5 Common Misconceptions About Tech Careers
There are many misconceptions around working in tech. Just how many of them are actually based on facts? Below we tried to debunk the top 5 misconceptions we often hear about:
#1 Tech is only for CS majors
According to LinkedIn, most people who work in the tech industry come from all sorts of backgrounds and fields (economics, arts, architecture, science…).
You don’t necessarily need a CS (or related) degree to break into the tech field —let alone land a well-paying job. In fact, at Gemography, unlike many other tech companies out there, we're not making initial decisions based on your resume anymore. Judging tech skills based on a CV solely is not accurate nor fair, especially to self-taught developers. Hence why we strongly believe that your education doesn’t define your destiny. It counts only as a starting point, not a finish line.
#2 It’s too complicated to learn
It may not be easy, but it’s certainly doable. Anyone can learn and be good in tech, as long as you have the ambition, passion and willingness to make big moves, you will be successful in this field. On the other hand, there are also several ways you can get started beginning or advancing the tech field: coding bootcamps, online courses, practice quizzes, etc.
#3 Soft skills don’t matter. Only coding does
The idea of “only coding is required” hinders the career progress of most tech people. A good blend of soft skills is what will make you stand out, maybe even more than technical know-how. Talent acquisition people, hiring managers or even clients, want to hire people who are easy to work with. Those who are flexible team players, excellent communicators, can adhere to deadlines, etc.
For this reason, we, at Gemography conduct technical interviews during our hiring process, so we can gauge whether the candidate’s personality is a good fit. Are you easy going? Can you explain technicalities (complex things) in easy terms? Could you mesh well with the rest of the team? — Most of these questions matter a lot because unlike technical skill set, a passionate mindset and driven work ethic cannot be taught. Which is what makes them so valuable!
#4 “Fullstack” is the end-goal
Not necessarily. Most tech people ask themselves this question “What should I learn?” —however instead of focusing on one programming language at a time, they’ll try to learn everything. (i.e. “I’m currently learning myself HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP, Ruby, and how to build iOS apps.”).
Here’s the deal, if you want to build full-scale apps from the ground up, awesome. But you don’t have to set that as an ultimate goal for your tech career. So don’t let the idea of having to learn everything prevent you from getting started. Instead, specialize in one area that you enjoy the most.
#5 It’s too late
People think they are too old to get hired as a Junior Software Engineer. Or, they feel self-conscious about the idea of reporting it to an early twenty-something.
The truth is, there are numerous examples of people getting hired by top tech companies and startups for entry-level engineering positions in their 30s. What most hiring managers care about is that what can you contribute to the success of their company/team and how you can showcase your value convincingly. If you can figure out a way to do that, age is irrelevant. Don't let your age dissuade you from building a career you aspire to have.
Looking for an exciting opportunity in tech? You can find it here.
