Breaking Into the Tech Industry With a Non-technical Background

More and more students with non-technical backgrounds are interested in participating in the IT Industry due to the emerging technology trends, such as NFT, VR, Blockchain, AI, and metaverse. Regardless of your background, there is always a place in the tech industry.

For anyone with a non-technical background trying to enter the tech industry:

1. Learn basic programming languages

As the industry demands more jobs relating to data analysis, essential programming skills are much valued by companies inside and outside the technology industry. Understanding the basics of programming can also make you stand out as a candidate in IT consulting firms and banks for fintech projects.   

Beginners can start learning programming by learning Python. Python is the most straightforward programming language among all the others. It also has a broad application scope such as machine learning, data analysis, and web crawling. Learning Python or other programming languages does not require a strong mathematics or science background. As long as you are willing to trial and error, a business or even art student can also be a programming master! 

I would recommend the following resources for students to start their Python journey:

• 4-6 hours introductory video on Youtube, you can look at channels like freeCodeCamp.org and Programming with Mosh
• 6-8 weeks online courses, this course on Coursera is applicable for students from all disciplines - Python for Everybody Specialization
• Most Department of Computer Science in local universities offer Python Introduction elective courses for students from all disciplines to register. The Faculty of Business Administration at City University also offers this course, “Introduction to Business Programming in Python.”. You can avoid courses that need a prerequisite or only allow computer science students to apply to the course result will not affect your GPA too much.

2. Be aware of the latest news in tech

Spend at least 30 minutes consuming information about current tech innovations and trends. Several podcasts or news outlets, such as TechCrunch, Medium, and Quora, are readily available. It helps you familiarize yourself with technical terms and keep up with the trend to prepare you for your job interview and future career.

3. Network, network, network

Networking is not exclusive to the business industry. Connect with professionals within the industry on LinkedIn, drop them a text to learn more about their experience, and even seek help and advice. Better yet, you can sign up for free online networking events and webinars to connect with organizations in the industry and get to know more about their work. You can follow the key opinion leaders on LinkedIn or utilize Eventbrite to find events near you for further information. You may also consider signing up as a volunteer for those events to expand your professional network.

4. Apply for the Internship Program

There are both technical and non-technical internship opportunities available in Cyberport and HKSTP. It does not matter if you can only take up non-technical roles for now as a business student. By joining the technology and innovation community, you can certainly learn more about the industry and expand your network. 

If you are keen to gain more hands-on experience, you can also look for internship opportunities in startups where you will have the chance to work with technical teams more closely in coming up with new ideas and solutions.  

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