In the modern world, almost everything we do is driven by technology - from national security to how we do our weekly grocery shop, and our techy universe is powered by millions of professionals worldwide. Much more than just coding, the range of jobs available within the technology industry is wide and diverse and, in many cases, extremely lucrative.
In the tech industry, the demand for skilled people is growing by the day - offering a stream of new opportunities for techy talent. From software developers to data scientists, companies are continually looking for staff who can innovate and solve tricky challenges. Sounds good, eh? So, how do you get started?
Whether you’re just leaving high school or a professional looking to switch lanes, the technology industry requires skills, creativity and connections and, in this article, we’re looking at how enrolling with a college or
programming academy will help you to super-charge your skills and dramatically enhance your prospects of bagging a role in this exciting sector.
Crunching the Numbers of Growing Tech Demand
While technology has always been important to businesses, today it’s vital. Organisations across the world are scrambling to get on board with the latest innovations such as AI, cloud computing and blockchain and they’re ready and willing to pay handsomely for the right talent to get them there. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the technology employment sector is all set to grow by 15% by 2030; much faster than other sectors (and this is probably only a conservative estimate). All of this means that skilled programmers and tech-savvy professionals are now the rock stars of the business world.
If you’re looking to break into tech, a traditional college education isn’t always a good investment. As well as struggling to keep pace with fast- paced changes, these courses will tend to be overly focused on theory rather than the real, hands-on skills that you need for a role in this sector. Because of this, many people instead choose a dedicated programming academy which can help to bridge the gap between a solid educational foundation and industry needs.
Why Choose a Specialist Facility?
Unlike a generic college course, these facilities are tailored to the requirements of tech employers which for tech students is, of course, the entire point. In this section, we’re looking at some really good reasons for choosing this path as your next step toward your career in technology:
Practical skills for the working world
We’re not saying that learning theory doesn’t have its place; however, in this industry,
practical code training is so much more valuable. Here, the emphasis is on hands-on-training, real-world projects and up-to-date curricula, allowing students to actively apply concepts as they would in a professional role - not just read about them.
These courses cover everything, whether it’s building a full-stack web application or writing code in Python for data analysis. They give you a solid foundation for your new career.
Changing lanes
These days, tech jobs are not just for those who started out in computer science. Many people from industries such as finance, marketing and even teaching are now choosing to change careers and reap the benefits of the tech industry and these courses can help you to do just that - even with no prior experience.
Flexible learning options
So, all this sounds great - but what if you need to earn a living while you're learning? The great news is that you don’t necessarily have to throw yourself into a full-time course to get the skills you need. There are lots of options available to learners including part-time and online learning platforms - meaning that you can get the skills you need wherever you might live and whatever your current circumstances may be.
Key Benefits of an Academy Education
An academy education is an investment in your future.
It brings with it a whole load of benefits including:
Real-world experience - Instead of listening to lectures or reading from theoretical textbooks, you’ll be getting involved with practical projects and working with your peers in real-life conditions so you can build your portfolio … and gain tangible proof of your skills.
Networking and career support - This type of course doesn’t just arm you with skills, it also gives you
access to valuable industry connections. As well as offering career support, lots of academies partner with technology employers - giving you some great opportunities for internships and job openings.
Lifelong learning - Unlike some other industries, technology moves at lightning speed and this type of education offers ongoing training via workshops, extended resources and discounts on training updates to make sure you stay on top of your game.
Success in practice
We’ve already mentioned that this type of training is all about real life, not just theory, so here’s a couple of examples of previous students:
- Samantha R left her retail job with no coding experience and enrolled in a web development bootcamp. On graduating, she landed a role as a junior developer at a major e-commerce firm: she’s now living her best life as a front-end website specialist.
- Daniel M decided to cash in his career as an accountant for a new path in data analytics. He gained a bunch of new skills in a data science program and now heads up his own data analytics team.
Samantha and Daniel are just a couple of examples of how possible it is to get into the technology industry without previous relevant experience.
Is It Right for You?
As great as an academy education is, it may not be for everyone so before you enroll, the following questions will help you to decide if it’s going to be a good fit:
Check out the curriculum -Â Does it focus on the latest tools and languages? Does it cover all the skills you need for your chosen career?
Who are the instructors? -Â Do they have real-world working experience in the industry? What kind of experience do they have?
Will I get career support? - What you’re looking for here is placement rates, strong employer networks and job coaching as these are all part and parcel of moving from education to a real-life role in the tech industry.
Can I see reviews and testimonials? - These should be readily available on any reputable facility’s website and will tell you a lot about what you can expect from the course.
You’ll also want to think about the practical aspects of a course such as location, price and options available such as part-time or online learning.
Tech’ing Control of Your Future
A specialist technology education is so much more than a piece of paper gained on graduation. It's an investment in your future through practical training, industry connections and career support - all the things you need to launch yourself into this exciting sector and to thrive once you get there.
If you'd like to learn more about what we provide, why not take a look at how we can help?
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