Do you feel discouraged from pursuing a career in tech because you don't know how to code?
Quite frankly, learning to code is hard and not for everyone.
While programming jobs are common, there are also high-paying tech jobs that DON'T require you to code 💃💃💃 .
If you're considering a no-code tech career, this post is for you...keep reading!
The skills needed for some of these roles range from writing to design, user research, people management, etc.
In this article, we'll deep dive into what these roles and highlight:
- Their average annual salary
- The role and job descriptions
- A key success metric
- Useful resources for newbies
- Recommendations for getting a job
Let's do this!
1. User Interface Designer
Average Annual Salary: $64,543
Role & Description
User Interface (UI) Design is one of the fastest-growing career in the tech space. UI designers play an essential role when building any digital product. Lots of companies out there are looking to build their next digital solution and are in need of UI designers.
User Interface (UI) Designers are responsible for creating the visual elements for web applications and websites.
The primary role of a UI designer is to design all the screens users see and interact with. They leverage various visual elements such as icons, colors, buttons, typography, layout, etc.
Here are typical job descriptions of UI designers:
- Execute all visual designs from concept to final hand-off to the engineering team.
- Create prototypes for new product ideas.
- Present and defend designs and key milestone deliverables to peers and executive level stakeholders.
Success Metric
A major success metric for this role is to ensure user interactions are intuitive, delightful, and efficient.
Useful UI Design Resources:
2. User Experience Designer
Average Annual Salary: $74,568
Role & Description
Unlike UI design, User Experience(UX) design is not focused primarily on visuals. It centers on improving the quality of interaction between a user and the product. UX designers carry out detailed user research to ensure a user gets an optimal experience when using the digital product.
Here are typical job descriptions of UX designers:
- Carry out user research
- Consult with clients to understand their goals and explaining research results
- Conduct usability testing
- Create wireframes, storyboards, sitemaps, and screen flows
Success Metric
Customer satisfaction is a great way to measure the quality of the user experience provided by your product.
Useful UX Design Resources:
3. Product Manager
Average Annual Salary: $98,468
Role & Description
Companies stay relevant by creating products that delight users. The core vision of a product manager is to launch features that make users remain happy and satisfied with the product. They define the product vision, understand the business and customer requirements, and work closely with Engineers and Designers to fulfill this vision.
Common job descriptions of Product Managers include:
- Understand and represent user needs.
- Monitor the market and develop competitive analyses.
- Define a vision for a product.
- Prioritize product features and capabilities.
Success Metric
A good way to measure success as a Product Manager is using the customer retention rate of your product.
Useful Product Management Resources:
4. Technical Writer
Average Annual Salary: $61,211
If you love to break complex ideas into easy-to-understand and straightforward content, then Technical Writing is an excellent role for you.
Technical Writers are responsible for creating documentation, instruction manuals, and educational materials. They ensure technical "jargon" is communicated in simple terms to their audience.
Their audience could range from customers, developers, managers, or even technicians.
Common job descriptions of Technical writers include:
- Work with internal teams to obtain an in-depth understanding of the product and the documentation requirements.
- Produce high-quality documentation that meets applicable standards and is appropriate for its intended audience.
- Create tutorials to help end-users use a variety of applications.
Success Metric
You are a successful Technical Writer if you produce content that's easy to understand, engaging, and logically categorized to draw reader interest.
Useful Technical Writing Resources:
- How to learn Technical Writing
- Google Technical Writing Courses
- Technical Writing Channel
- How to Become a Technical Writer
5. Search Engine Optimization Specialist
Average Annual Salary: $54,000
Role & Description
A Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Specialist analyzes, evaluates, and performs changes to websites to optimize search engines. They carry out keyword research to improve website rankings on major search engines, such as Google, Yahoo, and Bing.
Common job descriptions of SEO specialists include:
- Reviewing and analyzing client sites for areas that the SEO can be improved and optimized
- Preparing detailed digital marketing strategy reports
- Identifying powerful keywords to drive the most valuable traffic
Success Metric
You understand SEO strategies and can improve a website's ranking on search engines like Google.
Useful SEO Resources:
- SEO Course for Beginners
- 10 Steps to Become an SEO Expert
- Become an SEO Expert
- How to Become an SEO Expert
Recommendations
Have a Strong Online Portfolio: Most employers will ask for a portfolio. If you're going for a UI/UX role, you can start by creating mock projects for yourself or re-creating your favorite app or website. As time goes on, you gain more skills and could even take on freelance clients. Behance and Dribbble are great places to get inspired and also host your online portfolio.
Have a properly designed Resume: I recommend taking extra care to format your resume correctly; fonts, colors, spacing, etc. In most cases, I've found out that a 2 column resume layout helps to present all your information excellently.
Create/Update your LinkedIn Profile: LinkedIn is a great place to find jobs and connect with other professionals. If you don't already have a LinkedIn profile, you should create a LinkedIn profile before applying to your next role. Ensure you fill all the sections correctly, highlighting your best projects.
Have a blog: This is especially useful if you're looking to become a Technical Writer. Potential employers will ask you about articles you've written in the past. You can host your blog on Medium, Hashnode, or dev.to.
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