As a Non-Tech Worker, You Can Succeed in a Tech Workplace

As you sit here and read this blog on your smartphone or tablet, have you thought about how technology and technology companies could be the next big step in your career – even if you do not have a technology degree?

Tech skills are hard to find.  No one is going to dispute that. Tech companies are always recruiting for workers that can program, design / refine business processes and re-engineer workflows.

“So what?” you are probably thinking. “I’m not a tech person. No application / hardware / cloud software firm is going to hire me. No employment agency is going to look at me.”

And that is where you are wrong.

Liberal Arts Degrees and Technology Companies

Many technology companies have discovered that that they need other, more diverse skills to make them stronger.  They cannot be innovative and authentic if everyone thinks the same way and brings the same skills to the table.  In fact, software companies across the US are discovering that liberal arts degree holders – those with psychology, philosophy, history and English degrees –  do make them stronger.  They bring much needed skills to the table (but more on that later). Disruptive technology may be the purview of engineers who dream big, but companies still need those who can connect that technology with the customer.

It is all about Intuitiveness – And Thank the iPhone

Intuitiveness is exponentially becoming more important in the modern workplace. The iPhone has set the precedent for all enterprise-type systems, reflecting the fact that non-technical workers are increasingly responsible for using systems and applications necessary for the business to operate. And those workers want their systems to be as easy to use as that tiny computer they carry around in their purse or back pocket.

This means that as a non- tech worker, you can not only help with the design of key products but you could act as a key storyteller.  Every tech company needs storytellers who can bridge the gap by explaining the (awesome) tech and inherent benefits that that tech can bring to the table.

What You Bring to the Table

Therefore, as a “non-tech” person with a liberal arts degree, you do bring several key things to the table…namely creativity, empathy, listening skills and the ability to see the “bigger picture”.

1. Creativity is needed to help develop those intuitive user interfaces that allow the everyday person to access and use the complex technology just behind the screen. It is also needed to explain that technology to the average “man on the street”.
2. Empathy is vital. Tech employees need to be able to see beyond their own bubble and understand the person who is using their designs and systems in addition to understanding their own motivations for designing and building those systems.
3. Good listening skills are important – in any industry, not just in the technology industry.
4. Vision is needed to help programmers and system engineers (again) see the bigger picture (the competitive landscape, the consumers’ perceptions, etc.). Many times, tech workers get bogged down in their code, workflows and data models.  Like an ostrich with their head stuck in the sand, they need to look up, stand up straight and check out the landscape.

So, focus on what you bring to the table…not on what you don’t.  You have to learn new technology every day, so don’t let that scare you.  The world is simply moving too fast for that not to be a fact of life.  As a leading employment agency, Snelling has been placing hard workers in technology jobs across the country. We know tech; so let’s talk.  Locate your closest Snelling office, and let’s go find you your next best-fit job.