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SO, IS TECH FOR ME?
Life after tech You are about to embark on your first job and launch what you hope will be a long and stimulating career. It’s okay to be hit with a case of cold feet. It’s a big commitment to tie yourself to one career path. You may be wary of pigeon-holing yourself as a techie too early in the game. What if you decide it’s not for you? Does starting out in tech necessarily mean you’ll be stuck with it for better or worse? Will you still be up to your eyeballs in code well into your sixties? We’re here to put your mind at ease. We’ve already covered how broad the sector is, the wide range of roles out there to choose from, as well as the ability to move not just upwards but also sideways and diagonally within the tech space. There are definitely ways to transition gradually out of a more technical role into a less technical one, but there are also ways to move completely out of the world of tech using the skillset you already have and transferring it to whatever your new passion may be. Here are some options you may want to consider down the line: PROGRESS INTO A MANAGEMENT LINE/ LEADERSHIP ROLE Whether you’ve always thought of yourself as a leader, or you only begin to realise
you may enjoy the responsibility later in your career, management roles are a clear way to progress beyond the day-to-day technical tasks that your first few roles may involve. The first step would be to set yourself apart as a team lead and progress from there. While you will still need your technical knowledge, you will be required to hone a whole new set of skills. Management and leadership roles will require you to delegate tasks, train and nurture junior staff, resolve conflicts, ensure your team’s optimum performance and much more. At the very highest end of the spectrum will be C-suite roles like a chief technical officer (CTO) and chief information officer (CIO), but the reality is that the more senior you get, the fewer roles are available and the harder they are to get hired into. For a lot of managers, there is a certain level to which you can get before you hit a ceiling. That being said, that level may be a well-salaried one with a lot of satisfying job perks – it’s nothing to look down at! ENHANCE YOUR BUSINESS SKILLS AND ANALYTICAL THINKING More and more businesses are looking to recruit people who have technical skills with a healthy understanding of business strategy.
