Diverting Into Tech
Often, people see diverting into the tech industry from diverse educational and career paths as a struggle. Many believe that you require a degree in Computer Science or any other related courses to succeed in tech. These days, your skills and portfolio matter more than your educational background.
Firstly, you have to research and choose a path you believe is most suitable for making this transition happen. Selecting the right approach depends on your self-evaluation. After you finally decide, you should search for resources, materials, books, courses, and guides to help you on this new journey. Reach out to people and join communities to grow further while using social media and the internet to your advantage.
As proof of success in the tech industry, even without an educational background in IT or any related courses, here’s a brief about one of Africa’s best product designers.
Meet Lola Salehu.
Lola is a product designer at Paystack, a front-end developer, writer and content strategist. Lola obtained a bachelor’s degree in Real Estate from the University of Lagos, Nigeria.
She started gaining interest in tech as a university student while listening to her roommate, a developer, rehearse for a public speech. She began by taking courses online and finding resources on the internet for front-end development, as she found it challenging. It wasn’t easy trying to balance school and this new aspect of her life, but she put efforts to make it work.
Lola’s interest in tech was sparked by the dynamic nature and how you can earn value for your work in any field of the tech industry. While transitioning from real estate to development and design, she stayed motivated by joining communities like She Code Africa, AsaCoterie and the Andela Community. She was able to meet and learn from people and take properly-structured courses. As she said, taking structured classes is one of the best ways to track your learning progress, especially if you’re self-taught.
“Taking structured classes is one of the best ways to track your learning progress, especially if you’re self-taught.” — Lola Salehu
In her time as a beginner, she made sure to use materials at her disposal, including the internet, to research and learn more. As a self-learner, it’s essential to know how to use google to get the information you need. There are many resources on the internet.
As a beginner, you can overcome every problem you encounter. Lola talked about the issues she faced, like the Impostor’s Syndrome — a condition that makes you feel like a fraud that mostly comes from fear in your field of work. Networking with people and getting enough information were some of the problems she encountered, but joining communities and meeting the right people helped her.
Lola’s advice to you
“Even if you see many people doing the same thing or even better, try not to get overwhelmed and be intentional about your growth.”
If you are in the process of transitioning into tech and are facing problems, some of which discourage you or make you want to quit, you are not alone. Many people, like Lola, have successfully diverted or are even combining both fields. They scaled through the hurdles and are excellent in their field now; you too can. To find out more on career paths and choosing one, read here.
