Your Job Search Secret Weapon
In-Demand Coding Skills Boost Employability In These 5 Non-IT Careers
Applying for a job is easy — but landing one isn’t. With online job portals, you’re competing with hundreds of other applicants for every role. We get it: sometimes it feels more like a crapshoot than a job hunt.
The harsh truth is that your applications are frequently rejected before a human has looked at them. Capterra report that 75% of hiring professionals use an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) to help them manage applicants. These programs filter applicants according to pre-determined criteria to reduce the field to a smaller size.
What you need is a secret weapon: a skill that will help you get the role, but which isn’t so essential that every other candidate has it. You need to stand out.
Coding — Your Secret Weapon?
The good news is that for many careers, coding can be your secret weapon. Coders have many soft skills that are in high-demand for employers, including critical thinking, problem-solving, and teamwork.
Additionally, the job market for occupations that value coding skills is growing faster than the overall labor market. Researchers predict that the number of roles that value coding skills will grow 12% faster than the overall labor market over the next 12 years.
We know what you’re thinking, coding means IT, right? Not necessarily…
One major revelation is that half of all programming openings are in industries outside of technology, including:
· Finance
· Manufacturing
· Healthcare
For many IT jobs, coding is a required skill. But, there are many other roles where your coding skills can come in useful.
5 non-IT careers where coding will help you get ahead
1. Engineer
Engineers must design and test solutions for the problems they face. Increasingly, this problem-solving is done digitally, before a prototype is produced. In addition to CAD/CAM skills, knowledge of general programming languages such as C++ can be useful.
For example, this advert for an R&D Engineer for a company that produces medical products clearly states that programming with C++ will make up part of the engineer’s responsibilities:
2. Designer
Designers use their creative skills to develop or improve products. Increasingly, designers are using digital skills. For example, a graphic designer could add to their skills by learning HTML5, CSS, and JavaScript. A good understanding of the same languages can help a UX (user experience) designer construct mock-ups and conduct A/B tests.
3. Technical Writer
Technical writers create technical documentation, such as instruction manuals and tutorials. Frequently, these writers will be working with technology, so a practical knowledge of how it works is essential. Large companies like Google advertise for technical writers regularly, and their job descriptions make it clear that coding knowledge is essential:
4. Analyst
Analysts use data to solve business problems and to advise on strategy. This is achieved using computer programming languages such as SQL. Businesses are collecting more and more data, and as a result, they need more analysts.
5. Management
Anyone who works with developers can benefit from an understanding of coding. When you understand what they are doing, managing and hiring developers becomes easier. You’ll understand what they’re doing it, how they’re doing it, and what a reasonable time and cost is for the service.
Regardless of your industry or job, SoloLearn can teach you to code. We’ve taught everyone from marketers to musicians and doctors. Forget Generation Y, X, and Z — we’re building Generation C, a new group of professionals across all industries who apply coding skills to add value and further their careers.
