I’ve been working in Tech for (number of years), and I get approached often for advice on how to start. I tell people that my path was the traditional path. And it’s true; I did things the old fashioned way. I went to college, majored in math and computer science, graduated, got an internship, and after two months I transitioned to a full-time position as an engineer. While that is my journey and that of most of the other engineers and developers I work with this isn’t the only path. I’ve worked with people from various backgrounds. Some even had a career in a completely different field before transitioning to tech.
I want to share with you some usual pieces of information if you’re looking to get into tech. I believe that the tech world should be as accessible as possible. I also believe that although I’m not far into my career, it’s never too early to reach back and help someone. The very end has DevOps specific information. From what I know there are three main paths that a person takes to enter and succeed at a career in tech. I outline some tips for each path, so no matter which one you, you’ll be able to make an informed decision. I think it’s important that you find your own way into the industry, one that works for your goal and your situation.
Going to college
As I said, I went to college. Because of my grades, I was able to get a decent amount of financial aid, which made college a good choice for me. This choice was economically wise because I was able to have the majority of college or college-related costs covered by scholarships, grants, and loans. If you’re the type of person who wants to go to college and you want to get into tech, I recommend taking computer science and math classes. This will not teach you everything you need to know. It will create a foundation on which you can build. Below is a rundown of the most important classes I took and what I got from them:
- CS1: Learned C, emacs, command line basics (sftp, ssh, cp, cd, ls, mv)
- CS2: Learned Java and the ins and outs of object oriented programming
- Algorithm Design & Analysis: how to write algorithms to maximize efficiency
- Architecture and Assembly: how code works with operating systems
- Data Science: Learned Python, how to leverage python libraries to process data
- Intro to Cybersecurity: basic linux defense best practices, cryptography, encryption, firewalls, how packets are transmitted, network protocols & other networking basics
Please know that you don’t have to enroll in a 4-year degree program right after graduating high school. Most, if not all, community colleges offer some type of programming or computer science class. Start out by enrolling in an intro class, to see where your interests lie.
Going to a code bootcamp
Tech bootcamps are popping up all over the country. Why? Because they can be both more cost- and time-effective than attending college. Think of them as trade schools for aspiring developers. I’ve worked with countless developers who went to a code bootcamp, and they stand out as some of the most well-rounded people in engineering. Each bootcamp has its own types of courses: back end, front end, full stack, data science, UX, cybersecurity, iOS development, and the list goes on. I advise that you take the time to figure out what interests you and which tech skills you want to sharpen or learn before you settle on a program. Remember: Tech jobs exist everywhere. You do not have to just work at a tech company. Although I cannot specifically recommend any one bootcamp over another, here are a few resources to get you started on your research:
https://lambdaschool.com/
https://www.epicodus.com/
https://www.fullstackacademy.com/
Teach yourself
Teaching yourself is much easier than you think. This can be intimidating because of the amount of content and resources available. You might find that you are unsure where to start. Try to narrow down your interests. Ask yourself, What do I want to do with my tech skills? Your answer will guide you to the appropriate content.
This track depends on how self-motivated you are. It is not impossible to be successful in tech as a self-taught engineer. Your learning progress will be based solely on your personal timeline. You’ll need to set goals and track your own progress. I advise using a calendar to encourage progress.
Check out these options:
MIT offers their courses online for free
Coursera has hundreds of courses available from real colleges. Some free, some not. Udemy is another great option, especially because their courses are often on sale for $15 or less.
PluralSight markets itself as a tech skills platform. A previous job had us take a OWASP Top 10 course on PluralSight and it was well organized, digestible, and memorable. It’s not free, but you can start with a 10 day trial according to their website.
Take Me Straight to DevOps
DevOps is an abbreviation of development operations. The role of a DevOps Engineer is to take the code from the developers and release it into the world. As straightforward as it seems, a lot goes into releasing an app in production. If you don’t know anything about that, don’t fret.
When I started working, I was an intern building an internal app for both the engineering and customer success teams. After that project concluded, I started helping my manager work on the company SOCII report. During that time I dove into AWS pretty intensely and learned how to automate audits because I was tired of doing them manually. My job became figuring out how to make sure our infrastructure was available, secure, and compliant. I created proof of concepts for solutions to our top issues, pitched them to teams, and helped roll it out once they were onboard.
That last sentence is the essence of DevOps, but it extends much further than security alone. There are many aspects that play into DevOps: scripting, infrastructure, build and deploy, and more. A later blog post will dive deeper into DevOps.
Thanks for reading! Make sure you check back for our next post: How to Learn Python.