5 Questions: Getting Into The Industry
How did you break into the tech industry? Breaking into the industry
Quite often, I am asked questions about how I managed to get a job and stay relevant in the tech industry. I’ve answered some of those questions below in the hopes that you can take some of my experiences and put them to use.
One major caveat I would like to mention. I provided these answers with the understanding that gender and other forms of biases do exist in the workplace, therefore, what worked for me may not necessarily translate exactly for you. You may be facing obstacles that I did not have to confront.
What education background do you have?
I have a degree in Studio Arts, with an emphasis in Graphic Design from Loyola Marymount University. Are you surprised? Most people are, because they assume that one needs a Computer Science degree to work in the tech industry. That’s not necessarily true. As a matter of fact, I wrote another blog post on how Brad Smith, Microsoft president, validated my earning a Liberal Arts degree 😊. Steve Jobs went as far as to call Computer Science a Liberal Art because it “teaches you how to think”. The tech industry is a hungry beast that thirsts for many different skills. Computer Science, as well as other skillsets, are needed.
How did you get a job at Microsoft?
I’ll break this one down into multiple answers:
I learned a skill that would later be valuable to Microsoft. A long time ago, my manager brought in Microsoft to show us this new technology called SharePoint as a possible solution to use as the platform for our Intranet. It was love at first sight. I knew this was going to change the tech industry due to its web parts, which are little mini web pages within a web page that did transactional based functions, such as accepting user input, placing an order or showing the weather. I thought WOW!! You can do all these transactions within a single page without opening another? That is productivity!! I also liked its ability to manage documents. Instead of emailing documents back and forth and potentially sacrificing the integrity of the document, I saw, how you could place them in a SharePoint document library, direct people there and collaborate!!! I also realized; Microsoft isn’t going anywhere so if I learn this technology it should be around for a long while. I was SOLD!!!!!
Network, network, network. By Networking, I mean the kind of network that takes place at a bar, not a datacenter. I become buddies with someone at Microsoft, he referred me, I applied and got hired! Although I had the skills to work there, he definitely helped me get in the front door. At a large company like Microsoft that is important.
How do you stay up to date with your technology?
Read the market, read books and take online courses.
Reading the market, what does that mean? I listen to what the leaders in technology are saying and watch what people in the industry are talking about via websites and podcasts. The words I hear these days are AI, Apps, Cyber Security and data science. Well, that means I’d better learn that to stay relevant.
Online courses, there are tons of free content out there on youtube, watch them!
I sometimes complain how I wish I could read a book for fun, but the nature of my game is, I have to be several steps ahead of my customer, therefore, most of the books I read are ‘How to’ books. I must try out the technology for it to stick, so after I read, I try it out.
PS. Don’t be afraid to break something, that’s the best way to learn.
What advice do you have for someone trying to transition into the tech industry from a non tech career?
See my previous point. Jump out of your comfort zone, learn a relevant technology and then network, network, network!!!! Attend a LatinaGeeks event!! I saw a recent job posting on LinkedIn that made me smile. It said: “WE NEED YOU!! We don’t care what color you are, gender, political affiliation, if you know these skills. WE WILL HIRE YOU!!!!”
I look forward to the day when that mentality is the absolute norm.
What technologies do you recommend focusing on to get into tech?
This answer will evolve and change. But for now, in my world, I would definitely investigate the following:
AI (Artificial Intelligence)
Data Science
App development
Cyber Security
I am not saying these are the ONLY ways to get in or that this is an exhaustive list BUT I will say, you will be in a pretty good position to move forward.
Brad Smith, Microsoft President stated that AI will “play a powerful role in how the economy functions”. It is here to stay and will continue to proliferate to our everyday lives.
In regards to Data Science, I am a firm believer in something Satya Nadella, Microsoft CEO said a couple of years ago “Data is the real currency for your company”. Troves of data exist within organizations, being able to unlock, synthesize and present that data QUICKLY, will enable you to make decisions quicker than your competition.
Even though people are becoming more and more busy, apps are enabling people to be more productive. The amount of apps at our fingertips is making our lives easier, so learn how to create them.
Trust is another huge component of the tech industry. Everything discussed must be done with Cyber Security in mind.
A few final tips.
Be open to learning knew technologies. You can become a dinosaur in a matter of months within the tech industry.
Go out of your comfort zone on a regular basis, it’s the only way to learn a new skill.
Drink wine while you learn, red wine specifically, it helps with processing abstract data…at least that’s what I have convinced myself it does.
