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So you're not a programmer. What about other tech jobs?

Andrew Badham 2018-03-09 15:22:02

We recently wrote an article, Do you have what it takes to be a programmer? The honest answer for most people would probably be no. Programmers are a fairly unique breed, so statistically speaking, it just isn’t likely.

That doesn’t mean there aren’t tech jobs for you, though? In fact there are a number of in demand jobs available that rely on totally different skill sets within the tech field. So, if you’re passionate about tech, but don’t have Java flowing through your veins, here are some careers you might like.

Testing
Bug spray for the coding world; testers, or test analysts, are the quality control making sure the never ending lines of code actually work. Testers not only make sure things work, they make sure interfaces are intuitive and accessible to the end user. So to be a tester you need to have a bit of an understanding of programming languages, but not to the extent of an actual developer. They do need to have great communication skills and empathy for end users.

Data Science
In order to make good decisions, businesses need data. Sometimes those data are mind-bogglingly numerous, and putting them all together into something coherent requires some skill. Now here’s where the tech skills come in; you’ll need to know how to query databases, which means you’ll need to know SQL to a degree. However, you’ll also need to visually represent those data, so that means you need some design skills as well.

Project Manager
Project managing a development team doesn’t mean you have to be a developer yourself, but you will need to know enough to know how your team’s efforts integrate. What it does require is excellent communication, time management, conscientiousness, and interpersonal skills; skills that programmers don’t always have. The form of project management popular for development teams is Agile, which stresses iterative processes and experimentation.

User Interface Designer
These folks work on the front-end of developments. As such they need to have a mind for design and branding, which means they do have to have some technical knowledge in things like HTML, CSS and JavaScript.

User Experience Designer
Where experience designers differ from interface designers is in that UX designers are more concerned with the end user’s journey through the application. They create the framework for the UI folks to design around. They work very closely with testers and target audiences to make sure the product is as expedient and painless as possible.