4 answers
Wood
Student
1
Question
4 answers
Josh Medi
Sales Development Manager
1
Answer
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Updated
Josh’s Answer
Hi! I work for a software/tech company and I work in Sales Development and Marketing as a team lead/manager.
Transitioning into tech might seem like a big leap, but it’s often more about reframing your current skills than starting from scratch. My own journey has been grounded in leveraging my background in client development, sales strategy, and leadership to excel in roles that bridge business and technology. For example, my experience mentoring teams, analyzing data to refine strategies, and collaborating across departments (marketing, product, and customer success) directly prepared me for roles requiring cross-functional alignment and strategic thinking in tech. Many of these skills—like building trust with clients, managing pipelines, and training teams—translate seamlessly into positions like customer success management, sales engineering, or product management.
I started out working at a suit shop and then was able to latch on to an opportunity as an SDR (Sales Development Rep. They're also sometimes called BDRs). I didn't need a ton of previous experience for the role as I was still in college when I landed my first position in the field.
For someone transitioning, I’d recommend focusing on identifying transferable skills and supplementing them with targeted learning. Platforms like Coursera, freeCodeCamp, or Udemy are great for picking up technical skills like sales coaching, analytics, or CRM tools, which are often in demand. Networking is also critical—reaching out to people in roles you’re interested in can provide valuable insights and potential mentorship. Above all, don’t underestimate the value of your existing experience; many tech companies value diverse perspectives, especially when paired with a willingness to learn and adapt, like I said, I didn't have any previous field relevant experience before my first role! Sometimes it's about being willing to learn and be coachable.
My own experience has shown that the transition doesn’t happen overnight but comes with persistence and a focus on continuous growth. If you have specific questions or want advice on a particular role, feel free to ask—I’d be happy to share what’s worked for me!
Transitioning into tech might seem like a big leap, but it’s often more about reframing your current skills than starting from scratch. My own journey has been grounded in leveraging my background in client development, sales strategy, and leadership to excel in roles that bridge business and technology. For example, my experience mentoring teams, analyzing data to refine strategies, and collaborating across departments (marketing, product, and customer success) directly prepared me for roles requiring cross-functional alignment and strategic thinking in tech. Many of these skills—like building trust with clients, managing pipelines, and training teams—translate seamlessly into positions like customer success management, sales engineering, or product management.
I started out working at a suit shop and then was able to latch on to an opportunity as an SDR (Sales Development Rep. They're also sometimes called BDRs). I didn't need a ton of previous experience for the role as I was still in college when I landed my first position in the field.
For someone transitioning, I’d recommend focusing on identifying transferable skills and supplementing them with targeted learning. Platforms like Coursera, freeCodeCamp, or Udemy are great for picking up technical skills like sales coaching, analytics, or CRM tools, which are often in demand. Networking is also critical—reaching out to people in roles you’re interested in can provide valuable insights and potential mentorship. Above all, don’t underestimate the value of your existing experience; many tech companies value diverse perspectives, especially when paired with a willingness to learn and adapt, like I said, I didn't have any previous field relevant experience before my first role! Sometimes it's about being willing to learn and be coachable.
My own experience has shown that the transition doesn’t happen overnight but comes with persistence and a focus on continuous growth. If you have specific questions or want advice on a particular role, feel free to ask—I’d be happy to share what’s worked for me!
Takieaa ReyFaun Johnson
Published Auther
15
Answers
Kansas City, Missouri
Updated
Takieaa ReyFaun’s Answer
Hello Wood
I'm Miss Takieaa and tech is a great career field. Following are some ideas about transitioning to a tech career. Also, I will include the top technical universities and careers to choose from and their yearly pay. I hope the information is a blessing for you.
To transition into a tech career, you can:
Develop relevant skills
Learn technical skills that complement your existing expertise. You can take online courses, enroll in coding bootcamps, or earn certifications.
Highlight transferable skills
Emphasize skills from other fields that are relevant to tech, such as verbal and written communication, collaboration, and mindful listening.
Network
Reach out to your network for job leads and recommendations. You can also follow tech experts on social media, volunteer for a tech company, or get involved in open-source projects.
Consider an internship
Look for an internship or related role.
Be open to starting at the bottom
Don't be afraid to start at an entry-level position. Some entry-level IT jobs include:
Help desk analyst
PC technician
NOC technician
Software developer
Cybersecurity technician
Front-end web developer
Quality assurance (QA) analyst
Database developer
Some of the top universities for engineering and technology include:
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT): Ranked as the best university in the world for engineering and technology overall
Stanford University: Ranked second in the world for engineering and technology
University of Oxford: Ranked third in the world for engineering and technology
University of Cambridge: Ranked fourth in the world for engineering and technology
University of California, Berkeley (UCB): Ranked among the top engineering schools in the US
Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech): Ranked among the top engineering schools in the US
California Institute of Technology (Caltech): Ranked among the top engineering schools in the US
Purdue University--Main Campus: Ranked among the top engineering schools in the US
Carnegie Mellon University (Carnegie): Ranked among the top engineering schools in the US
University of Texas--Austin (Cockrell): Ranked among the top engineering schools in the US
Some of the highest-paying tech jobs include:
Engineering manager: Average salary of $203,500, and requires a bachelor's degree
Technical program manager: Average salary of $174,000, and requires a bachelor's degree
Principal software engineer: Average salary of $244,500, and requires a bachelor's degree
Machine learning engineer: Average salary of $206,000, and requires a bachelor's degree
IT vice presidents and C-suite executives: Some of the highest-paid IT jobs in the US
Computer network architect: Average base salary of $128,136
Information security analyst: Average base salary of $112,875
Wood, I hope the information I provided blesses you in your transition to a technical career. Have a great life!
Miss Takieaa
I'm Miss Takieaa and tech is a great career field. Following are some ideas about transitioning to a tech career. Also, I will include the top technical universities and careers to choose from and their yearly pay. I hope the information is a blessing for you.
To transition into a tech career, you can:
Develop relevant skills
Learn technical skills that complement your existing expertise. You can take online courses, enroll in coding bootcamps, or earn certifications.
Highlight transferable skills
Emphasize skills from other fields that are relevant to tech, such as verbal and written communication, collaboration, and mindful listening.
Network
Reach out to your network for job leads and recommendations. You can also follow tech experts on social media, volunteer for a tech company, or get involved in open-source projects.
Consider an internship
Look for an internship or related role.
Be open to starting at the bottom
Don't be afraid to start at an entry-level position. Some entry-level IT jobs include:
Help desk analyst
PC technician
NOC technician
Software developer
Cybersecurity technician
Front-end web developer
Quality assurance (QA) analyst
Database developer
Some of the top universities for engineering and technology include:
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT): Ranked as the best university in the world for engineering and technology overall
Stanford University: Ranked second in the world for engineering and technology
University of Oxford: Ranked third in the world for engineering and technology
University of Cambridge: Ranked fourth in the world for engineering and technology
University of California, Berkeley (UCB): Ranked among the top engineering schools in the US
Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech): Ranked among the top engineering schools in the US
California Institute of Technology (Caltech): Ranked among the top engineering schools in the US
Purdue University--Main Campus: Ranked among the top engineering schools in the US
Carnegie Mellon University (Carnegie): Ranked among the top engineering schools in the US
University of Texas--Austin (Cockrell): Ranked among the top engineering schools in the US
Some of the highest-paying tech jobs include:
Engineering manager: Average salary of $203,500, and requires a bachelor's degree
Technical program manager: Average salary of $174,000, and requires a bachelor's degree
Principal software engineer: Average salary of $244,500, and requires a bachelor's degree
Machine learning engineer: Average salary of $206,000, and requires a bachelor's degree
IT vice presidents and C-suite executives: Some of the highest-paid IT jobs in the US
Computer network architect: Average base salary of $128,136
Information security analyst: Average base salary of $112,875
Wood, I hope the information I provided blesses you in your transition to a technical career. Have a great life!
Miss Takieaa
Colleen Piel
Data Analyst
9
Answers
Ballwin, Missouri
Updated
Colleen’s Answer
Look into applying to LaunchCode for free tech training. They also help place you at paid apprenticeships. This is how I transitioned from education to data analysis.
https://www.launchcode.org/
Best wishes to you!
https://www.launchcode.org/
Best wishes to you!
Fadi Cheikh
Software Engineer
2
Answers
Utrecht, Netherlands
Updated
Fadi’s Answer
Hello Wood!
Many people successfully transition to tech from non-technical backgrounds..
Being in that field myself, I would advise to break down thoughts into steps and try to work progressively towards the end goal
IMHO, you should first start by identifying your area(s) of interest as tech is broad!
just to name few: Software Development (web, mobile..), data (science, analytics, big data..), cybersecurity, cloud/devops…
Once the field that interests you identified, start learning the fundamentals.
Everyone is different so you can pick whatever method you feel more comfortable with (books, online courses…)
try to work towards something specific by following a learning path (again the reason tech is broad and things move quickly)
this is, is my opinion, the most important part of it:
Try to learn by doing!
Start small by applying the concepts you learned and progressively building bigger projects until you feel comfortable doing so.
This way, you will gain experience and create some sort of a portfolio (depending on the field you choose)
From that point on, it’s going to be about networking, joining communities, keeping up with the trends…
and most importantly try to learn how to talk about it from both a technical and non technical perspectives
Finally, tech evolves quickly and it’s a continuous journey, so keep learning new skills and Enjoy it !
Many people successfully transition to tech from non-technical backgrounds..
Being in that field myself, I would advise to break down thoughts into steps and try to work progressively towards the end goal
IMHO, you should first start by identifying your area(s) of interest as tech is broad!
just to name few: Software Development (web, mobile..), data (science, analytics, big data..), cybersecurity, cloud/devops…
Once the field that interests you identified, start learning the fundamentals.
Everyone is different so you can pick whatever method you feel more comfortable with (books, online courses…)
try to work towards something specific by following a learning path (again the reason tech is broad and things move quickly)
this is, is my opinion, the most important part of it:
Try to learn by doing!
Start small by applying the concepts you learned and progressively building bigger projects until you feel comfortable doing so.
This way, you will gain experience and create some sort of a portfolio (depending on the field you choose)
From that point on, it’s going to be about networking, joining communities, keeping up with the trends…
and most importantly try to learn how to talk about it from both a technical and non technical perspectives
Finally, tech evolves quickly and it’s a continuous journey, so keep learning new skills and Enjoy it !