Working In Tech: Not Just Web Development

When it comes to working in tech, your first guess is: well, that’s all about web development! It might be quite right but personally, I consider this as a sort of a dangerous misconception. Clearly, full-stack, front- and backend web development is one of the most well-known and popular career paths in the field of tech. But in fact, there are tons of other options!

Why this misconception is dangerous? Well, because you might push yourself into the position that is not the right fit for you. Also, while looking for a job, it’s smart to check all the options that turn up. These options are not limited to web development, especially when you come from a non-traditional background.

After graduating from Flatiron School, I was trying to figure out what kind of job I want. After pretty long consideration, I realized that my perfect job would be a combination of my technical skills and my previous experience which was retail, client service, and team-leading.

Here is an option that looks like a perfect fit.

Technical Support Engineer/Solution Engineer/Product Support Specialist — the name of the position might vary from company to company. Also, the level of the required technical background might be really different but the general concept doesn’t change: this person helps to resolve technical issues within different components of computer systems, products, frameworks, etc.

A technical support engineer can work in any industry which usually defines what sort of technical knowledge they need. However, in any industry, the most important task for a technical support engineer is to provide seamless client service to organizations and clients via email and phone calls.

What kind of skills does a perfect technical support engineer need to succeed?

First of all, they’re required to be highly skilled in problem-solving and resolving technical issues, to know the product or platform they represent, and to be comfortable with the documentation. Second (however, as important as the first one!), a technical support engineer should have great verbal and written communication skills which is a key to great client service. Also, technical support engineer should stay calm under pressure and be a team player.

I believe this sounds like a solid option for those who came to tech from retail and other client service backgrounds.

Hope this blog will help you to juice up your job search!