When transitioning into Tech, it is advisable to learn from those who are advanced in their various Tech careers. In this article, I will be sharing the key lessons I learnt from Yewande Odumosu's (An Angel Investor and the Founder of Startup Plug) webinar on "Designing a Tech Career Roadmap"and how I intend to apply them.

What I learnt from the "Designing a Tech Career Roadmap" webinar.

• Self awareness: It is very important to know who you are and what resonates with you. Will I thrive in a developer role or a non developer role? What are my likes and dislikes? What motivates me the most? What do my peers say I'm good at?Or should I just explore my options to see which one resonates with me? These are the kind of questions you need to ask yourself before choosing a Tech career path.

• Skills are transferable: It is easy to dismiss or underestimate the skills you already have when transitioning into Tech. There are various skills from your current industry that are relevant in the Tech space. A report by Mckinsey and Company in 2018 discovered that the need for transferable skills will increase markedly in the next decade, while the need for repetitive and manual task will decrease. Identifying and continually developing those skills will give you an edge in your Tech journey.

• Tech Careers do not have to be linear: It is okay not to have a linear Tech career roadmap. I may have a non linear career roadmap as I transition to Tech. The results from a poll in Yewande's webinar showed that 67% of the attendees would likely have a non linear Tech career roadmap as well. But if you want to have a linear Tech career roadmap, then that is fine too.

How I intend to apply these lessons.

• As I do not have a clear path yet. I will keep asking myself the right questions in order to be self aware. I have come to realize that knowing what resonates with me is the first and most essential part of my Tech career roadmap.

• By continually developing my transferable skills. As someone who taught Computer Studies in a secondary school, I learnt how to plan lessons and present them in such a way that students from different ICT backgrounds or levels of exposure will understand. The ability to adapt in different situations and environment is also a skill that can be transferred in to my Tech Career.

• Keeping an open mind and exploring my initial curiosity (Backend Development) till I know if it's something I really want to do because as a person my interests, likes and even dislikes might change as I grow. I know, you are probably thinking that it might take me a while to figure that out. But, Yewande (2022) said "There is no right or wrong roadmap . The important thing is understanding that the roadmap is mainly about you, the opportunities you get and how prepared you are for those opportunities".

How would you design your Tech career roadmap? Please leave a comment and click the like button if you enjoyed reading this article.

Credit: McKinsey and Company (2018, May 23). Skill Shift: Automation and the future of the workforce. Retrieved from mckinsey.com/featured-insights/future-of-wo.. Accessed October 14, 2022.

Odumosu ,Y [Treford]. (2022, January 29). Designing a Tech Career Roadmap [Video]. YouTube. youtu.be/EZ6oX7HvAHA