Tech Careers || Alright, Millennials, X-ennials, and Zoomers, let’s have some straight talk here. We are the most tech-savvy generations of all-time. But, we have barely scratched the surface of the types of technology that are here and advancing every day or soon to be here. So, let’s go deeper into some of the new technology headed our way and discuss why you need to be a part of it.
Top 3 Reasons Why Millennials Should Switch to Tech Careers
Jobs Are Being Automated
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics projects jobs in the computer and information technology fields to grow by at least 12% in the next decade. This growth in tech jobs may not sound like a lot, but it is a growth rate that is exponentially higher than any other occupation.
And that projection may even be on the conservative side when one considers that some suggest 30% of current jobs will be automated by 2030. Many low-wage jobs, such as fast-food workers (both order-takers and cooks) or grocery store cashiers will be the first to go with the advancement of ordering kiosks and cashier-less stores like those Amazon and 7-Eleven are creating.
The list goes on and on. Take any job you can think of, then Google it along with the word “automation” or “robot” and you will be very hard-pressed to find one that is not in the works of being automated with machines or artificial intelligence. Exactly how long it will take to automate the vast majority of jobs is anyone’s guess. However, it has already begun.
The Next Few Decades Will Bring Hybrid-Jobs
If you take the non-technical skills you have now and combine them with technical skills, you’ll have a hybrid skillset. Having a solid set of hybrid skills is going to be very important over the next few decades. For instance, writing skills are non-technical, but that skill will serve you better if you also have the technical skills to know how to optimize it for search engines, social media and other platforms.
Burning Glass took nearly one billion job posts from a wide range of time over the last few years and analyzed them to search for signs of the most desired hybrid-skills. Knowing which skills are being repurposed and in what ways is key to staying relevant in a quickly evolving workforce.
Balancing Work & Life
For Millennials, the old way of thinking about what constitutes success in life (i.e. owning a home, flashy job title, etc.) means less to us than it did to previous generations. Instead, we are the generation that craves life experiences and balancing our work/life schedules to accommodate those life experiences. This is part of what has fueled the freelancing “gig economy” and, in some ways, even technological advancement itself.
Getting Started with a Career in Tech
These are just a few of the many reasons why Millennials should switch to tech careers as soon as possible. Interestingly enough, thanks to technology, making the switch is easier than ever before. Many X-Millen-Zoomers are opting out of traditional education degrees and choosing coding bootcamps instead.
Coding bootcamps offer intensely-focused skills training in tech at a fraction of the cost and time commitment of other degree programs. If you’re wondering which area of tech you should focus on, try a few free coding resources to find one that interests you. Once you have a better idea of which way to go, explore the many creative bootcamp financing options to get you on the fast track to a new tech career.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Artur Meyster is the CTO of Career Karma (YC W19), an online marketplace that matches career switchers with coding bootcamps. He is also the host of the Breaking Into Startups podcast, which features people with non-traditional backgrounds who broke into tech.
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