For Newbies in Tech or Anywhere Else
A few weeks ago at a Women in Tech Event, a lady asked how can she decide on what area of Tech to settle, since she doesn’t have any experience. The speaker asked her to find what she loves, but I could tell that she was still confused. Her precise question was how does she find what she loves, as Tech is such a vast field with Career Paths that hugely vary from each other. On my way to this event, I stumbled on a HBR Ideacast that talked about Port folio careers and it just made so much sense, as I am in quite a similar situation. My daily 9–5 grind is HR at a large MNC, but I’ve just launched my career in Android Dev, founded a community for learners and run a 2D Animation business. All this, while volunteering at a non-profit as the HR Lead. So, you get what I mean when I say things can get pretty complicated and sometimes, I’m not sure if I should be doing all these things or simply sticking to one thing and aiming to be good at only that thing. However, this is my reality, and as it stands now, I’m not ready to give anyone up. Depending on what’s most pressing at the time, I would juggle the balls, let the lines fall where they may and whatever the case, strive to do my best.
To this young lady, and any one else looking for the perfect career, I would first say, there’s no one way to discover yourself, there’s no bible or sure fire proof. In fact there’s a quote that sums it up quite nicely. I am yet to find out who to attribute it to but here goes;
“We all don’t know what we are doing, we are all just winging it”
Yep! It’s true. How do you then explore as much as possible in the hope that you find possible things that you would enjoy? Here are my 2 Kobos (Cents).
Open your heart: Because if you are on a journey and your heart is not aware, then you become closed off to many things. Things that may have led you to discover what you love?
Open your Eyes: Curiosity is your food. Reading in between the lines. When you come across concepts you are not familiar with, you must be willing to ask questions. Follow trails, notice things.
Open your mouth: Life is short and you can’t personally experience everything before you decide it’s not for you, but you can ask people who have been there and let them share their experiences with you. That’s why I think meet-ups, are an important aspect of a newbie’s development. You get to meet people and share experiences, in ways that reading online reviews wouldn’t permit.
Open your hands: What is knowledge without experience? I don’t know.
My hope is that as you journey, you would find multiple moments that make you fulfilled and maybe one day, your heart and hands will find a home, they both love. ❤
Read the transcript of download the podcast here https://hbr.org/ideacast/2017/07/build-your-portfolio-career
