If you’re thinking about breaking into tech but haven’t yet made the jump, something in your mind is stopping you. You probably think you have to code. Or maybe you think working in a no-code role at a tech company doesn’t have value. I’m happy to say that both assumptions are wrong.
Coding is one of many job functions that exist at tech companies. More than 50% of opportunities in the tech industry require zero coding skills. If you’re interested in working in this industry but feel thrown off by the technicalities you think exist within tech companies, don’t be.
Lucky for you, companies need to do more than program, but also sell, market, product manage, and operate their businesses. Here’s where some of your strengths and interests may come into play.
It’s unfortunate that so many people think they have to sacrifice their passions and interests in order to work at a tech company. What’s worse are those who put their misguided beliefs into action, seeing coding as their only path to tech industry success, even if this is a skill that’s uninspiring to them or simply a bad fit.
If you’re a strong writer, your skills and interests would probably be better suited coming up with creative marketing campaigns to inspire potential buyers, rather than computing lines of code.
If you’re a talkative, people-person who loves relationship-building, listening to people, and answering their questions, a sales position seems like the most valuable one for you.
You may think that the hierarchy of roles in a tech organization is led by programming roles. While these roles are important for engineering purposes, remember, over half of job opportunities require no tech skills.
No-code roles should not be labeled as having low value in comparison to their technical counterparts. There are plenty of high-growth no code jobs that offer competitive salaries and benefits. Examples of in-demand tech jobs that don’t rely on coding skills, to name a few, include:
The reason so many no-code, high growth roles in tech exist is because they truly make a company function. Building a technical product to improve the lives of users is one feat. Utilizing marketing, sales, operations, and product management in order to ensure a company reaps success from that product is another. A critical position in one of these four core business roles could be yours!
Having a limited technical background or interest level doesn’t have to limit your desire and ability to amplify the work of a tech-driven solution. In fact, working in a no-code role in the tech industry can give you the best of both worlds.
You’ll have the opportunity to work on behalf of an organization and mission that you believe in, while still being able to advance your (non technical) skills and interests.
Let’s say you’re interested in working for a company like Twitter. Drawn to the mega platform’s ability to give everyone a public voice, you want to play a role in contributing to the company’s continued popularity and success.
However, engineering isn’t your thing and you’re not motivated to document coding processes or fix bug issues in Twitter’s software. Instead, you get excited about big picture management and optimizing all the processes that get things done for a company. For this reason, an operations role could be a great fit—and very necessary to keep a large company like Twitter operating smoothly.
There are so many creative ways to link no code roles to your skills and interests.
Once you realize the breadth and depth of no-code roles that exist, your next hurdle is figuring out how to connect your strengths and interests to the four core business roles.
You can get more knowledge on an individual level by reaching out to someone you know or making a cold outreach to someone you don’t. If you want to accelerate your knowledge in a structured environment where you can learn from industry experts, get hands-on practice, and develop a network of peers looking to make the same move, consider enrolling in a tech accelerator program. You could be just one program away from finding the no-code role you’ll thrive in!
