First of all,
You firstly need to understand that tech is not difficult.
Okay, maybe that’s a stretch. It’s not always a walk in the park but it is doable. Once you convince yourself of that, you’re good to go.
Done? Ready?
Let’s begin, shall we?
1.Non-Coding Techie
Not every digital career requires coding. Knowledge of coding is relevant and is a plus for ANY job role. However, if coding is not something you are overly excited about, you can still have a successful career in the digital space. Fields such as product management, project management and even UI roles don’t require one to be an active coder.
2.Seek Mentorship
Believe it or not, you cannot do it alone. Well, technically, you can but that’s a waste of time and effort. Make sure you take advantage of all the connections you have. Everyone you know who’s a more experienced techie than you are is an invaluable resource. When you hit a roadblock, quickly google the issue(no shame here!) check your notes and books. If after 3 hours of mulling over a block of code, you’ve made zero progress, reach out to people for help. It doesn’t make you weaker; only smarter.
3. Learn With Your Hands
I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand. — Confucius
Never learn a concept with just your head. Always find a way to make use of new knowledge. Use it to build a project; test the things you think you know. The knowledge gleaned from hearing about concepts is significantly inferior to the knowledge gotten from working on a project with the same skillset. If ever in doubt, google will be there for you. Just search, for example, “projects I can do with basic HTML”. It’d also be advisable to have your mentor give you projects so they can monitor your progress.
4. Learners Learn
I hate to break it to you but if you're a learner, then your job is to learn. This is especially important in a fast-growing field like tech. Decide to invest time and effort into your tech journey. Read books and blogs, listen to podcasts, watch videos and intentionally expose yourself to techy spaces. The more you interact with the world of devs and technology, the more sense it makes to you.
And finally,
5. We Don’t Give Up Over Here!
If this is the path that you’d decided to take, give it your all. Don’t back out when things get tough. Buckle down and take the challenges head-on! You don’t get to give up unless you have 10,000 hours of practice under your belt. And I can assure you that by the time you secure 10,000 hours of practice, you’ll be in too deep to consider giving up.
Now that I’ve equipped you for the journey, buckle up, enjoy the ride and make some dreams come true!
