What’s it like to switch your career to an in-demand technology like AWS, Databricks, Google Cloud, Microsoft Cloud, Salesforce, or Snowflake? Find out in this blog.
If you’re thinking of changing your career trajectory in search of better pay and benefits, a more flexible work-life balance, or a different location, you’re certainly not alone. Whether you have existing experience in tech or not, changing your career path is pretty commonplace these days.
In fact, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average person holds over 12 jobs between the ages of 18 and 54. Furthermore, the U.S. Department of Labor estimates that most people will make a career shift 5-7 times in their working life, with a whopping one-third of today’s workforce changing jobs every year.
When it comes to the tech sector in particular, the lucrative salaries and growth opportunities attract lots of people to cross-train, even if they’ve had a successful career in a completely different field. And with certain areas of the tech sector (such as cloud computing, data, and AI) seeing a huge surge in demand for products, there are lots of opportunities to do so.
So, if you’re considering making the career leap to one of these in-demand technologies, what will your journey into a new career look like exactly? What are the particular skills you’ll need to hone to transition into these technologies? And how might your existing experience put you at an advantage?
Keep on reading to find out…
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Where do you start with a career switch?
Whether you already work in the tech industry or a completely different field, where do you start with a career switch?
While taking a self-paced online course to learn programming, for example, is a great place to begin, it’s unlikely to get you very far in and of itself. Plus, depending on the role you’re applying for, you may not actually need as many hard tech skills as you may think. For instance, lots of platforms use click-to-code solutions, minimizing the need to design new code from scratch.
And, as cloud computing, data, and AI products evolve to make them more user-friendly, transferable soft skills are becoming increasingly important. This includes the ability to communicate and present your ideas effectively, manage stakeholders of all levels, and listen to their requirements to deliver effective solutions, no matter what type of tech role you wish to specialize in.
So, first of all, have a look on LinkedIn and job boards to see what types of roles are available, whether that’s something you can see yourself doing in the future, and how closely they match your current skill set. This will help you get a better idea of the type of role you wish to go into and identify areas where you may need to develop additional skills.
No matter what role appeals to you, one thing is certain—you will need a new résumé, tailored for the tech industry. To help you get started, check out our guide to writing a great tech résumé.
How to gain industry experience
When it comes to switching to an in-demand technology, you may be daunted by your lack of experience in this particular field. Although there are lots of opportunities out there for net-new talent to join the cloud, data, or AI fields, you want to avoid the catch-22 of wanting to join a new sector but not having the right experience, which you cannot obtain, unless you have a job in the new sector.
But there are plenty of ways to get relevant experience without applying for a job and facing fierce competition from other individuals with more credentials and experience than you.
- For instance, lots of charities are using cloud computing or pivoting to data and AI-based products to make their operations more cost-effective. Once you have developed a good base line of skills, reach out to them and see if you can offer your services on a voluntary basis for a particular short-term project they may have, in exchange for gaining hands-on experience.
- Another idea is to explore any government schemes in your country, since there’s a global movement to develop more digital literacy skills.
- Or, if you want to earn while you learn, check out our Tech Careers Programs, which will equip you with the skills, industry certifications, and a paid full-time role in a specialist technology to help you switch and quickly excel in your new career.
How to avoid sacrificing your current salary when switching to a completely new role in tech
Of course, it’s difficult to get away from the discussion of sacrificing your salary while you retrain into a new, specialist career. For many, it’s the number one stumbling block that means they stick with what they know, rather than go for what they want.
In fact, it’s one of our program’s biggest selling points for would-be cloud professionals. Not only are our careers programs fully funded (saving you a significant personal investment on industry-standard certifications for platforms such as AWS, Databricks, Google Cloud, Microsoft Cloud, Salesforce, and Snowflake), but we’ll also pay you a salary as soon as you join us.
That means you earn while you learn—no need to take a second job, re-mortgage your house, or dip into your personal savings in order to realize your ambitions. We do ask for a two-year commitment from you, then you’re free to either join your new company once your placement ends or move onto another lucrative role within technology.
If money is a motivating factor that prevents you from transitioning away from being a tech generalist or working in a totally different field, into the more lucrative world of specialist technologies, we have the solution.
