I haven't had time to blog or much else after hitting a few personal milestones. Work has been hectic, I recently released my line of #blackwomenintech merch and still trying to help others when I can. Sadly, I had to remove my consulting service but with that being said I plan to blog more often and sort out a lot of the logistics involved in transitioning to a career in technology.
Let's try to go over the top questions I am asked very often. Hope you guys find it useful and please feel free to drop any comments below.
Oh and Happy 4th quarter! Lets make it count and get some goals set and smashed before 2021!
Question 1: I want to get into tech but I don't know what I want to do...
I hate this question only because as badly as I want to help...I can't. I don't really like telling folks what to study, what certs to obtain, etc. because what if you hate your job and come back blaming me. Start out with some plan or idea in terms of the area of tech you want to go in. A career transition is your opportunity to start anew and try to find a space that is lucrative and something you kind of find rewarding. I am extremely salary driven so I try to find areas that don't bore me to study so I can actually get through it. But for some of you, you are passionate...most of you actually want to like what you do.
If you're creative or have a great eye for detail, look into roles involving design such as UI/UX and product design.
If you've always had an interest in crime shows or like the idea of hacking etc., look into cyber roles.
If you feel like you're a great communicator, easily document processes or have a background in internal customer service look into IT service management, consulting roles.
There is literally an area in tech for all sorts of interests, pre-existing skills and spaces to create what doesn't exist.
Question 2: Do I need to go back to school or obtain degree in STEM in order to work in tech? Like any other field, the more educated you are...the better. Tech is no different. It is possible to get into tech without a degree and have a lucrative career (case in point, I'm doing pretty decent), however, their are companies that want their employees to have a degree. Degrees are also very important when looking at your long term goals. If you're aspiring to get to a level where you are a CIO or CTO of a company or agency, you're going to want to invest in getting your degree. Isn't there a quote saying something like "begin with the end in mind"? This is where that outlook is important. Figure out what your dream roles are, what education/certs you need and start prepping for that role today.
Question 3: What resources should I use to study (for certification and roles)? Aside from sites that are vendor specific (Now Learning for ServiceNow, Trailblaze for Salesforce, Microsoft's learning site, etc.) Youtube, Udemy, Linux Academy, Reddit, are my go-to's. Lately, I've been buying books just because I want a physical collection of resources but there are so many resources online to help you kickstart your career in tech. Often times resources lead to a resource. For example, Youtuber's may plug the name of a fellow YT channel, text or site to assist in learning whatever they're presenting. As you gather these resources, build a personal repository to easily reference.
In terms of studying roles post certification/skill-building...go on job board sites like Indeed, LinkedIn, Dice, etc. Here you'll learn acronyms, jargon and what the day-to-day functions are. This is how you learn what to study and why you're studying it. Studying for a cert is different than knowing functional use. You don't want to obtain a cert and be unfamiliar with the roles associated...this will make it impossible to land the job because you won't be able to talk the talk.
Sorry this post is long. I'll be adding more questions soon.