Today, the technology industry is not just for recent graduates. If you are in your 30s or 40s and want to shift into a tech career, then this is absolutely possible. Yes, it will take some hard work, but if you have the right mindset and you adopt the right approach, then you can become a successful tech professional. In this article, we will see how you can enter the tech industry in your 30s or 40s.
Understanding the Tech Industry
First of all, you have to understand that the tech industry is not limited to just coding, but there are many other things to do. The Tech has multiple roles, like:
- Software Development (Web Development, App Development, etc.)
- UI/UX Designing
- Cybersecurity
- Data Analysis & Data Science
- Project Management
- Digital Marketing
- Technical Writing
- Cloud Computing & DevOps
- Product Management
This means that even if you don’t like coding, there are options available for you too. You just have to pick the right role according to your strengths and interests.
Identify your strengths
If you come from a non-tech field, think about what transferable skills you have that could help you in the tech world. For example:
- Problem-Solving Skills (Who is useful in any job)
- Communication & Collaboration (if you are in management or customer-facing roles)
- Analytical Thinking (which is important for data-related jobs)
- Creativity & Design Thinking (which is used in UI/UX and Product Management)
You can look at your past experience from a new angle and think about which tech roles these skills might be useful in.
Develop a new skill set
If you are completely new to tech, then you will have to learn those skills. In today’s time, online learning platforms are quite accessible for most people:
- Learning Coding: FreeCodeCamp, Codecademy, Coursera, Udacity
- Data Science & Analytics: Kaggle, DataCamp, Google Analytics Academy
- UI/UX Designing: Udemy, Figma tutorials, Interaction Design Foundation
- Project Management: PMI, LinkedIn Learning, Scrum & Agile Certifications
- Cybersecurity: Cybrary, EC-Council Courses
- Cloud Computing: AWS Training, Microsoft Learn
If you feel that you need a structured path, then you can join bootcamps:
- Lambda School (Software Development)
- Springboard (Data Science & UI/UX)
- General Assembly (Multiple Tech Fields)
- Google Career Certificates (IT Support, UX Design, Data Analytics)
Get Real-World Experience
Just theoretical knowledge will not help you, but you will have to work on projects so that your practical skills improve. How is this possible? Well, you can use the following platforms to get projects:
- freelancing career (on platforms like Fiverr, Upwork)
- Contribute to Open Source Projects(On GitHub)
- Try Internships or Entry-level jobs
- Participate in hackathons and coding competitions
If you are already in an industry, you can try to contribute to a tech-related project in your company.
Make Resume & LinkedIn Profile Strong
When you enter a new field, you have to update your LinkedIn profile as well as your resume. Try these:
- Highlight your new skills and projects in your resume.
- Be active on LinkedIn and connect with tech professionals.
- Share about your learnings and projects on LinkedIn.
- You can put the links of your LinkedIn and GitHub profiles in your resume.
- Use action words “Developed”, “Implemented”, “Analyzed” in your resume.
Using the Power of Networking
If you want a job, networking is very important. You need to make good relationships with people related to the tech field. You can do this:
- Attend Meetups and Conferences (Like Google Developer Groups, AWS Summit, etc.)
- Join Tech Forums like StackOverflow or Reddit.
- Connect with recruiters and industry professionals on LinkedIn.
- Get involved in local tech communities.
- Join Twitter and Discord channels that are related to the tech industry.
Many times, we get a job through referrals, without any tough competition. Otherwise, we have to try and face rejections. And some people get disappointed with the rejection and stop trying. So, it is better to use the power of networking.
Try to Get an Entry-Level Job or Internship
Once you have skills and you have created projects, you should try to get an entry-level job or internship. Many companies hire freshers or career switchers.
You can use these job portals:
- LinkedIn Jobs
- AngelList (for startups)
- Glassdoor
- Indeed
- Turing (Remote tech jobs)
- We Work Remotely (for remote tech jobs)
You can personalize your job applications and put effort into writing your cover letter.
Continuous Learning
Tech is a rapidly evolving field, so you need to adopt the mindset of continuous learning. You always need to be updated with new trends.
- Stay updated with new technologies and trends.
- Watch blogs and YouTube tutorials regularly.
- Keep getting certifications or short courses.
- Try reading and writing tech articles on platforms like Medium, Dev.to and Hashnode.
- You can keep learning with new projects and frameworks from open-source contributions.
If you remain consistent, you can start a strong tech career in 6-12 months for sure.
Bonus Tips:
- Making Side Projects: If your portfolio is strong, you will get an edge in the interview.
- Practice Mock Interviews: Use InterviewBit, Pramp, and Exponent.
- Use Certifications: Google, AWS, Microsoft, and Coursera certifications are used to be valuable.
- Most Important – Keep Patience. Career switch is a journey that takes time, but if you put effort on a daily basis, then you will achieve success.
Conclusion
Switching tech career in your 30s or 40s absolutely possible. All you need is a clear plan and patience. If you adopt the right approach, you can change your life in just one year. Now decide which tech field you are interested in and start taking action in that direction. In this article, we tried to share the complete path for switching career from any field to the tech field. If you have any queries or suggestions, kindly let us know through the comment box. we will surely get back to you. Thanks for reading this article.