So you’ve discovered you need to brush up on your technical skills, and if you’re reading this, you’re clearly keen to keep your skills in good shape.

Which is great news because maintaining a strong technical aptitude can help you progress in the tech industry faster than most.

Coming up with different ways to enhance your technical aptitude can be tough. While some of us will find it easier to do so and perhaps receive dividends in the long run, others struggle to figure out how to go about this in the best possible way.

But now hope is on the horizon – we’ve gone and created 11 ways you can quickly enhance your technical aptitude working in tech.

These initiatives might involve getting a technical certification in AWS, Google, or Microsoft.

Or this might involve surrounding yourself with technical colleagues at work; working on some complex projects that will help you develop in a range of technical areas.

Whatever it is you’re aiming for in tech, it’s important to enhance your technical aptitude – and a useful place to start with is technical side projects.

The simplest way to boost your technical aptitude is to get yourself stuck into a technical side project.

There will be opportunities at work for you to quickly upskill on the job or something less formal, as a side of desk responsibility.

The good thing about this is that you are free to learn at the level you are comfortable with.

What I’d suggest, however, is that you challenge yourself – give yourself a task that will at least give you a run for your money.

Remember, this is about upping your technical aptitude – similar to building muscle at the gym, to build muscle you need to keep increasing the weight and time under tension.

So to get the full benefits of a side project, it needs to be challenging.

Another great thing is that you have the option to choose something you like, with a variety of options.

This means you get the benefit of enhancing your technical ability as well as doing something you at least enjoy.

You know a great way to enhance your technical ability is by constantly taking on projects that are above your current level.

There are two benefits to this, the number one being that you’ll develop at a better rate compared to colleagues at your level.

The second benefit is that you’re showing a competency to perform above what’s required of you.

Working at a difficulty above what you’re used to is a good way to boost your tolerance, when it comes to technical aptitude.

This is because the level you’re working at may require deep knowledge; which in some cases can only come from years of experience.

Therefore, showing that you can comfortably work projects above your current level, suggests that you are indeed someone special.

You’re demonstrating what you can do at a higher level, which is sometimes the best indicator to measure skill level.

It is challenging to secure this type of work without having relationships with the right people who can provide such opportunities.

You only get these opportunities, at work, if someone knows you can do the work or they’re aware of your skillset and ambitions.

Ultimately, what you want has to align with the projects available.

There may not always be options there ready for you, but forwarding your interest to grow and upskill will open the door to wider opportunities.

Tech is a people’s business. Networking and making sure you’re around the right people is a great way to enhance your technical aptitude.

It’s a lot easier to learn from a human, and you can pick and choose who you want to learn from.

You have a variety of options and never have to stick to one person.

For example, you can have one person teach you JavaScript, another person for SQL, and another who is a technical architect.

Remember, it’s about being smart (work smart, not hard)… why go through all the trouble and learn the skills yourself when you can pull different people together who bring a range of expertise and can share this with you?

At work, it’s easy to have such people because you’re in the same environment as them. But you need to come ready, ready to learn.

You want people who can really take you from novice to expert. You have a lot of them in the office where you work.

Find a free slot in their calendar, come prepped and ready, and let the technical training begin!

One of the first things people learn as part of the tech starter pack is building a website.

You’ve probably come across this a lot – it’s a very popular thing to know how to do as a tech professional.

Web development or web design is a great fun way that enhance your technical aptitude because the process of building a website involves multiple disciplines.

You’re not just learning one thing developing a website. There are a lot of variables, tools, and extras that go into making a website.

The good thing, that may come as a surprise to you, is that it’s not as difficult to pick up as you think it is.

This is simply because there are only three basic things you need to be aware of.

Yep, only three!

1. HTML
2. CSS
3. JavaScript

These are the core web programming languages used to build websites. We won’t get into the details in this blog, just putting it out there for awareness.

The real thing I want to say here is there are a lot of teachers on YouTube and other platforms that will help teach you web development.

I tried both the easy and hard way, and to be fair, there isn’t either – you just have to be willing to learn.

My first time learning web development was at work, as you can imagine, with other things I had to prioritise, it was difficult getting to grips with this.

So instead I went on YouTube and found a tutorial that taught me how to build a website from scratch – and it changed everything.

Having the experience of building your website is great and something worth giving yourself credit for.

There is no better way to enhance your technical aptitude and get credit for it than building a website – this is like the foundation of upskilling.

Once you know how to build a website, learning other technologies and programming techniques becomes a lot more feasible.

Programming helps build some complex and serious skills.

It’s one of the first things you will get taught when you’re starting out in tech.

The reason this is taught is because it delves into the backend processes of a computer and provides us with the technical knowledge behind why they operate as they do.

Getting yourself up to speed and learning computer programming is another great way to enhance your technical aptitude working in tech.

The foundation of computers is programming – knowing how to tell a computer to do what you want it to do using code.

Programming is at the heart of everything, without it computers wouldn’t exist.

Before the fancy screens and monitors, the cool thing was something called “binary”, which is a numerical system notation.

Having that working sequence of 0 and 1 was and still is the essence of computers.

Knowing the internal workings of computers (knowing what’s behind the scenes) is what you’ll learn through programming.

There’s a lot we don’t see that goes on in the backend of a system.

The foundation tends to stay the same – you always start with that core binary system which allows the computer to understand which activities it needs to perform and how to do it.

You might hear a lot of people talking about coding, “I want to learn to code” or “I want to be a developer”.

Well, what people mean when they say that is they want to do programming.

There are some great short courses available to take either in person or online, that will help enhance your technical aptitude working in tech.

Short courses offer some technical classes tailored towards specific skills. You pick…

What is it that you want to get better at technically?

What is it you’re trying to learn for your job?

The great thing about short courses is that there are so many to choose from – and in some cases, you can do this at your convenience.

You may be aware of several sites that offer short courses. Some even being free.

Of course, take caution when deciding, there are a lot of scammers out there so always do your research.

Some good sources to help you get started are Udemy, LinkedIn, Reed, and Universities.

There’s lots of useful stuff on Udemy, this is probably the most popular, at the time of writing this post.

Equally, you have LinkedIn and Reed, both reputable job sites, yet offer short courses and training that upskill and train professionals.

Lastly, universities are like the haven of all courses. It’s not just degrees you can do, but you can also do short courses.

Getting a degree in IT/computing is a great way to get technical knowledge, particularly Computer Science degrees.

You see, almost every tech guy/woman you can think of started off with a computer science degree.

Higher education in general is a great investment if you know what you’d like to do.

The knowledge you develop through a degree enables you to have the skillset later down the line, which you can apply in a practical sense.

What you learn in a computer science degree is critical and relatable to the current state of technology.

There are some principles and best practices of the past which are the foundations of what we see today.

What you would learn in a computer science degree five, or even ten, years ago is so different from what is taught today – however, foundations and fundamentals remain the same.

For example, cryptography is something that gets covered as part of learning in a degree like computer science.

The way it would be taught today would be from a modern lens, using real examples of methods and different technologies implied such as cryptocurrencies.

Essentially, you’re always in the loop of the current topics and behaviours of the industry.

Moreso now than ever, having a computer science degree will open doors not only in tech but finance, law, and government.

Have a glance at some of the jobs offered in these sectors, and you’ll find a vacancy/slot for an IT professional of some sort.

If you want to do something that will help grow your technical aptitude, then doing a degree in computer science might help.

For those who don’t know, maths plays a big part in the world of tech.

As discussed briefly in section number five, computers operate in a binary sequence.

All a computer understands is 0s and 1s – that’s why maths is at the heart of it.

Maths is one of those things people either love or hate.

The good news is that when we’re saying brush up on mathematics, we’re not telling you to become a mathematician or statistician.

The maths you need is the simple stuff, a bit of algebra, and basic statistics. Why? –

In tech, you have technical architects or software developers who are the brains behind working apps and the overall functionality of a system.

The work done by these individuals is very complex and will involve a range of coding skills – the interesting thing about coding, however, is that every code (and I mean every) will include some sort of mathematical/statistical solution called logic statements.

These logic statements are what are used to determine outcomes or the output of what you want the system to achieve.

For example, you have something called “IF statements”, which is self-explanatory, if this happens when x occurs, then the result should y.

There’s a lot more that goes into these and the logical solutions become even more complex – nevertheless, you can see that the level of maths required is one of statistics and not that of an aerospace engineer.

Essentially, you want to constantly ensure that your maths is good enough for such tasks, this will help show you can work on technical projects.

After all, the whole point of maths is to solve problems. There will be tons of problems arising from technical work, so by having strong problem-solving ability, you’ll be right at home.

A nice trait to have is someone with analytical ability.

Tech is a challenging industry; one that requires analytical ability and a pragmatic approach.

What do we mean by analytical ability?…

Detail. Attentiveness. Inquisitivness. Logical. Pragmatic.

When working on a task, for example, someone with strong analytical skills will look at the finer details of things; not just accept things at face value.

They like to dig deeper, wanting to understand the detail behind something, and taking a logical approach to this is very common – particularly, when you’re trying to understand or find a root cause of an issue or requirement.

Being inquisitive and pragmatic supports your analytical trait as it provides an edge as opposed to saying yes to everything.

An analytical mind needs time to absorb information and break this down in a way that can be easily understood.

Look at the different challenges we face in tech, it’s a pretty good thing having people who analyse and ensure that things are in order, and if not, how can we address that?

How does one develop this skill?

Well, it’s a tough one to crack, but a good way to shift your brain to a more analytical way of thinking can be by (1) Reading, (2) Games, and (3) Critical reasoning tests.

Essentially, you want to become used to analysing and looking at the finer detail.

Your analytical ability is not something you receive on a piece of paper, it shows in your work and and way of thinking.

Put yourself in situations that force you to grow.

When we say surround yourself with complexity, essentially, you want to surround yourself with challenges.

But why would I want to do that?…

If you’re constantly faced with problems, which you have to find solutions for, this enhances your technical aptitude when it comes to navigating complex environments.

And if you’re always around complexity this can only do one thing, make you a pro.

Remember, becoming technically competent requires specific methods to give you the skills you need to do a technically challenging job.

You won’t be able to fulfill your duties otherwise if you’re not doing anything technically challenging to learn.

The good thing about working in tech is that every day is a different challenge – and if it’s not different, it’s an expansion of a previous problem.

Working involving change and business transformation are some of the most complex and challenging types you can be around.

This is because the type of work done here is huge and affects more than one person.

When you say business transformation, you’re changing the whole nature of an organisation – company culture will be impacted; employees will get impacted; will all business activities still exist?

Or will some processes be made redundant?

You can see how this can massively change the game for an organisation.

Again, these are the environments in which you should put yourself in.

If it’s easy, we don’t want to be there – that should be the motto.

So give yourself something hard and grow.

Getting certified in a technical subject is a good way to enhance your ability to work in tech.

It reinforces your technical competence when working on things that require a certain level of technicality.

Several professional certifications are available to assist with this, some common ones from reputable names include AWS, Microsoft Azure, Salesforce Cloud, and Google.

Obtaining certifications from any one of these will help you enhance your technical aptitude, as well as improve your experience working in tech.

Traditionally, having a professional certification in IT or by some other means has always been the way to validate someone’s technical aptitude.

Some may argue  “But these prove nothing, these are just exams, what does it prove?”. Although this can be true for some cases, in the majority of instances this is not the case.

Being able to obtain an accredited technical professional certification is proof to show you possess specialised knowledge in a particular subject – having successfully passed in line with the benchmark required.

Also, don’t be naïve, technical certs are not easy to get. The benchmark and criteria that are set out for you to pass can be intimidating.

For example, if you’re going for a ServiceNow-certified implementation specialist in IT Service Management, the minimum pass mark is 80 percent.

What??? – Yeah, that’s right, 80.

It will be similar across the board for AWS, Google, and Microsoft, at the end of the day, if a big company like these is willing to give you an industry-recognised certification (with their name on it)

You have to be silly to think they won’t make it challenging for you.

But do you see why this is a great way to leverage technical skills, once you have the certification it’s like you’re part of this secret society of technical experts.

It’s always beneficial to get a technical certification at some point in your career.

You’re getting two things: industry recognition and an enhanced technical aptitude.

As ever, there is always something you can do to enhance your technical aptitude when working in tech, and the steps you take can be small and steady.

Simply begin with taking on technical side projects, helping you quickly acquire skills that will add value to your career.

In the long run, the experience you’ll end up with will be a result of all the above and you can rest assured that when it comes to enhancing your technical aptitude, you know what you can leverage to support that.

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