What are my job options if I want to work in tech but don't want to be an engineer?

The best sales reps and customer support agents have an interest in engineering. I would continue with your engineering skill set and pursue something near to it and see where you end up.

If you love technology, you can essentially find a job almost anywhere. I would look into highly technical companies, and try to find jobs with them. It won't matter if you are in Sales, Human Resources, or other, you will be exposed to technology.

However, if you really want to work with technology, you can work in Desktop Support, Software, Analyst, or you can work on the creative side and even work in multimedia - video editing, game making, animation, web design.

You can even work with a company like Uber, or Oculus, essentially designing how the world is going to look in the future.

I would start with what you like doing most with technology and look for something that is close to that.

Believe it or not, most employees at software companies are NOT engineers. Engineers may build things to solve problems, but people need to be aware of these siolutions so jobs in Marketing and Sales are essential. Numerous projects throughout the years can use the skills of a program manager. Understanding the business environment is essential for a product manager to be successful. Care of customers is essential to provide support for customers seeking answers. Contracts require procurement and legal expertise. These are only a small subset of the non-engineering roles that are prevalent in technology.

There are so many careers within tech that do not fall into the engineering category. Sales, marketing, HR, event planning, accounting, are just some of the different areas within tech that you can focus your career. For the past 8 years for example, i've been an event planner specifically in the high tech space in Austin, TX (Apple, AMD, and Dell). Every industry has a slightly different spin on different careers. The culture of the companies and industries is very important to consider when determining what industry to enter.

Hi Greg - I too was like you. I love technology and the only real technology majors at my school seemed to be Computer Science or Electrical and Computer Engineering. I chose the Engineering route because I didn't want to write computer code all day and then switched to IT at a different school because I didn't see myself as an Engineer. During the span of my career I've held different positions and managed different areas of IT, including:

Systems Analysis
Systems Architecture
Systems Administration
Network Analysis
Network Administration
Technology Management
Project Management
Program Management
Web Engineering
Software Development
Software Testing

If you don't want to go the Engineering route, check out the other options your school may have related to IT. Entry level IT Certifications can also expose you to different areas of IT depending on your interest. Best of luck!

Luckily within Information Technology there are a lot of hands on positions not necessarily involving development and engineering. There are jobs such as networking, server administration, accounts and infrastructure administration. Beyond this there is always room for growth as technology is constantly growing and evolving.

Absolutely! There are so many diverse options within Tech. The tech industry needs people in all areas to support the business, from sales to customer support, to accounting and finance. The best place to start is in what you are most passionate about, and in this day and age there is bound to be some role in Tech that fits. For example, if you are in to art/design, you could get in to web design or multimedia production. If you are interested in Sales & Marketing, then you could explore opportunities here. There really is so many ways you could get in to tech without being an engineer. Good luck!

Hi Greg!

I love that you are pursing a career in the tech industry - it's definitely booming right now! But never fear, the tech industry has a wide variety of career choices to chose from, mainly because it takes all kinds of people, with all kinds of skills to help a company run smoothly. For example, here are a few different jobs that we have here at Dell:
* Sales
* Customer Service
* Procurement
* Training
* Marketing
* Branding & Design
* HR (human resources)
* Corporate Responsibility
* Law/Contracting

And that's just the tip of the iceberg. I encourage you to check out career fairs, and website of some of the tech companies in your area. It will help show you the diverse array of job offerings that are within the industry. Best of luck!

Hi Greg,

Like you I also loved technology growing up, there are many ways to apply this passion that do not necessarily require to be an engineer. I currently work with the social responsability aspect of the company - if this is something you are interested in, most technology companies will have a CSR department. I think it ultimately lies in what you are passionate about, there is also marketing, sales, customer care. Good luck!

You can be in sales for any tech company out there, and through experience and training you will still gain useful knowledge of technology that will open additional doors.