I don’t know if this is just me or the people around me, but for the majority of people, the moment they show any interest in technology or anything IT/computer-related — the first thing they’re told to learn is web development.
“Learn to code.”
“Learn to build websites”
“Learn this.”
“Learn that.”
(In my opinion, we already have too many websites on the internet)
I remember when I was in SS2, SS3 or Grade 11, Grade 12.
Back then, I loved building stuff (not coding yet, we are getting to that part).
I loved playing with electronics. I always had a battery in my bag — a 9-volt battery — and I always had light bulbs (small LED's not the one in your house). As crazy as this sounds, I even had a small solar panel in my backpack that I would carry to school and use to power the bulbs during lunchtime.
So while everyone was playing or probably talking to their potential wives, I was the nerd sitting at the back, playing with my solar panel and trying to power (it was more fun that you think, trust me).
But here’s the interesting part.
Whenever I expressed my love for tech and programming, the first thing everyone recommended to me was:
“Learn to code.”
Everybody had an opinion on what I should learn.
But one thing I later realized?
Nobody told me to research.
And I feel like that’s one of the reasons I had a lot of "discoveries" in my past few years in tech. It’s been a unique journey, but I strongly believe this applies to a majority of people.
Research First — Not Code First
The moment you realize you have an interest in tech, the first thing you should do is research.
Tech is a very vast field — and every single day, it’s getting even broader.
It’s so wide that you can’t realistically list all the roles that exist in tech.
It wasn’t until a few years ago that I even discovered what product management was. That alone shows how deep this field goes.
And the truth is:
You can’t just pick the most popular path and run with it.
There are very niche tech roles and career paths that pay extremely well, such as:
DevRel (Developer Relations)
DevOps Engineering
Site Reliability Engineering (SRE)
Solutions Architecture
Technical Product Management
Security Engineering
Machine Learning Engineering
…and many more.
There’s a Tech Role for Every Personality
One thing I strongly believe is this:
There is a tech role for every personality.
Based on who you naturally are, there is likely a place for you in tech.
If you’re someone who overthinks — there’s a role for you.
If you deal with anxiety — there’s a role for you.
If you have OCD and love overplanning — there’s a role for you.
If you like things fast and hate wasting time — there’s a role for you.
If you simply love money (let’s be honest, don't we all) — there’s a role for you too.
The key is this:
👉 Research based on what you love
👉 Research based on your personality
👉 Research based on what you’re capable of doing
Notice I didn’t just say what you like doing.
Because sometimes, what you like doing may not make you money — but what you’re capable of doing might.
Final Thoughts
Okay… I think that’s enough wisdom I’ve dropped for one day 😌
Thank you very much for reading.
I’m open to feedback — let me know what you think.
And yeah… I feel like I’m low-key getting better at this writing thing.
Have an amazing day (or night, wherever you’re reading from)
Top comments (1)
Nice write up