5 Realistic Advice you NEED to Hear when Shifting to Tech

Did you know that almost 90% of Filipinos are open to shifting career paths in order to find a job most suited to them?

And out of the multiple industries in the country, one of the most common sectors that career shifters look towards is the tech industry. As one of the industries continuously growing each year, there is a sea of opportunities that professionals can take. This was highlighted by Refocus, an online education platform, which cites that only 55% of the demand for IT professionals is being met.

If you’re planning to shift to tech, here are 5 realistic pieces of advice you need to hear!

Tip #1: You need to make sure that you find your chosen industry fulfilling.

At the core of every tech company, there is a product or service that you will be selling. In shifting to tech, you must consider which industry you want to enter because you will also be a part of a bigger sector.

You have to believe in the product that you’re working on because this will make you a more effective and productive employee. When you see the value in the service your eventual company will offer, it will be fulfilling for you to go to work each morning.

Tip #2: You need to learn how to be independent.

As a career shifter, you won’t know everything immediately. You’ll start at square one.

It’s important to research and find the right resources to guide you in your new career. Sure, your mentors will guide you. Some companies also have programs where they allot funds to help employees learn certain skills.

However, don’t be overly dependent on your boss to teach you everything. You have to take initiative to learn the skills you don’t have. There are multiple sources you can use to maximize your potential!

READ: Use These FREE Resources to Improve Your Tech Skills

Do note that learning new skills will need your patience and time. Becoming a master of something won’t happen overnight.

Tip #3: You need to be prepared to feel lost at first.

According to a study conducted by Monster, though almost 90% of Filipinos are open to shifting careers industries, 63% of them still have reservations about it. One reason for this is that you will be exposed to different obstacles which can demotivate you.

As a career shifter, you will probably have a lower salary compared to your previous job. This is because you’re going to start fresh as a junior professional first before you rise up the ladder. You’ll also compete with fresh graduates and more experienced career shifters which might make the journey challenging for you.

There’s also the dilemma of needing to catch up with your colleagues. You will need to learn a considerable amount of technical skills in a short amount of time AND in a high-stakes industry. Aside from that, the tech industry is always changing and you will need to learn and relearn various concepts constantly.

Prepare yourself and know that it’s not impossible to succeed.

Tip #4: You need to be resourceful when solving problems.

It’s one thing to be prepared for challenges at work, and it’s another to be comfortable in dealing with them. The tech industry requires its players to deliver quality work in a fast-paced environment while providing solutions to everyday business problems. These problems may be unexpected, which is why you need to learn how to effectively navigate through these difficulties with the right mindset. The right mindset includes having the heart in solving problems.

You will have multiple questions about the different tasks assigned to you. Before you even ask your supervisors how to solve these problems, do your homework. There are probably other resources where you can find the answers to your questions! Instead of simply giving up since you’re unfamiliar with the task, try to tackle it yourself.

Tip #5: You need to set a time for rest.

The last piece of advice that you need to hear is that you have to rest. The industry is already hard and exhausting enough, what more if you work with no sleep?

Sleep is something that is non-negotiable, but sometimes we need the reminder that we have to take care of ourselves.

Are you afraid that you might miss deadlines when you rest? Without sleep, you wouldn’t be effective and productive anyway! It’s scientifically proven that the lack of sleep results in lesser brain function. According to John Hopkins, the lack of sleep also exposes you to more health risks such as depression and the worsening of migraines.

To help you stay in optimal shape to advance in your new industry, make sure to rest.

Overall, these are the different pieces of advice you need to hear in shifting to tech. These will hopefully help you when you eventually take the chance and change career paths!

However, note that this article was not written to scare you. It’s just at certain times, we need reality checks.

Sure, the prospects of shifting to a new industry are great. There might be opportunities in store for you that will help you to become the best you can be, but we shouldn’t dive into those opportunities without taking into consideration the different hurdles we will face.

If this article helped you, feel free to follow Kalibrr on social media for more career advice and tips!

Kalibrr is a recruitment technology company that aims to transform how candidates find jobs and how companies hire talent. Placing the candidate experience at the center of everything it does, we continue to attract the best talent from all over, with more than 5.5 million professionals and counting. Kalibrr ultimately connects these talents to companies in search of their next generation of leaders.

The only end-to-end recruitment solutions provider in Southeast Asia, Kalibrr is headquartered in Makati, Philippines, with offices in San Francisco, California, and Jakarta, Indonesia. Established in 2012, it has served over 18,000 clients and is backed by some of the world’s most powerful start-up incubators and venture capitalists. These include Y Combinator, Omidyar Network, Patamar Capital, Wavemaker Partners, and Kickstart Ventures.

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