How Non-Traditional Paths can Open Tech Career Opportunities

I used to run toward disasters. Now I build the tech that helps manage them. 🚨 The transition from Emergency Manager to Product Manager wasn't in any career guidebook. But that's exactly why it worked. Here's what I learned about pivoting careers when there's no obvious path: 1. Find Your Bridge 🌉 Your current role has transferable skills. In EM, I coordinated responses and solved complex problems under pressure. Sound familiar, Product Managers? 2. Be Strategically Curious 🤔 Don't just ask for a job - get curious about the problems. I spent months understanding pain points in EM tech before even mentioning product management. 3. Build Internal Champions 🤝 The best opportunities rarely come through formal applications. I built relationships across teams, showing genuine interest in their challenges. 4. Create Value Before Asking for Value 📈 I started sharing insights about user needs from my EM experience. By the time a product role opened up, I had already demonstrated value. 5. Embrace the Learning Curve 📚 Your unique background is an asset, not a liability. My EM experience helps me build better tech because I've lived the user's reality. 💭 What unique background are you bringing (or want to bring) to product management? #productmanagement #product #emergencymanagement #technology #innovation

Does tech seem intimidating and out of your reach? Think again. Your unique skills might be just what the industry needs. When I first considered tech, I counted myself out because I wasn't a coder. But then, I realized something crucial: tech isn't just about coding. It's about problem-solving, creativity, and leveraging diverse skills to drive innovation. I've seen many professionals from diverse backgrounds successfully transition into tech roles by leveraging their transferable skills. For instance, a friend with a background in project management excels as a product manager, while a former PhD student became a technical writer. ⚡ Let’s dispel the myths and embrace the possibilities. The truth is, tech is an ecosystem with numerous roles that require a variety of talents. Here are some actionable steps to carve your path in tech: ✅ Identify Your Transferable Skills: Whether it's project management, communication, analytical skills, and problem-solving, your existing skills can be a great fit for many tech roles. ✅ Explore roles beyond coding: Consider product management, technical writing, UX/UI design, sales engineering, data analyst, AI ethics, or customer success. ✅ Embrace emerging technologies: Stay curious about AI, data science, cybersecurity, and cloud computing. Get familiar with and use GPT tools. ✅ Start Small: Volunteer for tech-related projects or build a product. Real-world experience, even on a small scale, is valuable. Remember, tech thrives on diversity and innovation to solve problems and create value. You have a unique perspective to offer. Don't let self-doubt hold you back. With the right mindset and skills, you can thrive in tech. 🚀 #TransferableSkills #Technology #Innovation

The Honest Truth…. If you’re thinking about breaking into tech, especially from a non-traditional background, here’s the raw advice you might not hear upfront: ➡️ 1. You WILL feel out of place at times. Tech has its own language, culture, and norms. It’s easy to feel like you don’t belong, but remember, everyone started from scratch at some point. Your unique perspective is your strength, not a weakness. ➡️ 2. You need to go beyond “learning to code.” Tech is NOT just about coding. You need to understand the ecosystem—how business, design, and development fit together. Take the time to learn the fundamentals of how tech products are built and brought to life, from a business perspective too. (Search product management, project management, business analysis, discovery, requirements gathering, product roadmap, agile and scrum etc). ➡️ 3. Networking is essential—yes, even in tech. I know we want to think tech is a meritocracy, but who you know still matters. Build relationships with people in the industry. Engage in communities, attend virtual events, and don’t hesitate to ask for help or advice. A quick way to grow a cultivated, organic network - spend a little time each day on LinkedIn- DONT death scroll! Read posts that interest you and craft thoughtful responses. Connect with the folks that interest you and tell them why. ➡️ 4. Be ready for rejection. Rejection is part of the game. Don’t be discouraged by “no” or a lack of response from applications. Your first job in tech may not be a dream job, but every opportunity to get your foot in the door matters. Stay focused on learning and improving, and keep showing up. ➡️ 5. It may take longer than you expect. It’s easy to see the success stories online—people landing their first tech role in 3 months. The truth? For most people, it takes longer. The journey will test your patience and resilience, but it’s worth it. Keep working, even if progress feels slow. ➡️ 6. Don’t underestimate the power of transferable skills. Your previous experiences in other industries are assets. Problem-solving, customer service, creativity, adaptability—these skills are all crucial in tech. You bring value just by showing up with these strengths. ➡️ 7. Keep learning, always. Tech moves fast. Even when you land that first job, never stop learning. Stay curious, take risks, and be comfortable being uncomfortable. To those of you grinding to break into this industry: It’s not an easy path, but it’s a path worth taking. The world needs more voices from diverse backgrounds in tech. Keep pushing. Your voice, your experience, and your perspective matter. You got this. 🚀 #BreakIntoTech #NonTraditionalLearners #TechCareers #DiversityInTech #Resilience #TechJourney

Happy International Women in Engineering Day! 👩🏻🔧 "In this op-ed for The Manufacturer, Jennifer Frith, factory development director at critical power solutions provider Davenham Switchgear, explores why, despite ongoing efforts, women remain significantly underrepresented in engineering and technology, and addressing this gap is crucial not only for fairness but also for tackling talent shortages, driving innovation, and ensuring long-term resilience in the sector. The impact of poor diversity levels goes far beyond being a social issue. A more diverse workforce will offer a wider range of perspectives; something advantageous when it comes to solving business problems. So much so, that research by McKinsey has found that companies with more diversity at executive levels were 40% more likely to surpass their competitors in terms of profitability. Coupled with the fact that hiring in STEM has become more difficult than ever – with almost half (49%) of engineering and technology companies struggling to recruit due to skills shortages – boosting diversity and ensuring fair opportunities within the sector shouldn’t be a one-off event. Rather, it needs to be part of a wider, long-term strategy to drive innovation and stability. Despite this clear need for change, there’s still a number of barriers in the way to the industry achieving a truly diverse workforce. Challenging career pathways: Firstly, I think the idea of career pathways and the perceived need to have a science or engineering background to succeed in the industry holds people back. But that shouldn’t be the case. I’m proof that a career in STEM doesn’t have to follow the ‘expected’, or linear, route. I began by studying media and photography at university before I took up a part-time job as an operator on the shop floor to earn some money. I ended up staying, working my way up to becoming a team leader and then to production manager, looking after a team of 150. I later had the opportunity to undertake further training in management and lean manufacturing strategies, which eventually brought me to my current role as factory development director at Davenham. My position now is more of a coaching role, with the aim of supporting efficient modern-day manufacturing. Essentially, I take my understanding of the manufacturing process to find ways to optimise it, working closely with our team of engineers to make things quicker, easier and safer. It’s probably not what most media and photography graduates end up doing, but my pathway shows that you don’t necessarily need a STEM degree to climb the ladder. It’s important that, as a sector, we broaden our perspectives, especially to plug the recruitment gap. It doesn’t matter where you’ve come from, as long as you’re willing to learn and put in the work." Read more 👉 https://lnkd.in/et-zZVsm #WomenInSTEM #GirlsInSTEM #STEMGems #GiveGirlsRoleModels

7 Steps I Used To Change Careers (From Healthcare To Microsoft) With No Experience: 1. My Pivot Story I started my career in healthcare, working as a medical device sales rep in North Carolina. Two years later, I landed a role in tech sales at Microsoft in New York City. Here are the steps I used to make that career change without any formal tech experience: 2. I Started With Clarity Before I sent out resumes, applied, and networked? I focused on getting crystal clear about the specific types of roles and companies I wanted to work for. Juggling the possibility of multiple job titles and industries is overwhelming and stressful. When you have a single north star, you can invest 100% of your time and energy into it. 3. Then I’d Found People Who’d Done It Before I crafted a list of criteria I wanted for myself: Specific Job Titles Specific Companies Specific Locations Specific Salaries Then I used LinkedIn to find people who met those criteria AND came from a non-traditional background like mine. 4. I Used Those Connections To Craft A Blueprint How do I build the right experience? How do I position my non-traditional background? What mistakes should I avoid? I used the connections I just mentioned to gain clarity on all of those things so I could craft a plan for building the experience I needed to fit the skills and narratives companies would buy into. 5. I Created My Own Experience I wanted to work in advertising technology (think Google Ads, Facebook Ads, etc). Rather than hoping someone would give me a chance to get experience? I went and created my own. I took courses, volunteered my skills for local orgs, then used those success stories to freelance. Employers want results, not education from career changers. 6. I Focused All My Energy On Networking Online apps didn’t work. People would take one look at my resume and not see any traditional experience. When I networked with people? I could have a conversation with them. I could tell my story in my own words. And I could prove my value as the relationship built. That generated referrals and advocates. 7. I Used My Background As An Advantage Sounds crazy, right? Most applicants had cookie cutter backgrounds. I told a story of how I had to learn this all myself, from scratch. I’d bring a new perspective, new takes, and new ideas to a take vs. simply adding someone with the same thought process as everyone else. That’s got buy in from a lot of stakeholders. 8. I Created Projects To Prove My Value When I landed interviews? I’d brainstorm ideas for how I could impact those and package them in a 5–7 slide deck that matched the company’s branding. I’d send it to my interviewers as proof of the ideas I could bring. Showing them > telling them. —— ➕ Follow Austin Belcak for more 🔵 Ready to land your dream job? Click here to learn more about how we help people land amazing jobs in ~3.5 months with a $44k raise: https://lnkd.in/gdysHr-r

Career change does not mean starting over. You are not behind. You are not broken. You are not too late. If you build the right skills — you can pivot into tech. I’ve helped non-technical professionals land data roles at Microsoft, Roku, and Zendesk. Without computer science degrees, bootcamps, or coding backgrounds. Whenever I coach career changers, I teach them this: Your past experience only matters if you know how to make it matter. Here’s the exact 4-step framework I give every student: Build top 10% skills — and have proof through projects, not just words. Translate your past experience to align with your target roles. Emphasize your ability to lead and work independently. Highlight soft skills that actually get noticed by recruiters. Because tech doesn’t reward the most “qualified.” It rewards those who can clearly communicate their value. Were you a teacher? You already know how to break down complex topics. An Uber driver? You understand logistics, service, and decision-making under pressure. A nurse? You lead under stress, collaborate across teams, and handle mission-critical situations. This is not about starting over. It’s about reframing what you’ve already done. And if you follow the right framework, you will stand out. Thinking about making a career switch? Comment “SWITCH” and I’ll send you the roadmap I use with my private students.

The current market gave me flashbacks to my early days as a physical therapy aide… I loved the work, the connections, the impact. But when I expressed interest in pursuing a Master’s in PT, the other therapists told me, “Don’t do it.” 😬 The market was flooded, jobs were scarce, and the prospect of paying back grad school debt? Not good. 👎🏽 They weren’t trying to crush my dreams. They were giving me the insight I needed to pivot. So, I ask…are we doing the same in UX? 🤔 I see talented professionals stuck, looking for "the next" or "the right" opportunity. They need the wisdom of seasoned professionals to help them architect a new career path using their UX superpowers. I’ve met many of you who have degrees, expertise, and skills in totally different industries. Strategies on how to use your UX skills in creative ways might include selling yourself as the next [insert non-traditional UX role], where you can: 1️⃣ Apply user research, task analysis, and journey mapping to improve… 2️⃣Bring a systems-thinking approach to tackle the root inefficiencies in… 3️⃣Leverage a human-centered approach that uncovers why employees struggle with… The point? UX skills are versatile, valuable, and not confined to traditional roles. You may have expertise or experience in other areas or industries. Use those to get your foot in the door and leverage your 💡UX skills as differentiation. 💡 #humanfactors #findyourpurpose #uxisversatile

My secret weapon when I pivoted from to tech from a non-tech background: Emphasizing my transferable skills. Here's how to leverage them the right way to land the job of your dreams: 1/ 𝗟𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 ↳ Review all your work, volunteer activities, education, and personal projects. Don't just focus on job titles - think about what you actually did day-to-day. 2/ 𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 ↳ For each role or experience, identify specific tasks you performed and results you achieved. Ask yourself: What problems did I solve? How did I communicate? What did I manage or organize? 3/ 𝗖𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀 ↳ Group them into categories like communication, leadership, problem-solving, technical abilities, project management, or analytical thinking. These broader categories usually apply across industries. 4/ 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗼 𝗷𝗼𝗯 𝗿𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 ↳ Analyze relevant job postings and map them to the categories from step 3, even if you used them in different contexts. 5/ 𝗨𝘀𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀 ↳ When you identify a transferable skill, prepare specific stories that demonstrate it. Quantify your impact when possible - numbers make your experience more compelling. ♻️ Reshare this post for an aspiring career switcher and follow Megan Lieu for more!