In a previous article, we discussed mastering tech through 7 simple steps designed to enhance your learning, upskill, and excel in information technology skills.

However, we’re not stopping there. Explore an additional 7 steps that will significantly boost your chances of ensuring a successful career in tech. Let’s dive right in.

Being resourceful is an attractive skill to possess because, from an employer’s perspective, this shows that you’re able to make things happen out of nothing.

You’re able to identify what you need, to be effective, and also get things done. It also demonstrates that you know how to turn things around.

Given that you have fewer options when compared to someone else, but you somehow manage to better leverage what you have available, and as a result, putting you ahead of your counterparts.

Look at resourcefulness as a mindset. This is, in essence, your approach to utlising and maximising what you have available.

In tech, this is a competitive advantage that companies crave. Think about it…

It’s ideal for an organisation to be as resourceful as possible.

Why?

Well, let’s say they have thousands of products (probably not the most ideal) – the question becomes, how on earth are they going to fully utilise all thousand of products?

It’s not impossible, but it is a big challenge.

But take a company that has multiple products but only focuses on two key ones.

Do you see the difference? They’ve figured out their winning formula – they only want to utilise a handful of things that makes sense.

This shows that they’re resourceful, they don’t want to complicate anything but instead focus on what works, based on what’s available.

This is my favourite after resourcefulness. Probably my favourite skill…

I define being resourceful as knowing how to fully utilise what’s available to you, even when it doesn’t seem plausible at the time.

You can only consider yourself resourceful if you know how to leverage opportunities below your means in an attempt whereby you’re able to better your situation.

Or in other words, how you can turn around your situation from 0 to 100 real quick (shout out to Drake).

Can you really say you have this skill? It’s not a common one and not many know how to utilise the resources they have available.

One of the best investments I made was when I purchased a whiteboard and marker pen set.

I couldn’t buy a smart tablet, so I bought a whiteboard instead… don’t miss that!

Improvisation is about knowing how to navigate difficult situations, as it’s very common in tech to come across things you’re unfamiliar with.

How do you cope in a situation where you have to respond quickly?

Can you still come up with an alternative solution despite existing challenges?

How capable are you to turn things around?

One thing to be mindful of is that employers, today, want to see how you move.

How do you navigate?

Unfortunately, things in tech aren’t always straightforward. This will, in effect, throw off dozens of people.

But are you someone who can ride the wave and stay on course?

You see, how one moves is a strong indication as to whether they’re effective or not.

But why don’t I see employers asking for ‘improvisation’ as a must-have skill?

That’s a fair question – you’ll see employers asking for ‘x’ amount of years, and written or verbal communication skills, but you don’t see improvisation anywhere.

Well, it’s one of those hidden gems – that’s why it’s a skill that’s underrated.

You can have someone who codes like crazy, a super hot technical developer – but what happens if they cannot think on their feet?

Knowing how to improvise, you’re still being effective – you still can get things done.

The skill of patience requires you to wait or to be still, for a moment, even in the most uncomfortable situations.

You can split patience into three parts that are all connected – acknowledgment, waiting, and contentment.

The first step to fully maximising this skill is acknowledgment. The worst thing you can do is live a life in denial.

You must accept that your situation is the way it is, whether good or bad.

It’s not always about what’s convenient for you, sometimes life throws curve balls at you, and you need to react.

Don’t confuse this with acceptance, you’re not saying ‘yes’ to your situation – you’re acknowledging that it exists, and then you act upon it.

The next step is waiting. Once you act upon your acknowledgment of the situation, you need to be able to wait calmly, knowing that from the work you put in, something will come out of it.

And lastly, contentment – being content with what you’re doing is important.

When you’re taking actionable steps to change your situation or better yourself, you can be content with what you’re doing.

You shouldn’t be too hard on yourself.

When you combine all three components, acknowledging, waiting, and being content, that mentality will set you apart from those lacking in these areas.

Great attention to detail will help you go a long way in tech. You need to be attentive.

It’s an advantage when you’re that one person who picks out what others have missed.

The major benefit this has in tech is that having an eye for detail enables you to identify problems in, for example, a product or service.

There might be a fault in software that needs to be fixed to restore it to normal functionality, and you might have a team full of tech specialists working on this issue.

But what if none of these individuals have an eye for detail? That poses a big problem.

You’ll miss the problem.

It reminds me of a game I used to play as a child called “Spot the Difference”.

In newspapers and magazines, there used to be games on the pages at the back where you’ll be presented with two of the same pictures, but one of them has a few small nuances.

I’m pretty sure these games still exist, if not in newspapers or magazines, then definitely online.

You can imagine the amount of fun that would go into figuring out where the differences were.

From a simple game/exercise like this, you go from wherever you were previously to someone developing their attention to detail.

If you feel that’s an area that needs work, that’s fine, have a go at finding some spots for the different games.

This will add value to the way you pick out information.

You can be the smartest person on the planet, but if you have no hustle, then consider yourself at a loss.

There are certain things you’re taught in school growing up that prepare you for certain moments in life.

The problem with traditional education is that the life skills we need aren’t always made known to us, hence, we need to go and figure it out for ourselves.

Hustle is one example of this.

Would you say hustle is a skill?

Let me explain how it is and why you need it in tech. When we refer to hustle, we’re talking about work ethic.

Doing whatever needs to be done to get the thing you desire most.

Having a strong work ethic is something you need in tech because you’re going to need to go through pain at times (that’s just how it is).

But also at the same time, you must be willing to do the work.

Another way to view it is to look at it in terms of work output – for example, how much work you put in equals how much you get out.

The question then becomes… are you being outworked?

This is what it comes down to in the end.

Will you allow yourself to be outworked by someone else?

Are you going to just let someone or something outsmart you?

When you have hustle you’re not phased by any of these questions – why?

Because you know the work you’re putting in, in the dark when no one’s looking.

The best type of leader you can be in tech is a servant-leader, putting the team first and leading by example.

In tech, you need to show that you can help people – you’re the go-to person people depend on to get things done.

You’re easily accessible as people may have observed from your previous work, that you’re a real team player.

But you’re more than just a team player, you want to be the final piece to the puzzle – without you, no progress can be made.

So your working relationships are one thing (which we’ll go into more detail in the next section), but leading by example is what will make you stand out from everyone else.

As a servant-leader, you’re not scared of taking ownership; you’re not afraid of responsibility.

Instead, you welcome the challenge of owning a piece of work to effectively demonstrate how it can be done.

You don’t do the standard thing of delegating work, no. You’re not a manager.

As a true leader, you act as the pinnacle, once you show what/how it can be done, your peers will know how to do the same.

The best type of leaders are the ones that serve the people. It’s about the people.

Every technology that exists is to serve people. People are at the heart of everything we do.

So having the skill and character of a servant-leader will show how you can continue to add value that can serve the people.

It’s a skill that shouldn’t be overlooked, tech companies are looking for the next generation of leaders.

What type of leader are you going to be? And what example do you want to show?

When we talk about cohesion, we’re referring to the unity, solidarity, and togetherness that is embraced in a team.

Cohesion is a skill that deals with your working relationships.

Being able to build strong and effective relationships can be seen as a pre-requisite to utilising the skill of cohesion.

Because when you think about cohesion, you need to think about your working relationships.

How are your working relationships?

Is it healthy?

Are people eager to collaborate with you or is this something that doesn’t come easy for you?

In tech, it’s important to have good working relationships because you want to ensure your reputation is solidified.

The fastest and easiest way to have your reputation off to a good start is to show what you can do in a team – be the star player.

If you fail to properly utilise the opportunity you get to work in a team and flourish, it becomes challenging to showcase why you’re an asset to the overall team and business.

The way you collaborate and contribute to your team is another powerful benefit when working in tech.

How you mesh the two together is what counts.

It’s one thing to know how to effectively collaborate and integrate yourself into a team, but it’s another thing to be someone who contributes and adds value to a team.

The way to quickly grow in a team and progressively in your tech career is through cohesion.

And the way you do this is by making contributions that count.

For example, let’s say you’re working on a business pitch together, you and the team need to draft a presentation for review later.

During this activity, you exercise cohesion through your initiative to work on areas that hold the most value in the team.

You’re not the overall spokesperson, but you’re vocal enough to make the team aware of your presence and what you’re bringing to the table.

You show the team, through your contributions, the quality and the value you bring – and how you consider your team when making your decisions.

This demonstrates the art of being a true team player.

Through your actions it becomes self-explanatory; therefore, with cohesion, you’re showing why you’re necessary for the effective functioning of any team.