Not ‘Tech Literate?’ Think Again
By Elijah Thomas
Everyone knows someone who claims to be computer illiterate. But that self-designation pops up less often as technology has crept into almost every aspect of our lives, from laptops to tablets, smartphones to voice assistants.
It’s now hard to find anyone who gets along without the support of some sort of technology.
For those considering a career path, retraining or a transition into tech jobs, claiming you’re not a tech person is becoming irrelevant. The entry bar is surprisingly low and the training and skills more accessible and affordable than ever before at trade schools and community colleges.
The huge growth statistics and attractive salaries are drawing more people into the field who once identified as being a non-tech person. What they soon figure out is that technology isn’t a total mystery and that many of the skills necessary to enter the field can be learned on the job. That latter feature is a cornerstone of the tech field, an industry that boasts of its collaborative approach to learning.
If you can think quickly, creatively and critically — skills that are required and valued in almost every business — the tech field is wide open. And while many positions require advanced degrees and a mix of aptitude, background and experience, just as many are open to entry-level candidates.
Technology also rescues its workers from being lost in the company, becoming another cog in the machine or just a number, complaints many a worker has echoed from cubicles in almost every industry for the past century. Working in tech guarantees you’ll impact the lives of millions in the development of products and solutions in a relatively brief amount of time. Such revelations have an enormous effect on career satisfaction.
So what if you’re not a tech person or you (wrongly) feel the field is only for millennials? The latter is only true to the extent that younger people grew up with much of the technology we now take for granted and are naturally attracted to jobs and careers in the sector, just as previous generations followed their parents into factories and offices.
Experience and skills can be gained, and tech companies are often just as focused on potential and raw talent. The only barriers are curiosity, a thirst for learning and hard work — and those hurdles can be surmounted by almost everyone, even the most non-tech among us.
