Jobs in tech…

Why should you consider jobs in technology?

What is it about the tech industry that’s so attractive?

And whatever reason is given, is this valid?

Whether it’s the flexibility that comes with tech or the post-pandemic effect of hybrid working.

How about freedom, creativity, options, etc?

There are many different perspectives as to why you should decide to work in tech.

We’ve pulled together a general set of guidelines to prove why working in tech is worthwhile.

This article is not intended to come across as forced by any means.

It aims to provide an unbiased and generic view of the benefits of working in tech.

If this is something YOU choose to explore and endeavour further.

Tech, by far, is an industry that’s in high demand.

Which can be both a good and a bad thing.

Here’s why…

Getting into tech is cool and trendy, I get it.

It’s been like that for decades.

It’s no surprise at this point why everyone wants to join.

Today, every company is a user of technology.

What do I mean by that?

You’re either someone who develops the stuff… OR…

You’re someone that uses technology for personal use.

Whatever side of the fence you’re on, this shows the impact tech has in our world today.

Strong supply?

Tech is one industry that has a solid economic supply of jobs as a result of a booming industry.

With everything going on in the world…

There’s always a demand for tech skills.

A lot of the jobs we have today didn’t exist 10 years ago.

And the assumption we can make is that we didn’t have the technology required at that time.

With the increase in apps and social media platforms now available…

There are a lot of job options now. And that’s what we like, options!

For example, the birth of influencers.

What you can do now with a click of a button on your phone is amazing.

Although it’s a hot and trendy topic, the digital skills gap is huge.

The industry itself has caused large traction over the last 30 years.

Time and again it’s driven by growth and opportunities that have been born because of it.

You want to focus on the now but have the vision to imagine what can be.

We hear it everywhere and see it everywhere…

But tech is really that place that embraces a new way of doing.

It’s about thinking differently and not being the same as everyone else.

There is beauty in being different, tech is that place where thinking differently pays off.

The tech industry allows you to explore and tap into your ideas.

Create, design, and evolve.

Whatever your deepest dream, you can make it a reality.

Look at tech as the industry of what’s possible.

Who would have thought you could have a phone with no cables?

Better yet, who would have thought you could have a phone with no buttons?

You get to experience first-hand what it’s like to harness new technologies.

You’ll work with some of the most robust tools and inventions.

Which may not even be made commercially available yet.

The loudest kid at the back of the classroom always disrupts the class and now no one can learn or concentrate. No! This is not what we mean when we say disruptive change.

No — when we say disruptive change, we are referring to that thing that puts the world on pause; now everybody must pay attention and we experience a shift. Put simply, it is change that forces you to move.

You can either move or stand still — but when something changes and it reshapes what you knew before, where do you go from here?

Disruptive change creates opportunities that you wouldn’t necessarily have seen before. Uber changed the way we depend on transport — now it’s here, we choose convenience over tradition.

Disruptive change also fosters new ideas to come through; this gives the green light to new entrants into the market and is a strong reason why tech is ever-growing.

We’re living in a diverse world. Tech can fit around your lifestyle.

The introduction of hybrid work has created a revolutionary opportunity for employers and employees alike. In today’s economy, you can do your best work wherever you like— you are no longer bound to a single location.

We’ve seen the way the world has shifted. You can make tech fit your lifestyle. You have that flexibility.

When you have flexibility, you’re not too far from freedom. You get a real sense of ownership and control.

The traditional way of working has changed. The COVID-19 pandemic caused a shift in how people wish to work. Thirty years ago, having one job would have made you feel very secure.

Now, while having that one job you’re also dipping into other skillsets you possess. What used to be a luxury is now convenient.

More and more people want to work at their convenience. Like the mum who had to fit her schedule around work to do the school run.

That’s now no longer the case as the power has switched; the company needs to work around the mother’s schedule. A flexible life-centric focus needs to take place.

Work is just work if what you’re doing does not serve a real purpose. The most fulfilling work is often the most meaningful one. We know about nurses and doctors — the work they do saves lives.

Without these amazing people, how would our world be… let me tell you, we would cease to exist. Did you know tech saves lives too?

Our advancement in technology has contributed to the success of our healthcare systems. With better technology, we can do more to save lives.

Of course, there’s a lot more work to be done — we are far from the mission completed. But a lot of our healthcare success is a result of how far we’ve come in tech.

As you can see tech is an industry that serves a real purpose. When you think about some of the things you wish to achieve, and how tech can change the world — it shows that there’s more to tech than just the flashy stuff.

There’s more to tech than just the trendy vibes. With tech, you can serve a real purpose. Tech can be used to save and change lives.

Some examples include working with police to create a safer world. Working with governments to improve our communities.

To serve a real purpose you don’t have to join the army — just get into tech and you’ll realise the impact you can make.

It’s always nice to get into something worthwhile. You want something that’s going to push and challenge you.

If you’re someone who wants an easy ride, this isn’t for you. What are you hustling for? — You want to be productive with your time, making real use of it. And believe me, you will be very productive.

Working in tech will allow you to work on some of the most complex products. No one day is the same. What you’ll find challenging is prioritising and managing workload.

The work you do can become rigorous and unattractive at times but always remember the end goal.

With every challenge comes progress. So the benefit of working in tech is that you’re in a place where there’s scope for growth. There’s a saying, ‘You get out what you put in’.

Tech enables you to get lost in your work; and spend as much time as you need to figure some things out.

During this time you’re most likely going to be speeding through tasks, some call it being in the zone.

The challenging nature that comes from tech is what keeps you productive, and being productive gets you rewarded.

It’s no surprise that tech is a lucrative industry. The amount of money that’s been poured into tech is well over the hundreds of billions.

I must advocate and emphasise that you should not get into tech solely for the money. You going into this thinking you’ll become rich is mistake #1.

However, you are not wrong about the opportunities in getting generously compensated.

Tech is definitely an industry where you can have the security of knowing that you will get rewarded for your work.

This does depend heavily on the role, years of experience, and skills. But like everything, if you’re giving 100% consistently, you can be sure that your hard work will pay off.

It is pretty standard in tech to get a higher base salary compared to other industries— again this may depend on the company you work for.

But when we think about rewards, it is not always money we’re referring to. Rewards can be a promotion, recognition, societal or environmental impacts; having a strong network of people.

You also have the reward of goodwill — being rewarded based on your reputation. All it takes is having a strong reputation in tech, and it will open so many doors for you.

You will see the impact of your work and how it solves real-world problems. Now I don’t know about you, but that’s rewarding in itself.

We face a lot of problems in the world. Using the power of technology and human ingenuity we can help solve these problems. Tech enables you to put your thoughts and concerns to the test.

You get the opportunity to solve the most complex problems in the world — not only that, but that is your main job working in tech. It is to solve problems. Become a natural problem solver by working in tech.

How we communicate and improve our modes of communication is something that tech has helped improve.

There was a time when it took days or even weeks for someone to receive a message.

E-mail made it possible to send and receive messages in minutes. Today, you can communicate from anywhere in the world. Tech helped evolve the way we interact with each other.

Social media has enhanced our communication experience by being able to connect with family and friends, wherever we are in the world.

We’re now able to feel connected to our communities and stay close to the ones we love. Now everyone has the opportunity to feel connected at a mass level.

Tech has also contributed to the development of medical devices, such as hearing aids. These devices are designed to help improve your hearing ability by amplifying sounds.

This technology is a massive breakthrough for those with a loss of optimal hearing.

Technology, working together with the medical sector, has helped solve a real-world problem affecting people’s lives.

As far as tech goes it is fast-paced, ever-changing, and innovative— it all means nothing if you’re not solving a real problem.

So all that cute exciting stuff is great, but when it’s time to get serious, be ready!

You’re surrounded by a wealth of opportunity. You will be working in one of, if not the most, richest industries. It may be difficult to meet a millionaire on your own, but working in tech, you’re surrounded by millions.

Remember, billions are being invested in tech, this field is vast with opportunity, knowledge, and innovation— so essentially what you have is a massive pool of opportunity.

You’ll get exposed to the available wealth, a multi-billion pound industry. You’re where the money resides.

Working in tech helps you think big! You get to understand what’s possible; and how you can use technology to bridge the gap between rich and poor — for example, getting into tech helps you bridge that gap and provide social mobility.

By starting out in tech it’s now easy to navigate through other industries since most industries are reliant on technology nowadays. Therefore, someone working in tech has access to a wealth of different industries for you to utilise different options.

The magnitude and impact of the work you do is huge. You may not realise it now but the scope of work is vast and its reach is global.

Just think about it… think about those multibillion-pound transformation projects you hear on the news, radio, or social media, yeah a lot of it is linked to technology.

As I briefly mentioned in an earlier point, the work being done in tech has a massive impact globally.

Do you want to have an impact?

We live in a globalised world, so when we think about the impact of technology, the end product often has a global effect.

From long-term government-backed initiatives to large-scale transformation projects, you’ll get the chance to work on some of the biggest projects that you wouldn’t have imagined.

A lot of the latest news you hear or come across in the media that is related to technology is usually the stuff you’ll be working on. The work is serious and although you may have a lot of fun exploring new technology, the impact remains heavy.

When an industry that’s worth hundreds of billions is always the topic being discussed across countries globally, you have an idea of the magnitude of the type of impact your work contributes to society.

What came first the chicken or the egg?

Did you know that the job you have now may or may not exist in the next 10 years?

The jobs we do now will either still be relevant or made redundant. The reliance and dependency on certain jobs will change.

Working in tech gives you a glance at what our world might look like, potentially, in the coming years — it helps you not only prepare for what’s to come, but you have the power to decide what you want that future to look like.

Evolution doesn’t happen overnight, it’s a process. Things progressively change and adapt as time passes. Where we are today, for example, did not happen overnight.

I come from a generation of video games. I remember multiplayer functionality was a rarity until gaming consoles imitated Nintendo’s core feature.

The gaming experience got better over time, graphics got better, and improved interactivity — even the simple task of saving a gaming session wasn’t as easy as Ctrl+S on a keyboard.

I remember we had to purchase physical memory cards of different storage sizes — back when 8MB and 16MB were a luxury. If you know, you know!

To get the full experience of multiplayer gaming, you would invite friends over to come and play. There wasn’t such a thing as online gaming, until now.

You no longer have to plan whose house is hosting the next gaming session, we can play virtually anywhere in the world.

All we need is internet connectivity and that alone changes our whole gaming experience.

Gaming consoles today are basically computer systems designed for gaming.

You no longer have to worry about which memory card you have, the devices all come with an internal storage hard drive.

It’s also easier now as you get the benefit of cloud storage. This may not sound so significant now but compare it to 20 years ago — that’s when you’ll really admire the evolution of technology.

I just wanted to use the example of gaming as this is the best illustration I can give to enforce the evolution of technology.

Sorry if you don’t like games, I’m not a gamer myself, I’ve grown out of it — but I had my fair share growing up.

A simpler example is the telephone. We went from having buttons on a phone, to no buttons. From wired connectivity to no wires.

Tech has changed the way we live and the way we see the world. By working in tech, you’ll be part of a revolution and be a contributor to our ever-evolving world.

Probably one of the best things about tech is that you have options. You have the option to try different things and not just stay in one area. It’s you who chooses what you want out of it.

Tech gives you versatility, you become multifaceted, and you don’t have to stay in one place. You may start off in one area, but you may find yourself more aligned with another area in tech — tech gives you that flexibility.

At the end of the day, it’s about options, right? The more options you have available to you, the better your situation.

Working in tech, you have options. The mistake a lot of people make when they get into tech is that they specialise.

When you specialise, you’re becoming an expert in one field, which is great if that’s what you want. It’s better to utilise multiple options to give you wider exposure.

The key thing here is being open to a variety of things.

There are multiple things you can get from one skill, working in tech. The trick is learning how to use a single thing in many different ways.

You’ll gradually become accustomed to being more versatile and utilising options by working in tech.

For example, you have the option to become an expert in one programming language versus learning multiple.

I mean, the person who enjoys learning one thing wants to focus their energy in one place. But it’s equally useful if you’re a person who’s familiar with a variety.

Know a little about everything. Awareness is one of the natural human instincts.

When we have options and multiple ways of doing things, this ability to know how to utilise different options heightens our awareness.

In tech, it’s never really one role you’re doing. You may think you’re only doing one thing, but that one thing transpires into many different facets. So always have options.

Working in tech isn’t just something fancy and cool, you develop an actual skill — you develop a trade.

There are multiple skills you get from tech. Let’s put it into context… what is the actual skill you can apply industry? What’s the practicality of it? Because in life it’s useful to have a trade.

Take the engineer, for example, engineers offer practical skills that help solve complex problems, whether that be mechanics, electrical appliances, electronics, environmental and structural designs, etc — the skill has a use in society.

Ok, a doctor…. The skill of a doctor helps them save lives. What they do is practical, it has a useful purpose in society.

Another example is a plumber, what a plumber does requires a lot of skill – it’s not something someone can just wake up to one morning and say “Yeah, today I’m going to do some plumbing”.

Real skill requires time and effort. Tech is in no way different.

Working in tech will help you develop your own trade, you’ll end up having skills that have a practical use and not just for aesthetics.

The skills you gain from tech are meaningful, they include things such as developing technical solutions for electronics, software, and hardware, or even reverse engineering.

Hence, it’s no surprise that we have something called IT engineers.

Everybody wants a certain level of security, do you agree? You want to be in an environment that has longevity. Why? Because this gives us peace of mind.

You don’t want to put yourself in a work environment that has no growth.

That defeats the purpose of why you’re working in the first place.

No, what you want is to be in a place that has a future.

Not everything we see a future in. This is why longevity is key. You will find that there is a lot of longevity in tech. Tech is an industry that has a lot of it.

We didn’t just enter the tech bubble yesterday — tech has been around for some time now.

The evolution, breakthroughs, and testimonies that have come from tech are what have given it a track record. A track record you can have confidence in.

One way to test your confidence in tech is longevity yourself this simple question — do you think the internet will still be here in the next 20 years? That’s something you can ask yourself.

Given the speed at which tech is advancing with AI and innovations, we can be assured that this is an industry that still has a lot of years.

Tech plays a vital role in our overall economy. By working in tech you’re contributing to individuals, businesses, organisations, and governments— all of which are consumers of technology.

Using technology we can bring harmony to the economy by leveraging the benefits of technology for our day-to-day actions.

Individuals have a personal use for tech, how they use it depends on their intentions.

Businesses and organisations on the other hand have commercial use for tech, which helps these particulars use technology to either profit or empower individuals.

However, the use of technology for governments is a little more complicated, as they govern how the tech is used and managed.

Governments use technology and other means to provide security, transparency, and opportunity for individuals, businesses, and organisations.

Ultimately, governments’ interest in tech is to reduce the risks and threats that come along with technology.

As you can see, the reason behind working in tech varies widely. And the usefulness of technology spans everything.

Everything begins with a thought. For those of you who find it easy to come up with different ideas or think outside the box, tech is definitely for you.

For the thinker, tech comes like a playground full of ideas. You’ll be surrounded by so much inspiration that it will trigger new ideas — not to mention that you’ll be surrounded by other great minds that can lead to even bigger ideas.

Tech is an industry that inspires thinking differently. It is a place where you are praised for new ideas.

You may have a preferred way of doing things, which isn’t always encouraged in traditional work environments, but in tech whatever differences you can bring are what is required in such an environment.

If everyone thought the same, would we have different technologies that bring different benefits?

If we thought like our predecessors and did things the same way, would we realise new results?

Ideas keep moving forward. The ideas you need to be harnessed and implemented so that what you want to see can come to fruition.

I look at ideas as the lightbulb or that eureka moment we all get when we generate a thought we never had before.

These are powerful triggers that have led to many innovative solutions in tech.

Tech is an industry that fosters and embraces the art of creativity. This is where all the magic happens, putting your ideas into practice.

Creativity is what took the wired telephone to become a smartphone. It is what transformed that heavy-block TV into a massive flat screen.

Creativity is what made the smartphone connect to the TV, only using a few clicks. There’s an awful lot you can do when being creative.

Working in tech equips you with the tools to get creative and think constructively. You get to bring your way of doing things and make something out of it.

You also get to work in a role where you’ll be contributing to the creation of something new.

Even for the person who’s not the most creative, working in tech will help you develop a technical way of thinking— and gradually, as you progress in your career, you will have established your creative thought process.

You should consider working in tech because there are no limits. Not limited to your thinking, ideas, what you want to get involved in, your interests, and options.

The options you have in the tech space are limitless— that is because we’re still in the discovery phase.

We’re still figuring out and learning what’s possible and what can be done with technology.

You’re in an environment where trial and error is granted. It’s really about testing the waters, seeing what’s possible.

If we saw limits to what can be done with electricity, we probably wouldn’t have the lightbulb.

Don’t you also find it interesting that there are only 26 alphabetical characters, yet we have over a million different words?

In the same way, we’ve gone beyond the limit of 26 alphabetical characters, what you can do in the tech space is beyond the limit of the worldwide web.

From the internet came social media, and from social media came the metaverse.

All that is available and all that is not available is a direct result of what we set as our limits.

Several industries have certain criteria for whom they would like to include as a member to be a part of that industry. One of the interesting things you find in tech is that there are no set criteria, tech is for everybody.

You should work in tech because you’re not restricted by the experience you have or by the qualifications you have. You don’t have to be a genius to get into tech. You don’t have to come from out of space either. There are no set criteria, which makes it an even more interesting place to be.

In the tech world, you define your criteria. You create your roadmap. Ultimately, it’s about what you can contribute to the tech space.

You’re entering an industry that pushes the boundaries and challenges the status quo. By having no criteria you’re forced to move. You have no choice but to be the master of your fate. You get to decide how your career plays out.

What you feel like you need, don’t need, and what you’d like to incorporate or disregard is completely up to you. Of course, the necessity is to be smart in how you’re navigating. Don’t abuse the freedom, this shouldn’t be misused for unproductive means not relevant in the tech industry.

You’re in a win-win situation. You get a good reputation working in tech and tech itself is a reputable industry.

We’ve gone through some of the benefits of working in tech already, such as the skills you gain and different options.

These skills you develop in tech are reputable talents that become very useful to companies.

For example, let’s say I’m a tech company that wants to design the next generation of smartphones.

I would want candidates in my team who possess skills in but not limited to, mobile testing, product design, software testing, etc.

This is because I know they have a reputation for successfully doing the job well.

More so, I will have even greater confidence if they’ve done this for a certain number of companies — which is where reputation comes in.

Sometimes it’s not the number of qualifications or IT certifications you have. You’ll find, funny enough, that sometimes it’s just about who you’ve worked for in the past and what you’ve done consistently over some time.

It gets to a point in your tech career where your reputation will do all the talking for you. It even works better when you’ve built up a reputation and work for companies that also have a reputation — it’s like the perfect marriage.

The tech industry in general has a strong reputation, hence, whenever other sectors (whether it’s law, health, retail, or public sector), want to transform — they rely on who? There you go.

When you work in an industry like tech, the people you meet are some of the most interesting and creative.

As we highlighted previously, people have different motivational factors. One cool thing is that you never know what’s in store for the future.

You can find yourself with someone who introduces a cool idea, and through your relationship, you share in this endeavour.

This is what leads to those stories you read in a book of how a successful company came about — some of the most popular success stories stem from work relationships.

It comes down to the talent pool you have available. In the tech space, you can expect to be surrounded by soon-to-be geniuses — as these are the current talents of this generation creating and developing groundbreaking technologies.

You meet some great people who can help you in and outside of the industry. It’s always good to have contacts wherever you are.

In tech what you find is, when you’ve worked at one company, it becomes generally easy to move to the next one.

Not sure if you’re into sports, but it’s like football… Once you play for a top team, you attract some of the best teams not only in the same league as you but internationally.

Similarly, once you start in tech, it’s pretty easy to move around between roles. If you started off as an IT support agent but want to move into a more technical role, you can do that.

The way you make this process easy is by utilising your relationships with people aka your contacts.

You want legit contacts you can lean into as mentors so that you can share interests and help each other.

You have two types of currencies in the professional workplace — and tech is no different.

(1) Performance

(2) Relationships

Performance, everyone is aware of. AT work you have to perform. If you don’t perform or do your job well, well… you know what happens, right? This is why there are such things as appraisals, performance reviews, etc.

But relationships at work can sometimes play an even more vital role than your performance in some cases. This may sound basic but if people like working with you, that already is a green light. But what if people don’t like you?

You can get caught out by even the littlest things such as, not responding quickly to an email; failing to turn up to work on time, and not attending work socials. You need to play the game!

Think about it psychologically… when people are familiar with you they become comfortable and at ease. Human behaviour at that point is quite predictable and you can play this to your advantage.

Focus on having genuine relationships, don’t fake it till you make it — that never works and you’ll get caught out.

Build good relationships by being reliable, trustworthy, accountable, and responsible.

It’s these simple traits that enable you to build and maintain relationships.

You want a feeling of fulfillment. It feels good to do a job well done. What feeling do you want to get from work?

If the work you do doesn’t trigger a sense of completion, will you remain in that line of work?… Why else are you performing this work?

Sometimes life gets in the way of things and takes you off course. You got two things:

(1) Motivation

(2) Reason.

Our motive behind doing anything is what leads to fulfillment. The reason is what compels us toward realising fulfillment.

Working in tech, you experience both of these. Both motivation and reason are prerequisites to fulfillment.

There’s a lot of motivation in tech — from financial to personal. The financial reward that’s up for grabs will draw you toward working till completion.

The same will apply when your motive is personal, you’ll find the urge within to make sure what you start gets finished.

The reason could be linked to something you’ve always wanted to achieve or a desire you want to fulfill.

Work that leads to the completion of specific tasks is often what gives us a feeling of fulfillment.

The reason why tech is great for this is because when it comes to work, every activity is task-driven. Task-driven work ultimately enables us to work towards an end product.

Once you realise the end product, this is the point at which you experience fulfillment.

The end product or end result is what we’re referring to here as fulfillment. This is the point of completion; this is where you acknowledge the accomplished work.

You tend to experience this when you’ve contributed to the creation of a new app. Or you may get this feeling when you’ve launched a new website.

You experience fulfillment when a new update is successful and everything goes according to plan.

What you get from working in tech, then, is several instances where you’ll consider it a worthy place to start your career.

Tech is a very influential industry where you’ll have a lot of pull. With tech skills, you can slide in anywhere, whether that be finance, law, transport, energy, manufacturing, etc.

There is a certain level of influence that comes with working in tech.

Influence is individuals knowing what skills they can bring without you having to prove yourself — as you’ve probably already done so.

Once proven in tech it becomes easier to get the green light. You’ll find yourself walking into your next role with ease.

You benefit by being in an industry that’s in high demand. Almost everybody, if not everybody, wants to invest in technology.

You become more useful in other respective sectors — which makes you look good.

Without someone even having met you, the influence you have will stem from your background.

You get to a point where you no longer have to send a job application— you get personal referrals. The influence you develop will make people recommend you. You get fast-tracked.

Without it, there are so many layers to the tech industry that can affect your progression from being a smooth process. With a certain level of influence, this is no longer a hindrance.

In tech, you reach a point where you no longer have to self-promote, you can get through doors simply through word of mouth. People will speak for you.

The tech industry develops leaders. It is very common to be given a position of power.

When you think about it this makes sense because how else would you sum up working in the tech?

You are building new technologies that have the power to do what you want. The way this is transpired is through the influence one possesses.

Whatever can outgrow you, grow with it. Some of the technology we have available now will outlive us. What impact will this have on the next seven generations?

Tech is an industry that can help you start thinking about how you can help support future generations.

Let’s be real, tech is an expensive industry — so it’s a privilege when you have a job in it. Though access may seem widely available, it’s wise to remember that not everyone finds their way into tech.

In tech, you’ll find what you have as skills can be repurposed for much more meaningful use. With all the new advancements in tech, you’ll come to realise how much you can give back with what you know.

When it’s time to pass the baton, you have to take a step back. I mean you can’t hog the control pad forever. You pass it to the next player so it’s fair and everyone has their shot.

You should see tech as your avenue to give back. The opportunity that you once yours now needs to be given to someone else.

It’s always a benefit when what you do has a positive impact on the lives of others. Use tech to support a charity you care about. Tech has the potential to do that.

And that’s the best thing about the industry… you get to decide what the next generation looks like.

There’s a lot of money you can make in tech of course, but there’s equally a lot you can give. This can be in the form of mentoring, teaching, development, and financial sponsorships.

Charity is the goal. Whatever you’ve managed to grasp, look at how that thing can play a part in giving back to the community. Charity is priceless, like the saying: each one, teach one.