Every single modern company has an IT department to automate processes and connect to clients as well as meet their requirements. And even though qualified employees are always needed there, the information technology field is also known for flexibility and willingness to teach those without the required knowledge.
Still, in 2022, a lot of people believe that you need to be a kind of math genius or have several tech degrees to start out in IT. If you are one of them, we suggest that, before giving up on switching to an IT position, you look through the opportunities you have even without a degree.
Technical Writer & Project Manager
Technical writers work with documentation, manuals, and other kinds of instructions users of digital products may need. At the same time, they may deal with developers, too. Depending on what aspect you’re stronger at, you will have to either explain to clients how to use software or describe to the devs what clients want. To become a technical writer, one needs to be good at the languages they will work with and be able to explain complex stuff in simple words and vice versa.
Imagine a student who knows the subject perfectly but has trouble putting the knowledge into words. Or a student who is really into writing but not writing for school subjects. In both cases, the student may ask Essaypro for help and explain what they need to the expert.
The latter should be able to understand and meet not only highly technical instructions but also simple requests like ‘write me a good paper.’ That is a much higher level of proficiency since that same person will later write that paper. Meanwhile, in IT, the responsibilities of explaining and interpreting similar requests are delegated to project managers and technical writers due to voluminous projects and time shortages.
If you’d like to quickly become a sought-after technical writer, you will need knowledge connected to programming languages, software, frameworks, and other tools used in the IT field. Yet, to simply start out in this area, you may have no degree just as well. This is the kind of job companies can hire a trainee for.
First, you will probably have to do all kinds of stuff connected to documents, but eventually, the amount of processed information will take over, and you will start understanding the technical details and code. The same goes for project managers, but they need even less tech knowledge and tend to work with clients closer than technical writers.
QA and/or Software Quality Tester
Testers are known for their aspiration to make a website or software crash so that the discovered fault gets fixed by the developers. The latter are obviously not excited about such ‘breakthroughs,’ yet with the help of experienced testers, the product quality may skyrocket.
Testers are often called quality assurance specialists as well, but the difference is in the skill to write a bit of code to make the computer test the product instead of making manual attempts. The final choice between the two options depends on how far you are willing to go. To become a QA specialist, you will need to learn some basics of coding. But an SQT position will not require anything else other than creativity and perfectionism.
Web Designer
Knowledge of web design is not the least technical kind of knowledge when compared to project management skills, for instance, but in the context of modern trends, it is kind of a piece of cake. Today, many people already know how to use Photoshop, and the rest of the tech skills one needs to develop for a web designer position are mostly theoretical, like studying typography. Working with auxiliary software like Figma will not take a lot of time. So, if you are creative and persistent, and willing to improve your Photoshop skills, consider this field.
Frontend Developer
Now let’s discuss the area of the IT field where you don’t have to be a genius in any STEM subject but have a lot of prospects if you learn at least one programming language. The latter may seem like a lot, but not if you start with JavaScript.
In addition, if you are good at self-discipline, you won’t even have to pass any courses, leave alone earn a degree. Just dig up some websites that will help you learn new stuff or simply get inspiration for your pet projects. The best of those include but are not limited to:
- MDN Web Docs – it actually contains free express courses during which you need to develop small projects with the help of documentation.
- Free Frontend & CodePen – the place where you can find the solutions to custom styling and programming.
- Medium – a digital publishing platform meant for many areas, including IT, that stores explanatory articles on complex notions in programming from experienced specialists.
- Stack Overflow – a forum where you will find answers to the majority of questions you may have.
Backend Developer
Backend development is not as popular as the frontend one when it comes to websites and applications. The thing is, the frontend part clearly shows the progress due to the user interface. Meanwhile, users don’t have to interact with the backend, so it doesn’t have an interface. Yet, it’s no less exciting in any other aspect.
Writing the server part may be more complex, but you don’t have to possess serious tech skills – a programming language and logical thinking will do. The top 3 modern languages that won’t disappear any time soon and can be used for programming the backend part of apps are:
- JavaScript (the Node.js framework in particular)
- Python
- Java
Now, the learning curves of JavaScript and Java are totally different. JavaScript is a newbie-friendly language. One can master it in a year before embarking on the job hunt. With Java, it takes much more effort and time. In addition, you need to know other programming languages to become a good Java developer.
So, Python and JavaScript are the top two languages to choose from if you are not used to working with code or don’t have much tech knowledge. At some point in learning JS, you will need to master the Node.js framework, but it shouldn’t be a problem since the framework is more of enhanced JavaScript.
Of course, you can also opt for PHP as the backend language to study, but the opinions on it among programmers vary. Some labeled it as outdated in 2015, if not earlier. In addition, it’s three times less popular than JavaScript and twice – than Python. So, feel free to go with PHP, but first, make sure there is a job for you out there. For instance, it would be relevant to start learning PHP if you work at a company that needs such specialists urgently and helps employees to switch to other departments.
Scrum Master
Last but not least, a communicative and attentive scrum master is an important asset to any team. A good scrum master is someone who can handle arguments between colleagues, is scrupulous and friendly, and is a pro in time management. Besides holding daily stand-ups and communicating with the team of developers, they organize the working process and, in collaboration with the team lead, delegate assignments for the sake of optimization.
Takeaway
As you can see, only for two of the suggested options is it a must to know how to code. The rest of the job positions are mostly based on one’s ability to communicate, compromise, and create. Such soft skills are needed almost everywhere, irrespective of your job. So, if you already have one and, despite the success, would like to switch to IT, consider the options above!
