/* SC_TH_END:4.5.3:f925327a */{"id":64,"date":"2014-11-07T10:30:10","date_gmt":"2014-11-07T10:30:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/demo.bloompixel.com\/blogist-grid\/?p=64"},"modified":"2014-11-13T17:35:50","modified_gmt":"2014-11-13T17:35:50","slug":"blog-post-with-left-sidebar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/qualstaffblog.talentnetlive.com\/?p=64","title":{"rendered":"Do You Need a Degree to Get a Tech Job?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Malcolm Gladwell, in his book David and Goliath,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=3UEwbRWFZVc&amp;feature=youtu.be\" target=\"_blank\"> famously touted the idea of being a big fish in a little pond <\/a>when it comes to choosing a college. \u00a0He suggests never study at an elite college, but rather choose one where you can be at the top of your class.<\/p>\n<p>But is it even necessary to have a degree to get a good tech job? \u00a0Jessie Pressman discusses <a href=\"http:\/\/blog.brazencareerist.com\/2014\/11\/07\/land-job-tech-industry-without-tech-degree\/\" target=\"_blank\">How to Land a Job in the Tech Industry Without a Tech Degree<\/a> on the Brazen Careerist blog.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>The biggest secret of the tech world is that a huge percentage of people who work in the tech industry started out knowing nothing. They didn\u2019t go to MIT, they didn\u2019t get a degree in computer science and they still don\u2019t know how to code.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s because <strong>the high tech industry needs people to help their business run<\/strong>, not just create their product or service offering.<\/p>\n<p>Even New York State Comptroller, Thomas D. Napoli, stated this in his April report on New York City\u2019s growing high tech industry:<\/p>\n<p>Like other industries, the high-tech industry employs work in a wide range of job titles, including non-tech-related positions such as accountants, administrative assistants, managers and sales representatives. The growth of the high-tech industry offers employment opportunities to works with a broad range of skills, not just those with technical backgrounds.<\/p>\n<p>The report also goes on to say that \u201cThe average annual salary for workers in the high-tech industry was $118,600 in 2012, compared to an average of $79,500 for all other jobs in New York City ($65,400 excluding the securities industry).\u201d And you know that number has only gone up in the past two years.<\/p>\n<p>If you have a liberal arts degree in history or art or political science or sociology or English, don\u2019t pass that hot sounding tech company by. Having a degree in tech isn\u2019t necessary to land a job in the tech sector. They need you!<\/p>\n<p>Here are some tips to get you started:<\/p>\n<h2>1. Look in the right place<\/h2>\n<p>While many may push you towards established firms because they seem less risky, <a title=\"Startup Jobs: 8 Tips for Getting Hired by Your Dream Company\" href=\"http:\/\/blog.brazencareerist.com\/2014\/09\/15\/startup-jobs-8-tips-getting-hired-dream-company\/\" target=\"_blank\">startups<\/a> are a great place. Not only will you be part of a team where you can add value right away, but you\u2019ll also be exposed to different areas of the business on a daily basis.<\/p>\n<p>Established firms often have compartmentalized their business units and departments, so once you\u2019re on a track, that\u2019s where you\u2019ll likely stay. Working for a startup, on the other hand, means you\u2019re going to wear many hats \u2014 which means more exposure to new experiences more quickly.<\/p>\n<p>That said, you don\u2019t have to go for the fledgling startups. Look for ones that already have venture capital funding or have demonstrated success for a few years. Five to 10 years old can still mean startup mentality, but may also have a more robust infrastructure for you to rely on, like better benefits and workspace.<\/p>\n<h2>2. Find the right fit<\/h2>\n<p>If you want <a href=\"http:\/\/blog.brazencareerist.com\/2013\/12\/03\/6-ways-to-figure-out-if-working-for-a-startup-is-right-for-you\/\">startup culture<\/a>, look for startups in areas you\u2019re interested in. Like fashion? Find a fashion startup like ManRepeller or NastyGal. Interested in healthcare issues? Healthcare startups are doing everything from making apps that help doctors with billing to building machines that allow doctors to do virtual surgery to tech that helps kids keep tabs on their aging parents.<\/p>\n<p>Politics major? Look for startups invested in political change. The startup world is huge. And while much of it revolves around tech, that tech needs to do something useful to be a worthwhile business. Figure out what you\u2019re interested in and find a company based on their mission.<\/p>\n<h2>3. Find a role for yourself<\/h2>\n<p>Once you\u2019ve figured out the area of tech you\u2019re interested in and passionate about (tip: startups love passion) find their site, look for their opportunities page and see what they\u2019re hiring for.<\/p>\n<p>Skip over the overtly tech roles like programmer, developer or architect and go for the positions that make the business run: sales, accounts, business development, marketing, HR, recruiting, payroll, operations.<\/p>\n<p>Or if you\u2019re interested in learning a little more about the tech concepts themselves, try a hybrid role (known in the tech field as \u201ctechno-functional\u201d and usually in high demand): project manager, business analyst, consultant.<\/p>\n<p>When looking at these roles, think about what you bring to the table \u2014 are you a people person who\u2019s super competitive? Sales might be right for you. Are you OCD when it comes to details? Project manager could be a good fit.<\/p>\n<h2>4. Make a role for yourself<\/h2>\n<p>This may be a little more difficult at established business or if this is your first job out of college, but<em>figuring out your strengths and pitching them to a startup is how many people today get hired<\/em>. (<a href=\"http:\/\/ctt.ec\/RDr6q\" target=\"_blank\">Click here<\/a> to tweet this advice.) Depending on the size of the startup, they may not even know what they need yet.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re willing to roll your sleeves up and pitch in, you\u2019re bound to be scooped up quick. Even better, figure out what they\u2019re having problems with and pitch a solution. Make yourself necessary. Solve a problem to create a need for your specific skills.<\/p>\n<h2>5. Learn the concepts<\/h2>\n<p>Many people who work in tech don\u2019t know how to code. They\u2019re the big thinkers and the strategists; they\u2019re the people who make the everyday operations of a business run. You don\u2019t need to be a developer to work in tech, but it\u2019s a big leg up if you understand the concepts behind what a business is doing.<\/p>\n<p>If you want to work in the marketing department, dive into PPC, SEO and UX. If you want to work in sales, figure out what their product is and learn the concepts behind it. If they\u2019re an e-commerce site, understanding what business intelligence and big data are will be useful and help you stand out.<\/p>\n<p>If the company builds applications, learn how they\u2019re built. By understanding the difference between the user interface and user experience, you\u2019ll be light years ahead of the competition.<\/p>\n<h2>6. Be willing to work<\/h2>\n<p>Say \u201cyes\u201d a lot. Employers have a negative stereotype about GenY: They think <a title=\"An Attitude Adjustment Checklist to Keep You Successful at Work\" href=\"http:\/\/blog.brazencareerist.com\/2013\/09\/09\/an-attitude-adjustment-checklist-to-keep-you-successful-at-work\/\" target=\"_blank\">you\u2019re lazy<\/a>. Show them you\u2019re not. Put all the activities you were involved in during college on your resume \u2014 President of the sky diving club? Put it in! Active in student government? Put it in! Sang in an acappella group\u2026yep.<\/p>\n<p>Anything and everything you had a serious commitment to will help prove your commitment to work. Plus, it has the added benefit of being a great conversation starter. Odds are that at least one person who interviews you will have something in common with your extra-curriculars.<\/p>\n<p>Want to work in tech but don\u2019t have any background? Don\u2019t sweat it! Go for it.<\/p>\n<p><i>Jessie Pressman <\/i><i>is the CEO &amp; Founder of <\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/bitesizelearning\" target=\"_blank\"><i>Bite Size Learning<\/i><\/a><i>, which produces five minute e-learning videos that teach tech concepts and sales acumen. Prior to her entrepreneurial endeavor, she was a record breaking sales rep, manager and executive in the Tech Staffing space, where she also created and ran both sales mentoring and tech training for their nationwide team.<\/i><\/p>\n<p><em><a href=\"http:\/\/brazencareerist.com\/\">Brazen<\/a> powers real-time, online events for leading organizations around the world. Our lifestyle and career blog, <a href=\"http:\/\/ow.ly\/tQjOh\">Brazen Life<\/a>, offers fun and edgy ideas for ambitious professionals navigating the changing world of work.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Malcolm Gladwell, in his book David and Goliath, famously touted the idea of being a big fish in a little pond when it comes to choosing a college. \u00a0He suggests never study at an elite college, but rather choose one where you can be at the top of your class. But is it even necessary [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":261,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,7,22],"tags":[27],"class_list":["post-64","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-careers-articles","category-standard","category-tech-careers","tag-career"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/qualstaffblog.talentnetlive.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/qualstaffblog.talentnetlive.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/qualstaffblog.talentnetlive.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qualstaffblog.talentnetlive.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qualstaffblog.talentnetlive.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=64"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/qualstaffblog.talentnetlive.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":230,"href":"https:\/\/qualstaffblog.talentnetlive.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64\/revisions\/230"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qualstaffblog.talentnetlive.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/261"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/qualstaffblog.talentnetlive.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=64"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qualstaffblog.talentnetlive.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=64"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qualstaffblog.talentnetlive.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=64"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}