DEV Community

Cover image for Why would you get started in tech?
Audrey Mengue
Audrey Mengue

Posted on

Why would you get started in tech?

Photo by David Iskander on Unsplash

There is a big trend out there saying that Tech is the new gold therefore everybody wants to dig some of it and that’s fair, honestly. But why am I writing this article in the first place? Because I like gold very much 🙂. I said it’s fair so allow me to dig some too. Lol. This isn’t the reason for this article. The real reason is that gold is hard to get. But somehow the overwhelming amount of information on the internet makes it seem like it's easy to build a successful career in tech and, I am writing this article to tell you that building a successful career in tech can be easy and hard at the same time. But let me explain.
Tech is hard if we don’t know why we started in the first place but pretty manageable when we know exactly why. So let’s answer why you would start in the first place? I will go first.

Out of University I didn't know what to do with my life anyways. I knew I was going to succeed at some point but I wasn't concerned with “how” I was going to make it happen. So I looked at the trend and I saw that there was a light at the end of the tunnel of my distraction and that light was Tech. A career in tech sounded like something that was meant for me so I went for it. I gave up on hanging out with friends and substituted it with volunteering at tech events and most importantly, giving up on my shyness. I became more and more open to making new friends and creating a professional network instead of growing my fun network. It felt different, it felt refreshing. But that doesn't answer the question, does it?

But there was a gotcha that I didn’t see coming. Just keep on reading 🙂;
So I saw the light at the end of the tunnel and started in tech as a Data Center intern because I just wanted to get started but I didn’t know how or what was out there or what choices I had… I just wanted to start and I started. My internship lasted 3 months and it was amazing. I learned how cool it was to be in the environment and how friendly the people are and I wanted more… After the internship I joined a training program to become a Data Scientist and I got in too and was given an offer to teach Data Science and it was again amazing. But I had bills and after 3 months I left that job and started learning Software Engineering on my own because I could see the potential for me. After four months I was able to learn enough and landed a job as a Software Engineer. There you have it, I started in tech to get financially stable. And, I am happy I did.

But that's not all. I learned something about that journey and that thing is “money isn’t everything” because you can get a well paying job and work in a team that doesn’t support you or have a boss who doesn’t see the potential in you, or seniors who aren’t concerned with your growth and so many other things. And these factors, my friends, make that money lose its taste. So be wise and think it through.

Now that you know why I started it’s your turn, why would you start a career in Tech? And whichever answer you have, just know that they are valid and you definitely got this.

Top comments (0)