The tech industry is huge and continuously growing. It includes a range of sub-industries suited to all interests from video game design to agricultural robotics. Salaries can often be quite high and there can be a lot of room for progression. However, getting one’s foot in the door isn’t always easy - while there are many jobs out there, there are also many candidates looking for a career in tech. So just how do you land a career in tech? Below are just a few tips on how you can stand out to employers.

There are some jobs in tech that are very difficult to land unless you have a degree. Many large IT firms prefer candidates to have IT degrees, while software engineers usually won’t hire any candidates that don’t have software engineering degrees. Sometimes a non-specific degree is enough - some programming companies are happy with a Maths degree, while some digital marketing companies are happy with any degree. Of course, you don’t have to splash out on a university-level education. There are many affordable diplomas offered by companies like Pacific Training that you can study online to give you formal qualifications in areas like social media marketing or web development. Such qualifications are worthwhile obtaining if you want to maximize your chances of breaking into the tech sector. 

A course will give you qualifications that could help you appeal to more employers and it could also give you necessary knowledge to get by within certain niches. However, it’s worth also doing some of your own homework if you want to stand out from the crowd. Books and blogs can be great ways to expand your knowledge. They may even give you the knowledge you need to focus on more niche areas like cloud computing or app development. When reading books, stick to books that are relatively new so that you’re getting information that is still relevant - tech is a very fast-paced industry and a book that is 5 years old could be outdated. Tech blogs are also worth reading. You can find blogs dedicated to all kinds of niches that can provide in-depth guides to subjects ranging from NFTs to 3D Printing. This site Detailed has a guide to some of the best tech blogs. 

Learning a programming language can help in many tech careers from web development to cybersecurity. Even in many tech careers that don’t directly use coding, it could be a way to make your resume stand out. Some of the most useful and popular languages to learn include Python, Java, Javascript and C#. There are courses, books and apps that you can use to learn to code. At the very least, it can be beneficial to learn a bit of HTML. This is a markup language used on websites that is the most basic form of coding. Even in careers such as blogging, HTML can come in handy when it comes to embedding media or adding plug-ins. 

If you’re hoping to get into web design, building your own website could be a good way to show off your web development/design skills. If you want to get into graphic design, you could consider building a site using a platform like Wix and then using it to show off your design or animation skills. If you want to get into back end development, it could be worth building a site from scratch to show off your development skills. On top of showing off your skills in action, a website could act as a portfolio, possibly containing images, links and descriptions of other projects you’ve done. You could even use it as a platform to promote your own freelance services - you could plan to launch your own freelance career or business, or you could simply building some freelance experience to appeal more to an employer. 

If you want to get into digital marketing, starting a blog or vlog is one of the best things you can do. A blog or vlog can be a way of showing off your content marketing skills. You can also use such a platform to practice social media marketing, SEO or PPC advertising skills. WordPress is one of the most popular blogging platforms, while YouTube is the most popular vlogging platform. A blog or vlog could also benefit you when trying to break into other tech careers by giving you a platform to show off your knowledge. Blog posts or videos could be used to offer news and advice on topics related to your target niche - whether that be cryptocurrency or cloud computing. Running a blog/vlog also shows that you’re passionate about that topic and you may even be able to show employers that you’re an influencer in your field. 

If you’re looking to get into software design or web design, you should consider contributing to an open source project. There are large companies out there using the likes of Github to create open source projects - contributors that are able to impress these companies can sometimes be recruited as employers. Even if you don’t get a job directly through an open source project, it could be a great way of building experience. It could be a great way to learn how to code within a team, while getting feedback for your work. You can then tell any potential employers about your contribution. 

There are many tech events out there such as hackathons and tech trade shows that can serve as great networking events. You may be able to meet people who have connections within certain tech companies. Job fairs are the most obvious event for helping you to land a job. Look out for tech job fairs in your area.

Voluntary experience working for a tech company will look good on your resume. A voluntary position may even lead to a paid position if you’re able to impress an employer. You’ll find lots of voluntary positions advertised online - however, you may be able to simply land a voluntary position simply by reaching out to companies. This could include a day of voluntary work per week while at college or possibly a week of work shadowing. You could also consider volunteering your services as a freelancer. You may be able to help friends and family with projects such as designing a website. Alternatively, you could try reaching out to local companies. Such experience could allow you to become a paid freelancer or it could be experience to show to an employer.