{"id":1264,"date":"2021-12-29T19:22:24","date_gmt":"2021-12-29T13:52:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/codequotient.com\/blog\/?p=1264"},"modified":"2024-02-14T18:20:47","modified_gmt":"2024-02-14T12:50:47","slug":"you-build-tech-career-without-tech-degree","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/codequotient.com\/blog\/you-build-tech-career-without-tech-degree\/","title":{"rendered":"Yes, You Can Build a Tech Career Without a Tech Degree. Here\u2019s How"},"content":{"rendered":"

Elon Musk doesn\u2019t care about college degrees<\/a>, and neither do thousands of hiring managers worldwide. Time and again, leading entrepreneurs and inventors have reminded us that a degree does not guarantee achievements. <\/b>That brings us to the question: what matters the most for a successful career?<\/strong> As cliche as it may sound, skills are more important than educational qualifications<\/b>.<\/p>\n

Are you trying to build a tech career without a tech degree?<\/strong> It is not impossible. Instead, it is easier than ever to get into the tech industry without a tech degree. Here\u2019s how and why.<\/p>\n

Building a Tech Career without a Tech Degree: Numbers Don\u2019t Lie!<\/b><\/h2>\n

Before we delve into the specifics, here are a few stats to convince you:<\/p>\n

First, an estimated 26% of the IT workforce in the United States does not have a college degree<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This 26% might not seem like a huge number, but 26% of 3 million<\/a> is a lot of people. If all these people could build a tech career without a tech degree, so why can\u2019t you?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Second, around 49% of IT job listings do not have a college degree as eligibility criteria<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Third, according to the CompTIA Post Exam Survey<\/b>, nearly 50% of hiring managers do not care about college degrees. That shows how not having a college degree in tech is not the end of the world.<\/p>\n

And finally, the average annual salary of tech positions that do not need a tech degree is $83,000 in the US<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Contrary to popular belief, people without college degrees do not end up in low-paying manual jobs.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Things to Keep In Mind When Building a Tech Career Without a Tech Degree<\/b><\/h2>\n

\"Things-to-Keep-In-Mind-When-Building-a-Tech-Career-Without-a-Tech-Degree\"<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s take coding as an example. Anyone today can learn coding from their homes, and the people teaching you do not care whether you have a Ph.D. in mathematics or are a liberal arts major.<\/p>\n

CodeQuotient, Coursera, Udemy, EDX are a few among the many platforms that teach coding to absolute beginners, age and experience being no bar.<\/p>\n

If you have a laptop and an internet connection, you can also learn coding from the pool of resources available online.<\/p>\n

1. Upskill. It\u2019s non-negotiable<\/b><\/h3>\n

If you want to build a tech career without a tech degree, learning and upskilling are non-negotiable. No matter what you want to learn — UX design, web development, cybersecurity, or anything else — chances of not finding quality resources online are very slim. So make the most of it and learn all you can as the first step.<\/p>\n

2. Go for internships and bootcamps<\/b><\/h3>\n

Let\u2019s assume you have your foundation right from online courses and resources. The next step is to put them in.<\/p>\n

Internships let you test the waters without bearing all the responsibilities that come with a full-time position. While money won\u2019t be great at this stage, internships will set you up for a career in the tech industry.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

Bootcamps, on the other hand, teach you how to work in a fast-paced environment. Both internships and bootcamps introduce you to the reality of working in the tech industry.<\/b> Getting through these will give you the confidence to approach full-time positions.<\/p>\n

3. Know your interests and limitations<\/b><\/h3>\n

Not everyone is great with numbers, and not everyone is great with people. Fortunately, the tech industry does not want single-minded skills and competence.<\/p>\n

For example, a UX researcher primarily understands human behaviour and analyses feedback.<\/b> You do not need to be an expert in programming languages to be a great UX researcher.<\/p>\n

Similarly, many roles in tech companies demand a diverse set of skills apart from coding and programming. Identify the ones you can do and want to do, and go after them.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what you need to do:<\/p>\n