PFT2. Beyond Coding: How Technical Know-How Can Help You Diversify Your Skill Set and Career Path in Tech
Thinking that technical know-how only applies to developers, DevOps, and Quality Engineers is a misconception.
Can you speak the language of the technical department, grasp the concepts and be a translator for others in the business? You have a rare combination of skills that open new doors. Do not let anyone tell you the opposite.
Here's the point.
Working in a technical environment teaches you how to break down problems effectively. It also gives you a deeper understanding of how the software works and the underlying concepts, such as algorithms. Anyone with a technical background can make better-informed decisions, will have fewer struggles gathering data from different sources like an API, and can even code some essential solutions for pulling information for a report.
All those things diversify the options you have for a tech career. They open the door to a whole new world of roles.
Technical project manager: Blend your technical skills with excellent organizational skills to become a valuable member of any technical project management team.
Software procurement: Learn negotiation skills and financial concepts to become a great candidate for a software procurement role.
Scrum Master: If you're good with process analysis and showing leadership traits without having authority, consider a role as a Scrum Master.
Product Owner: Even if you're not interested in coding, many product departments will benefit from having a more tech-savvy team member.
The same applies in reverse. If you are on the other side and the technical knowledge is what you are lacking, you can also walk the path in reverse.
Knowing about technology is a skill; someone can teach you, and you can learn it. Good technical know-how will make you a more valuable team member. As we see, new roles appear and disappear every year, which will not decelerate. So even in the age of AI or more than ever, we need more people with technical knowledge to work with them.