What Tech Career Is Right For Me?
So, you’re looking to make a career change. How exciting! There are tons of career paths to choose from, and one of the most exciting, high-potential areas in 2024 is in tech.
Think you might be a good fit for a brand new career in tech? We agree! Below, we’ll help you reflect on your passions, skills, and goals—then, we’ll match you with the tech-focused job of your dreams.
Questions Overview
- Strategy
- Detail-orientedness
- Creativity
- People skills
- I want to offer others insights and help them fix their problems.
- I want to work with totally new technology in a cutting-edge field.
- I want to use empathy and artistry to create things that speak to an audience of real people.
- I want to wear a lot of hats and use my organizational skills to lead projects.
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- I get bored easily. I need constant change, newness, and stimulation.
- I struggle to keep things organized when I have many projects happening at once.
- I don’t enjoy working on a team and struggle in groups—I would rather work alone.
- I find roles that require creativity and flexibility challenging. I’d rather follow a clear set of rules.
- Art and design classes
- Writing and marketing classes
- Coding and technology classes
- Math and science classes
- I just want to enjoy my day-to-day work and feel fulfilled—and getting to be creative is a big part of that.
- I’m willing to put in the time to learn difficult concepts and master hard skills if it leads to an exciting, high-salary career.
- I prefer that my day-to-day schedule involves problem-solving and troubleshooting because that’s what I find most rewarding.
- I hope that I find work where I get to enjoy meaningful connections and conversations with others every day.
- An ambitious person who will do anything to reach their goals.
- A creative person who has their finger on the pulse.
- A detail-oriented person who loves to help others problem-solve.
- A leader who aims to keep things organized and optimized.
- Very technical.
- Moderately technical.
- Only a little technical; not very technical.
- I’m not sure.
More Quizzes
Graphic Designers are responsible for enticing, educating, and communicating to customers through visual art. They normally create designs using computer software, but occasionally also work by hand. Typically, companies are most concerned with the quality of a candidate\u2019s portfolio of published work. Do you need to brush up on skills to get your portfolio where it needs to be? Luckily, if your aim is to gain hard skills in design in order to build up your portfolio, there\u2019s a great online resource to get you started\u2014Coursera<\/a><\/b>.
Related job titles include:<\/b> Graphic Designer, Brand Manager, Design Strategist, Web Designer, Creative Director","edit_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Become-a-Graphic-Designer"},{"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Be-Creative-in-Graphic-Design"}],"link_data":[{"title":"How to Become a Graphic Designer","id":238239,"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Become-a-Graphic-Designer","image":"\/images\/thumb\/6\/61\/Become-a-Graphic-Designer-Step-20.jpg\/-crop-200-200-200px-Become-a-Graphic-Designer-Step-20.jpg","alt":"How to Become a Graphic Designer"},{"title":"How to Be Creative in Graphic Design","id":12280459,"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Be-Creative-in-Graphic-Design","image":"\/images\/thumb\/b\/b7\/Be-Creative-in-Graphic-Design-Step-12.jpg\/-crop-200-200-200px-Be-Creative-in-Graphic-Design-Step-12.jpg","alt":"How to Be Creative in Graphic Design"}],"minimum":0,"image":"","image_url":""},{"number":2,"text":"You should try Digital Marketing.","meaning":"You understand people on a deep level. You\u2019re creative, you think outside the box, and you have your finger on the pulse. You always know what\u2019s hot, and you\u2019re able to spot trends in the ever-evolving world of social media and content like others can\u2019t. And you\u2019re not just creative\u2014you\u2019re detail-oriented, analytical, and strategic, too. You\u2019re perfect for Digital Marketing.
Digital Marketing is crucial to any company that wants to draw in and communicate with customers online. Digital marketers brainstorm marketing campaigns (which could be on social, through written content, and more) that speak to their audience. They collect insights from previous campaigns to adjust and improve their content, all with the aim to get more visibility for their company. Digital marketing is all about hard skills\u2014employers look for search engine optimization knowledge, analytics experience, and more. And you can actually master most of these skills without taking an official college course. Coursera<\/a><\/b> is a great place to get started.
Related job titles include:<\/b> Digital Marketing Manager, SEO Specialist, Social Media Manager, Email Marketing Specialist, Digital Marketing Analyst","edit_links":[],"link_data":[],"minimum":0,"image":"","image_url":""},{"number":3,"text":"You should consider becoming a UX Designer.","meaning":"You\u2019re extremely empathetic and creative. When you browse through a website, you can immediately see which features are working well and which features could be improved. You\u2019ve always known that you\u2019re observant, and your friends tell you that you\u2019re emotionally intelligent. You also have an artist\u2019s eye and a knack for design.
UX Designers are crucial to tech companies. Anything that\u2019s built for customers\u2014for real people\u2014needs to be made with empathy and understanding. That\u2019s where you come in! UX Design is all about gathering data from customers and tweaking products so that they\u2019re as user-friendly as possible. Normally, companies require not just design, observational, and analytical skills, but also some technical abilities too. Though, you don\u2019t have to go back to college to prepare yourself\u2014you can actually start studying online today. We suggest taking control of your future through Coursera<\/a><\/b>.
Related job titles include:<\/b> UX Designer, User Experience Researcher, UX Architect, Product Designer, UX Strategist","edit_links":[],"link_data":[],"minimum":0,"image":"","image_url":""},{"number":4,"text":"You should consider becoming a Cybersecurity Specialist.","meaning":"You\u2019re detail-oriented. You\u2019re intelligent. You have a knack for technology, and you probably enjoy math and science as well. You love to make sure that the people around you are taken care of, and you have a passion for protecting others. Professionally, you love the idea of having a career where you\u2019re providing a useful service to members of your work community.
Cybersecurity specialists are like a company\u2019s armed guard. These days, every business on the planet is at risk for cybersecurity threats, and they need intelligent, detail-oriented specialists to ward off attacks. Cybersecurity involves creating security best practices that will be followed across the whole company\u2014they also audit software, educate colleagues, monitor the systems, and troubleshoot security issues when they arise. Normally, employers look for candidates who have a few key, technical skills under their belt. Most of them can actually be learned today, online\u2014to start building your resume, we suggest Coursera<\/a><\/b>.
Related job titles include:<\/b> Cybersecurity Analyst, Information Security Analyst, Security Engineer, Penetration Tester (Ethical Hacker), Security Consultant, Network Security Engineer","edit_links":[],"link_data":[],"minimum":0,"image":"","image_url":""},{"number":5,"text":"You should try IT Support.","meaning":"You\u2019re a problem solver. You\u2019re a helper. You love troubleshooting, puzzling, and fixing things that are broken. You feel genuinely fulfilled when you help someone find a solution to a tricky problem. IT Support is like a company\u2019s resident everyday superhero\u2014when people struggle with tech issues, they call you. And based on your results, it sounds like you\u2019re the perfect person for the job.
IT Support solves company tech issues, both for internal people and external customers. When someone has a computer or software issue, they\u2019re called in to troubleshoot. If the company needs new software or hardware to work from, they make the important strategy decisions that will affect the whole company. People working in IT have important tech certifications that prepare them for their role. Though, you won\u2019t need to go back to school to get these certifications under your belt\u2014to dive in today, we suggest getting started with Coursera<\/a><\/b>.
Related job titles include:<\/b> IT Support Specialist, Technical Support Engineer, IT Support Analyst, Network Support Specialist, IT Service Desk Analyst, IT Support Manager","edit_links":[],"link_data":[],"minimum":0,"image":"","image_url":""},{"number":6,"text":"You should try Project Management.","meaning":"You\u2019re a leader. You\u2019re as organized as it gets. You\u2019re fascinated by structure and strategy, and the idea of taking a process and optimizing it to be more effective excites you. You\u2019re not just hard-working and detail-oriented though\u2014you also have a way with people. You know how to communicate effectively, work with teams, and you\u2019re well-liked. You sound like a pretty cool person\u2014and you also sound like you\u2019d make a great project manager.
Project Managers lead teams and organize projects on a big scale. They regularly manage budgets, timelines, expectations, goals, and more. Project Managers are responsible for making sure that things go off without a hitch\u2014if unexpected problems arise, they\u2019re responsible for solving them. They lead projects from beginning to end and handle all of the little (and big) details that contribute to teams\u2019 successes. There\u2019s no Project Management degree you can take in college, but there are so many courses and certifications you can earn on your own time. To get started, we suggest you look into Coursera<\/a><\/b>:<\/b>
Related job titles include:<\/b> Project Manager, Program Manager, Project Coordinator, Scrum Master, Product Manager, Agile Project Manager, Senior Project Manager","edit_links":[],"link_data":[],"minimum":0,"image":"","image_url":""},{"number":7,"text":"You should consider becoming a Data Analyst.","meaning":"You\u2019re analytical. You have a desire to see the big picture, and you\u2019re great at spotting trends. You have a knack for math and possibly science too. You\u2019re great at solving puzzles, and you would love to find a challenging role where every day, you feel like you\u2019re discovering important insights that will drive your teams forward. You believe that knowledge is power, and you want a role where you\u2019re an expert at finding new knowledge.
Data Analysts gather, organize, and interpret data. These days, data is everything\u2014and with your help, companies can better understand their customers, internal processes, and products. Data Analysts are like the wizards of a company: they uncover hidden insights that can magically improve every part of a business. But how can you become one? Some people get 4-year data science degrees, but you actually don\u2019t need one to begin your career\u2014you can also start with key certifications with Coursera<\/a><\/b>.
Related job titles include:<\/b> Data Analyst, Business Analyst, Business Intelligence Analyst, Senior Data Analyst, Financial Analyst, Marketing Analyst","edit_links":[],"link_data":[],"minimum":0,"image":"","image_url":""},{"number":8,"text":"You should consider a role in Artificial Intelligence.","meaning":"You\u2019re hardworking, ambitious, and you love all things cutting-edge. You\u2019re not afraid of change or uncertainty\u2014you\u2019re energized by it. You don\u2019t mind taking a harder road if it means you could be rewarded with major success down the line. You\u2019re bold, analytical, and maybe even a little intense about your career, and with an AI revolution afoot, you know you want to be right in the thick of it.
What new roles are opening up in the AI world? Prompt engineering is a big one. You know that Chat-GPT and other generative AI models are changing businesses globally, but in order for companies to make these tools work for them, they have to be able to prompt effectively: that\u2019s where prompt engineers come in. These are fast-growing roles that are rapidly changing and being redefined in real-time, like any role in the AI space. If you\u2019re excited to ride the wave (and potentially get into prompt engineering), the best thing you can do is start educating yourself on all things AI. A formal education path isn\u2019t necessarily the most effective way to go about that. Instead, start locking down key certifications and courses through Coursera<\/a><\/b>.
Related job titles include:<\/b> AI Engineer, Machine Learning Engineer, AI Product Manager, Deep Learning Engineer, AI\/ML Specialist, Natural Language Processing (NLP) Engineer, Computer Vision Engineer","edit_links":[],"link_data":[],"minimum":0,"image":"","image_url":""}]" class="quiz_results_data"/>
5 Tips To Find Your Dream Job
- Make a list of your skills, values, and passions. Self-reflection is a huge part of finding a career path that's perfect for you. Generally speaking, if your role aligns with what you're good at, what makes you feel fulfilled, and what is fun for you, you'll be in good shape. Try making a list of things that fall under each category for you (examples would be: I'm organized, I want to help people, and I enjoy talking to others). Once you have your list, get researching! What careers out there have elements of everything?
- Reflect on what could be improved about your current role. Every role that's not your dream gig still gets you closer to the perfect job for you. Think about the parts of your old (or current) job that don't feel good for you. What do you wish you did less of? When you feel unhappy with work, what's the cause? Make a list of the projects, qualities, and job functions that come to mind. Now, apply that knowledge to your research going forward.
- Connect with people in the field. Now that you have some career titles in mind, focus on gaining some insider information. The best career insights probably won't come from research. They'll probably come from people actually doing the job you want. If you know someone already, you're in luck! Give them a ring, offer to buy some coffee, and have a list of job questions ready when you go. If you don't know anyone, head to LinkedIn. Try reaching out to people with a personalized note and see if anyone is open to hopping on a quick call.
- Try gaining similar experiences to find clarity. There are multiple ways to explore adjacent experiences before you actually get the job that you're interested in. If you're looking into content writer jobs, then try writing a few freelance pieces to submit to websites and see how you like it. If you're thinking about teaching, try getting a tutoring job first. You get the idea!
- Don't be afraid to change your course. It's totally normal to feel pressured to find your perfect, dream role, but the truth is: your dream role might change over time! Be flexible and give yourself permission to explore. If you stay open to change, you'll ensure that you don't just enjoy your dream job when you get it—but you'll enjoy the journey too.
Want to learn more?
For more information about different careers, tech, and education, check out these awesome resources below: