backgrounds are usually the best because some skills become second nature, like improvisation.

Being able to improvise is a key skill in the tech world, as you may come across a lot of surprises.

Someone with this experience will know how to navigate people and different environments. When you now bring all of this together, you’ll see that these are all good transferable skills that can be beneficial in tech.

Do you have a sales or recruitment background?

Don’t worry. In a similar vein to customer service, you have the gift of strong people skills – which is essential in IT.

In a sales or recruitment role, building rapport and fostering strong relationships is everything. People are the driving force and at the heart of everything your work requires of you.

You see, this is no different from working in tech – without people, there’s no purpose for technology.

When it comes to sales, being organised and knowing how to prioritise is key, do you agree?

It’s important to embed structure in all your work so that the work you do is seamless. Another transferable skill from this sector is stakeholder management.

There is a lot of engagement between different stakeholders – this will include the customer, third-party vendors and internal staff. Similarly, in tech, you will experience a lot of this type of engagement.

Given what a tech company does, its purpose often serves everyone and the environment. You have to think about the impact on people as well as the environment; in terms of current impacts and future impacts.

Do we have a chef in the food and hospitality industry? Your skills will give you a strong foothold in the tech industry and here’s why…

(1) Design

(2) Innovation

These are two things you probably hear a lot of when it comes to tech, but what most people do not realise is that you’re doing the same thing as a chef.

Just think about it, when you walk into a restaurant, if the food on your plate is presented poorly how are you going to feel?…

Probably the same feeling if you had a laptop that is poorly designed.

If the food the chef prepared wasn’t cut up properly, would you make a second appearance at this restaurant?…

What you’ll find is that chefs possess lots of creativity. They also possess invaluable project management skills as you would need to manage the kitchen as well as the staff.

The teacher is probably the most powerful of them all. Teachers possess talents not only useful in tech but in life, which would provide more use than one can imagine.

The teacher has an appetite for learning. They provide autonomy and economy in the classroom. Without this, there can be no classroom.

Among the parents, teachers are some of the first shepherds to educate and gift the individual with knowledge, wisdom and understanding.

For a teacher to be effective in their work, they exert a combination of sharp presentation skills, executive communication, being efficient in their time management, and ensuring strong stakeholder engagement.

For a student to even pay the slightest attention, the teacher uses their power of creativity to tailor a teaching style that resonates with the audience.

It’s not always an easy task, as you need to know how to articulate a single message in many different ways.

Regardless of whatever background you’re coming from, the skills you possess from the work you’ve done are applicable in the tech world. It’s just about knowing how to leverage these skills.

All of the above skills are talents that you can align with any business – for if a business is to be successful, it must exhibit all of these qualities.

Do you want to get into tech?… This is the easiest way to get started. IT support roles are pretty much customer service. You do not need any technical skills. As in, ZERO!

Almost every company has an IT support team to help with general customer queries.

When you visit a website, you may have noticed the little pop-up message in the bottom right corner of the page which says “Hi, how can I help you today?”…

This isn’t a human, it’s a chatbot that picks up general queries that can be resolved without the need for human intervention. Of course, this is evolving as we speak to include new technologies.

Where there’s a FAQ that has not answered your question, the chatbot will pass you onto a human aka the support agent.

The sole purpose of the IT support agent is to be the first point of contact for all customer queries. Support agents speak with the customer, listen, pay attention, interpret, and advise.

Your job as the IT support team is to understand what issue the customer is facing.

Once you identify what the issue is, you then support it by providing a solution.

How do I know what the solution is?

For these roles, there is always documentation to help guide you. This documentation usually comes in the form of user guides, knowledge articles and FAQs.

Therefore, the IT support team will rarely experience a lack of knowledge as there are always help guides they can refer to.

Take a look at the different support roles out there, you’ll find that the same set of criteria applies to all such roles.

Part of my journey in the tech space involved dipping into an IT support role for a little while. I worked as a Service Desk Analyst for a university.

In a nutshell, my role was simply – the phone rings, I answer “Hi there, IT Service Desk, how can I help?”.

The customer on the phone tells me the issue they’re experiencing; I dibble and dabble into the knowledge guides to see what the solution is; I help the customer and save the day.

I looked at this experience as an easy task because all I was dealing with, mainly, was students. A lot of the work was light touch and the issues became repetitive.

Starting in an IT support role is also a great way to build confidence. The work becomes habitual. You become more accustomed to the work you do.

You know how to quickly respond to queries and provide solutions to customers. You’ll develop the capability of estimating turnaround times for fixing issues, which in turn will help over customer experience.

You’ll also know how to properly liaise with unhappy, happy and frugal customers.

Working as an IT support agent provides you with the invaluable skill of knowing how to navigate people. You can then take this anywhere with you. A very reputable skill to have.

For as long as customers exist, there will always be a need for IT support/help-desk agents. Agents are not dependent on the customers.

Customers depend on the support provided by IT support staff. As technology evolves and gets more complicated, the need for support grows.

Why is it a good idea to attend these?

Great exposure!

You gain a lot of exposure by attending events like seminars, conferences and corporate events. It’s important to expose yourself to the tech world as much as possible.

For example, conferences are great because you don’t only get an insight into the tech industry, but you get to meet like-minded individuals.

So you attend with a single purpose, but end up leaving with two things for the price of one.

Just to expand on this point, attending events like seminars offers you a great opportunity to network and build relevant contacts.

Not sure if anyone’s told you, but, this is where you meet the people you may potentially end up working with.

You can look at seminars and conferences as recruiting events. It may not say it on the tin but it’s an opportunity for you to connect and make a lasting impression with someone.

There’s usually a selection process with these… What does this mean? – It means that you’ve already set yourself apart from the majority.

You don’t believe me? OK, how do you normally hear about an event like this?

For many conferences, you may not need to do anything besides pay for a ticket to attend. What I’m referring to are those company/industry events that you’ll only really find on a company website.

Normally when you find an event like the one I’m referring to, it is most likely that you’ll need to register.

Along with this registration, you may get asked about your motive for wanting to attend – this is where you share your interest.

You need to appreciate every moment, don’t take this as a light task, by being selected you’ve shown something worth investing in.

When you have a mentor, you have someone who’s walked in your shoes and knows the game. You get to know the ins and outs of what you need to do.

Essentially, you save a lot of time in avoiding common mistakes.

Instead of it taking you 12 months to secure a tech role, it takes you 6 with a mentor – you cut the time in half. You progress faster. You get to know what you don’t know.

There’s someone readily available that can guide you and advise accordingly. You’ll also notice the speed at which you develop.

Without a mentor how quickly do you think you’ll progress?

How long do you think it’ll take you to get into tech without a mentor?

A mentor is someone who will walk through the process with you. It’s a no-brainer why you’ll progress faster than someone without it.

It’s not so much about speed, but more so, it’s about being as efficient as possible.

I just want to touch on the point I made earlier, regarding avoiding mistakes. This is probably the biggest benefit of having a mentor.

You have an advocate who guides you in the right direction – some of the pitfalls you would have experienced can be avoided, as you gain a better understanding of how to navigate. A mentor is also your industry contact, any questions you have relating to tech can be answered by your mentor – or at least, if they don’t know, they can point you in the right direction.

It’s easy to lose sight of what you’re trying to achieve. Therefore, you need to come as a blank slate. Even if you have prior knowledge already, unlearn what you know.

Be a sponge!

Absorb everything you’re getting from your mentor. Remember, you want to take as much from them as you can, so it’s better to humble yourself and take in the opportunity.

Okay, so where can I find a mentor?

You can find a mentor using social media platforms, and powerful tools, such as LinkedIn. LinkedIn is a great source to search for and connect with people who have the experience you’re looking for.

Sometimes it’s nice to keep it old school… Nothing tops the traditional way of doing things, which is meeting in person.

Hence why attending events such as conferences and seminars is so useful because you get to physically meet people. Just be sure not to blow the opportunity and make a great impression.

When we think of mentors it’s people that come to mind. But what about books?

Hey, books aren’t people? Stop being silly.

I’m being dead serious. You achieve the same purpose by utilising books. You can get all the answers you need, all from books.

It’s something unconventional to the normal thought process of what a mentor is, but also adopting this mindset provides you with more options.

When you’re getting into tech you have to be versatile.

Looking at books as mentors helps you utilise your time productively as you would with a person. What makes books great is that you can acquire as many as you desire.

Each one brings something unique. If you want someone to tell you about robotics, there are books for that. Similarly, if there is any topic you want to dig into there are books for everything.

The tip I’m giving here is to treat books as your mentors since it’s written by people who you’d benefit from in the flesh. Having their written equivalent is just as great.

Don’t miss that! There’s no limit to the books you can get – but compare that to how many mentors you get and how easy it is.

Being accredited with an IT professional qualification is a great way for you to get started in tech. You’re investing in yourself by doing this.

You may not see the impact now, but in the long run, you’ve done yourself a massive favour. It’s about longevity.

You get a certification; you take that to the grave with you.

So you have to play the game a little bit… Coming into the tech game with a cert in your back pocket is like coming with the 50 percent deposit for that mortgage.

You’re coming in strong! Remember, you just want to be sure you’re utilising all your options.

Getting into tech is easy once you’ve exhausted every opportunity available to you.

When looking at the tech industry there are thousands of specialisms – which ones you take is completely up to you. Some certifications are more relevant than others, respectfully.

You can look at what skills are popular in the industry as a start, to help you decide on which certs are currently relevant.

Having a certification in, for example, software testing is something that you can push and go for without necessarily having any practical experience.

IT certifications are normally for people who want to specialise. Now this has its pros and cons.

You can look at it in two ways – specialising offers individuals to develop expertise in one area. This allows them to be a master in the craft.

On the contrary, specialising can be interpreted as a means to pigeonhole yourself. This can hold if an individual fails to branch out and explore new opportunities.

For the sole purpose of getting into tech, it’s a win-win.

If you have a professional certification but still do not manage to get into the company you want, you still have the specialism that other companies may be recruiting for.

Essentially, you’re just broadening your options.

At some point, you need to brush up on these technical skills. And I hate to break the news to you but… you guessed it!

Once you get into tech, you need to convince us why you should stay in tech. Actions speak louder than words.

Are you up-skilling, getting experience, shadowing managers, learning new technical terms, etc.?

Look, you want to be in tech, right? Then get used to challenging yourself. One of the best things you can do is to take on a technical side project.

You’ll end up learning skills that you can take with you when you break into the tech industry.

Remember when you had to do a final project in school – usually, the teacher would ask you to come up with something that you must present to the classroom.

By taking on a technical side project, you’re effectively doing the same thing. The only difference is that you have the chance to present this to someone you want to work for.

Some typical examples include: designing your website from scratch, building an app, or developing a game.

The most popular is building a website from scratch. This is a great example of a technical side project because you learn all the key parts of building a website.

You end up understanding code, front-end development, hosting, and different projects’ programming languages to help build a site.

Being able to understand and explain all of this shows your technical ability. This is almost like the tech guy starter pack.

It’s a nice way to demonstrate what you’re about and solidifies your passion for wanting to get started in tech.