Pivoting into a Tech Career—When Your Background Isn't Technology-Focused

you may want to combine multiple existing payments into a consolidated loan with a private lender. This also removes some of the cognitive load

There are plenty of reasons to move into a career in tech. The innovation of the industry appeals to many people, and the pay isn't bad either. But how do you make the switch if you've been working in a very different industry? The admonition to learn to code has become a cliche, and the truth is, you don't need to learn to code unless this is a particular passion that you have. In fact, your existing strengths can help you pivot into the tech industry, and the tips below can help.

Organize Your Finances

While you might not need to learn how to code, you may want to take some classes or certifications, or you might initially take a pay cut when you switch into a new industry. This may be a good time for you to try to reign in your expenses. Among those are any student loans you are still paying off. If you have more than one loan, you may want to combine multiple existing payments into a consolidated loan with a private lender. This also removes some of the cognitive load of dealing with different payments that all have different due dates. The good news is that even if you are making a little less money to start, you'll probably end up making more in tech than in many other industries, which can help you pay off all of those debts even faster.

Play to Your Strengths

You need to think about how you can speak a new language, one that would appeal to a startup or established tech company to showcase your skills in a way that will demonstrate how you can be an asset to them. For example, if you have previously worked with the public, that could give you strengths in advocating for the end user experience. Keep in mind as well that companies need people who are not entrenched in the tech world to help them understand the view and experience of the ordinary user. Your perspective can help prevent siloing. If you are unsure which of your skills might be transferable, you may want to consider arranging an informational interview. Keep in mind that effective and creative problem-solving is a huge part of working in tech. You should pay special attention to this aspect of your previous experience and think of ways to highlight your skills in this area.

Follow Your Passion

Following your passion is actually not always the best job-seeking advice if only because some of the things that you feel most passionately about do not transfer into a paying career. However, when you are doing a pivot into something new, choosing an area that you already either know a lot about or have a strong interest in can help make up for the fact that you are probably dealing with a steep learning curve. Having a passion for the mission of the company that you are working for or the particular corner of the tech industry that you are in can carry you through some of the rockier times.