Switching Careers to Tech Like a Boss

Something over a year ago, I made a decision to join the tech world. At the time, it felt impulsive, but really, I’d been gradually getting drawn into tech with every problem I faced that I felt needed a technical solution. I did not know what I was signing up for right from the start. I mean, from the moment I first clicked on the link that led me to the application to Andela, I had no clue what was waiting for me. All I knew was that where I was at the time was not good enough for me. And everything about Andela spoke to a need I had. I had to be there.

Writing is such a fundamental part of the tech world. I have learnt that amongst many other things. I will talk about what I have learnt in my experience having come from a non-tech career and successfully grafting into a demanding, high-expectation technical career.

1. It’s the right decision

Uncertainty is the most consistent part of transition. You will always ask yourself “is this really a good idea?” or “what was I thinking when I took this on?” You will repeatedly want to give up. Most times, you possibly will give up on one thing or another. I tried to give up a number of times when I started my application process to Andela. I first interacted with a real programming language two weeks before an invitation to a face-to-face interview. At the time, I had a full-time 8–5 job as a medical claims analyst. Having done a course in medical laboratory sciences, I had already made a switch in career from the medical to insurance field. So this new detour was just another reason for a lot of people to question my indecision. However, it has given me insight into understanding problem statements that need technical solutions in my areas of expertise.

How to handle doubt? Commit. Imposter syndrome is something you will battle a lot. It’s best to start exercising the muscle of self-encouragement right from the start. Pick the path and run with it, through good or bad. Whenever you air out your doubts, you discover how many more people are experiencing it, even those that have been in the industry much longer than you.

2. Software cuts across all fields and industries

Software development is always a problem solving process and career. I realized the importance of what I was doing was when I was asked to give my two cents on a medical bot. I had expertise in both the medical and the tech aspects. Whether you are a house manager or an accountant, tech solves for problems in all industries. All those times you wished there was an app or software that could solve that problem, think instead: ‘I can create the app or software that can solve this problem’. There is no better person to solve a problem than a person who has experienced it first hand. Better yet, a person who has not had the means to solve it and tried anything else. It means you learned how to cover for different case scenarios of how an effective app or software can best solve for a problem.

3. Be confidently dumb

Have you ever met a person who you think of highly, maybe a celebrity or an authority figure, asking “How does this work?”. It is easier to explain to that person, because it feels like they have a right not to know what they don’t know, because they are so good in what they do know. The fact is, there is something you know really well. But you are new in tech. Accept it with pride. When you ask, then get an answer, that is the end of your not knowing. You’re smarter at that moment than a person who didn’t ask. Ask so confidently that the person you are asking doubts that they know it too.

4. Respond to what you know confidently

The aim is to grow in our knowledge and brilliance in tech. That means, when you have learnt about it today, you explain it tomorrow. If you know it, then you know it. If it changed between yesterday and today (as tech is an ever evolving world) then keep an open mind to be informed about it. But do not stay in the not-knowing. There should be a very short window between your not-knowing and knowing. The cycle is:

• Discover what you don’t know
• Learn it
• Share what you now know about it
• Keep an open mind to learn more
• Repeat

Chances are you will never know everything about anything. But speaking about it increases the confidence of other people confiding in you and discussing it with you. That way, you also get to learn more about it from them.

5. Be real

Always manage your stakeholders in honesty. There is power in telling your client, your teammate, or your team-lead the truth. Do not take on more than you can handle; and if you do, let the stakeholder know about your plan. Do not be afraid to say something like “I have never done this before, but I welcome the challenge.” or “I have used a different package or programming language from what you have requested to implement this before. I know the programming logic relevant for the implementation, but I will need to learn how to implement it in the particular way that you need or is best for you.” Give realistic timelines to prevent a contentious relationship between you and your stakeholders.

6. Enjoy the learning process

Technology is dynamic, so you cannot evade learning. Everything you learn materializes into an some exciting implementation. And every new need to be solved using tech solutions is an opportunity at doing something new. The wealth of knowledge in inexhaustible. The time comes when the student surpasses the teacher. In your search for something that explains the bug, the challenge or the implementation that you need, you may lack material that is satisfactory to your approach. That is when you begin figuring it out on your own, then sharing the acquired knowledge through articles and posts in places like Stack Overflow and other developer communication platforms.

7. Explore and get creative

Do not be afraid of breaking code. No matter how good you get, you will break it. The upside to it is that it build your debugging skills. Get curious with the different things you can do with one thing. That’s how discovery happens. Engage with tech communities online and in tech meet-ups to get to know what tech brainstorming looks like. You’ll probably be clueless in a few of them, but persistence increases familiarity and collaboration provides diversity of picking different tech minds so you can grow your own.

If you are contemplating joining tech or are new to tech I hope these pointers will be as useful to you as they were to me (or more). Welcome to the land where we make it happen! Best of luck in your tech journey.

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