15 Non-coding careers in tech you should consider
Often while engaging non-technical folks about considering a career in tech, or enrolling for a tech course as it relates to their current job or profession…their first defense is..’ I can’t code’, ‘I don’t like coding’, ‘Programming is hard’, I didn’t study computer science in the university’…etc. I could empathize with them because the fallacy has been that the tag to be called a techie is to be a Programmer. Thus, the non-coding careers struggle to gain relevance despite their huge demand home and abroad.
Today, anybody can decide to venture into any career in tech without a computer science background. What is required is Interest, willingness to learn, and focus. I will be listing out various non-coding tech careers/courses anybody can venture into and training resources you can enroll in.
- Web analytics specialist
- SEO/SEM Specialist
- Product Manager
- Project Manager
- Business Analyst
- User Experience Designer
- User Interface Designer
- User Experience Researcher
- Software Quality Tester
- Information Architect
- Operations Manager
- System Administrator
- Technical Writer
- Technical Support Specialist
- Software Sales Representative
- Web Analytics Specialist
Web analytics relates to SEO and digital marketing. Specialists focus on site traffic measurement, goal-setting for site elements, user experience visualization through Google Analytics, and site change monitoring with A/B testing.
Web analysis specialists generally work through agencies representing multiple clients, so expect to handle more than one website, depending on the agency’s size and workflow.
2. SEO/SEM Specialist
Search engines still matter, since over six billion searches are made each day. Another one of LinkedIn’s most lucrative skills for 2017, search engine optimization and marketing specialists are responsible for boosting a website’s organic ranking and turning some of those searches into traffic that converts.
3. Product Manager
Paid even more than software engineers in Silicon Valley, product managers (sometimes called product owners) oversee strategy, design, and implementation of the products their companies create.
4. Project Manager
In some ways, this is similar to product management above, but on a smaller scale. Project managers oversee individual projects from the planning stage to execution, with a gift for seeing the big picture as well as the smaller details. They work across teams, pulling together engineers, marketers, product specialists, and more.
5. Business Analyst
Business analysts act as liaisons between developers and customers to translate client requirements into actionable tasks. In short, business analysts are the client-facing side of software development.
6. User Experience Designer
User experience designers (UX) create products with the end-user in mind. Their primary goal is to increase user satisfaction.
The field of UX varies greatly. Some UXers focus on user research exclusively, while others may be more involved with prototyping products.
7. User Interface Designer
Named one of LinkedIn’s most in-demand skills of 2017, user interface design mostly focuses on working with software to create a clear, efficient, and attractive interface for the user. It’s a great tech-career choice for artists or graphic designers.
8. User Experience Researcher
Understanding users through interviews or other methods like card sorting.
UX researcher conducts research and set up the scope of the study according to the research objectives. The outcome of the research is the application of design
9. Software Quality Tester
People in this career are responsible for putting the software through strenuous testing before it hits the market. If you’re good at using software and devising tests to try to break it, you’ll be a good quality tester.
10. Information Architect
Do you ever find yourself clicking around on websites and thinking “this could have been set up so much better”? You might be cut out to be an information architect. Another sub-specialty of design and user experience, this career focuses on optimizing the structure and organization of a website.
11. Operations Manager
Operations managers help keep the company running smoothly. They might coordinate with contractors, organize the supply chain, and make sure that people and equipment make it to where they’re supposed to be.
12. System Administrator
Sysadmins work with the day-to-day operations of a company’s tech needs. They set up computers, back up files, create firewalls, and more. The best system administrators do having some coding ability, but you might be able to learn what’s necessary as you go.
13. Technical Writer
Depending on where you are working, knowing how to program can help you be a better technical writer. However, there’s plenty of technical content to write that has nothing to do with coding, whether it’s manuals, product press releases, or instructions, and use cases.
14. Technical Support Specialist
Most tech support roles involve solving fairly simple problems. Depending on the company, it can require more highly technical troubleshooting, but in most cases, it’s more about your communication skills than anything else.
15. Software Sales Representative
As a field, sales are fast-paced, high-pressure, and very lucrative if you’re good at it and play your cards right. It’s not for everyone, but if you’ve got the right personality and a head for software, there are plenty of bonuses and commissions to be had.
Online Training Resources
- https://www.pluralsight.com/
- https://www.udemy.com/
- https://www.linkedin.com/learning/
- https://www.udacity.com/
- https://www.coursera.org/
- https://utiva.org/academy/
- https://productdive.com/
- Google search & Youtube
Reference
https://www.thebalancecareers.com/coding-free-tech-careers-2071300
