In my last post I broke the ice on the hot topic of do I need a college degree to work in the tech industry?
Now let\’s look at trying to go direct to work in the tech industry with no experience. I\’m not going to lie, this is hard to do. Every job posting you look at will want experience and certification. If you apply for a job with only one of those it\’s likely they won\’t call you.
How do I get experience if no one will hire me? I secretly hate and love this question and my answer is…use the Google! There is SO much information on the internet that is free. Here\’s what you can do with that information:
- Learn a technology and write a blog post showing you know how it works. This could be from showing a lab environment paired with a YouTube video you recorded walking through it.
- Design something that can be published on the internet.
- If you want to be a software developer or web designer you need a portfolio. Build that platform and add projects to it.
- How do I get projects? Look at free coding or lab exercises and figure out ways to adapt them to your portfolio so you can showcase your ability to learn, find, and publish a product.
- Pair your learning with earning a certification. Not just any certification. Do some research into tech jobs! Nothing against CompTIA but if your strategy is to get the A+ and Network+ will likely be disappointed.
- Find ways to volunteer at a non profit organization for experience.
Here\’s where excuses normally come into your brain. Don\’t let them! Everyone has 24-hours in a day. This will be tough but your efforts now will pay dividends in the near future.
Here are some job titles that will help your search:
- Network Administrator
- Network Engineer
- Software Developer
- Systems Engineer
- Cloud Engineer
- Security Engineer
Read the job descriptions and do some research to see what sounds interesting! Also research what the industry is looking for experience and certification wise to obtain that job title. Once you settle on something you think is interesting you will need a plan to get there! In my next post, we’ll talk about after you’ve chosen a career path/job title and what it takes to get there.