Tech Industry Entry Guide: The Steps you need!

How many of us have dreamed of working in the Tech industry since childhood? There is something that is always attractive about this field. From being able to think creatively about a problem, programming the ideas into code, designing the plan, providing the logic, debugging, testing, and finally getting the desired solution, It is a lot of fun. But many of us don’t know how to get started in this field. Here are a few guidances based on my own experience.

Education

The first and most effective educational experience you can gain is a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science. When you go into the job market, 80% of the job description requires a bachelor’s degree. But hold on! If you don’t want to study for 4 long years, there are other ways for you to. The world has always multiple options for you.

The second effective way is to get a college diploma. I have done Advanced Diploma in Software Engineering Technology and I can tell you that the program was worth it. The best part of a college degree is that you get more hands-on experience.  In my 3 years of learning, I have done more hands-on practices than theories or reading. Most of the exams or tests are used to be based on hands-on practice, which will eventually make you ready for the tech jobs.

The third option is to get a BootCamp done. Even though everyone can’t afford it, it is an option for those who have savings to invest. Some BootCamp organizations even provide jobs after the program completion otherwise they will give you a full refund. That is actually a great opportunity. One thing I don’t like about Bootcamp is, in a very short time you need to learn so many things which sometimes might be too much pressure and frustrating and people might end up not grabbing all the concepts well.

The last and the hardest option is self-learning. In my opinion, if you are not under someone’s supervision, it is very hard to be consistent. Moreover, if you don’t understand any concepts, you can’t ask anyone to explain them to you, you have to do your research and figure it out. And, in regards to the hands-on experience, it will be very hard for you since you won’t have any instructor to guide you through. YouTube is a great platform for self-learning, it has thousands of options. If you don’t like one person’s lecture then you have many other options. In the end, as long as you are enthusiastic and highly motivated, you can choose any option and achieve great success.

LeetCode

Practicing leetCode problems is very effective in mastering your skills. It builds your confidence in coding challenges and improves your problem-solving skills. Let me share with you a way of how I practiced leetCode. So, the ways I used to do it is once I studied a new concept or programming language, for example, If I learned Java language, I used got go to leetCode to practice problems in Java. First start with the easy problems and then move forward to medium and complex problems, that way you will be able to master your Java skills. Another advantage of practicing leetCode is, that it prepares you for your interviews. Most of the technical questions the interviewer asks are from leetCode. Even if the questions are not directly from leetCode, you will be able to answer because you practiced similar problems.

Co-Op

Cooperative education is an opportunity for students to alternate between academic terms and work terms and gain real-world experience while completing their degree. So, basically how it works is, if your program has 6 semesters and has 3 co-op work terms, you can first complete 2 semesters and then do 1 or all 3 work terms consecutively. It depends on how you want to plan your study and work. Some people prefer to complete all the work terms consecutively because sometimes they are hired by the same employer for all the work terms, and also because it is hard to switch between studying and working again and again. Sometimes the college or university might have a path to follow, but that would be a different case.

Now, when you choose your degree program in a college or university, make sure they offer co-op opportunities. Because later on after graduation, this work experience helps you to get into good positions. The best thing you get from this co-op is that before you start your work terms, your college will offer you an employment preparation course in which they will teach you how to make an industry-standard resume, cover letter, portfolio, and many other tips and tricks for your journey as a job seeker.

Projects

If you are studying in college or university, throughout your academic years, you will do many projects whether individually or in a team. Most projects are usually done in a team because it makes you prepared for the industry. While doing the projects, actively participate and engage fully. Make sure you attend all the group meetings, contribute as much as and take ownership of tasks. and if you don’t have a skill, pass it to your group mate and request him/her to involve you in the process so that you can learn it while they are doing it. This way you can even learn from your peers.

Most importantly,  don’t forget to save all the documents and files of the project in your drive. When applying for jobs, you can highlight projects that are relevant to a position as your academic experiences. Moreover, you can also add projects to your portfolio which will showcase your skills and hands-on experience, making you a stronger candidate.

Portfolio

If you are a Software Engineer, having a portfolio website is a must in my opinion. The reasons are, firstly, most job application requires you to provide a portfolio website link, and secondly, you can’t showcase all your achievements and experiences in your 1-2 page resume. Therefore, you need to build a nice portfolio for yourself.

If you are able to make the portfolio using programming languages, that would be great. But If you are not confident enough to build the whole website in this way, there is an easier option for you. WordPress is the easiest way of making a portfolio in a week or less. You don’t need any programming for that, just buy a hosting and domain name, and build the website with Elementor.

If you don’t fill the necessity of a portfolio, then another good option is to make a nice GitHub account, it might also work as your portfolio. Create repositories, upload your projects, and add a Readme file for all the projects where you will write the instructions on how to run the project. You can provide your GitHub link as your portfolio which will showcase all your work to the visitors.

LinkedIn can be considered as another portfolio. Prepare your profile professionally, and add all your education, experiences, achievements, certifications, and skills.  LinkedIn is also a great job search platform. You can directly apply for jobs from here, so you need to make your LinkedIn profile professional because employers might visit your profile as a part of the recruitment process.

Now, you are ready to apply for jobs and break into the tech industry. Good luck on your journey!