Whenever people think of the tech industry or working in tech, the most prevalent role that comes to mind is a programmer, and mostly a hacker. I can't blame you, that was my first intro to tech.
The movies show us fast-typing people writing green-coloured texts on black screens, who are also- you guessed it, hackers! So we grow up assuming every tech role involves writing code to maybe hack something or manipulate software, but I'd like to demystify that for you.
In the tech industry, we have code and no-code roles.
I prefer classifying them that way compared to technical and non-technical roles, mostly because I believe every tech industry role is technical. Different thought processes to get them done maybe, but they're all technical.
The following paragraphs are me sectioning some of these roles. I'd start with the code roles.
CODE
Software Engineering:
According to Coursera, Software Engineering (abbreviated as SWE or SE) is the branch of computer science that deals with the design, development, testing, and maintenance of software applications. Software engineers apply engineering principles and knowledge of programming languages to build software solutions for end users.
Web Development:
According to Wikipedia, Web development is the work involved in developing a website for the Internet (World Wide Web) or an intranet (a private network). Web development can range from developing a simple single static page of plain text to complex web applications, electronic businesses, and social network services. Web development is mostly divided into two:
- Frontend Development: This is the part of the web that deals with user interaction. Front-end web development is the development of the graphical user interface of a website, through the use of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, so that users can view and interact with that website.
- Backend Development: This part of tech means working on server-side software, which focuses on everything you can’t see on a website. Back-end developers ensure the website performs correctly, focusing on databases, back-end logic, application programming interface (APIs), architecture, and servers.
Mobile Development:
Mobile developers are a type of software developer. They specialise in mobile technology such as building apps for Google’s Android, Apple’s iOS and Microsoft’s Windows Phone platforms. For this reason job titles for this type of role also include Android developer and iOS developer. Mobile developers learn the programming languages and software development environment for their chosen platform.
There are obviously a lot more code roles available, but these are just a few of the very popular ones. Next, we'd talk about the no-code roles.
NO-CODE
Technical Writing:
If you have a knack for explaining things to the simplest level, you should try out this career path. Technical writing is the process of writing and sharing technical information in a professional setting, and the person who does this is called a technical writer. A technical writer's primary task is to communicate technical information to another person or party in the clearest and most effective manner possible. There are different forms of technical writing, but the most common examples are tutorials, how-tos, installation processes, documentation - internal, external, API documentation, etc.
Product Management:
Product management is the business process of planning, developing, launching, and managing a product or service. It includes the entire lifecycle of a product, from ideation to development to go to market. A product manager is responsible for ensuring that a product meets the needs of its target market and contributes to the business strategy while managing a product or products at all stages of the product lifecycle. They are responsible for managing a company's product line on a day-to-day basis.
Product Design:
Product design is the process and work that designers undergo to blend user needs with business goals to help brands make consistently successful products. It comes in different forms; Experience Designer (XD), Information Architect (IA), User Interface (UI) Designer, User Experience (UX) Designer, etc. Sometimes the job description includes all these roles, and sometimes it requires just a few of them, but in summary, a product designer's role is to make sure that whatever product comes out is effectively researched in the shoes of the user, and would be of utmost benefit to these users.
The above roles are just a few of what to look out for if you decide you want to be in the tech community. It'd be updated at intervals, but until then, good luck on your tech journey ✌️.