{"id":7086,"date":"2025-01-21T09:56:21","date_gmt":"2025-01-21T14:56:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theforage.wpengine.com\/?p=7086"},"modified":"2025-01-22T09:27:41","modified_gmt":"2025-01-22T14:27:41","slug":"how-to-get-into-tech-with-no-experience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theforage.wpengine.com\/careers\/how-to-get-into-tech-with-no-experience","title":{"rendered":"How to Get Into Tech With No Experience"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Technology (or tech) is a great career path<\/a> if you’re interested in solving problems, innovating, and using technical skills. It’s a growing field with many opportunities \u2014 but how exactly are you supposed to break in without experience?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because the tech industry is innovating and ever-changing, there are many entry-level opportunities that don’t require work experience. But that doesn’t mean they don’t require any <\/em>experience or work to land. We asked tech professionals and career experts their top advice for how to get into tech with no experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Figure Out What Tech Job Is Right for You<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Before you start your job search, you should have an idea of what kind of tech career you want. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“My journey started by exploring my interests and aligning them with emerging trends in tech,” says Patrice Williams-Lindo, CEO of Career Nomad and STEM career strategist. “For students today, I recommend looking at fields that excite them \u2014 whether it’s AI, cybersecurity<\/a>, or software development \u2014 while keeping an eye on where the industry is growing.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Williams-Lindo recommends experimenting to get a better sense of what those fields are like. You can take courses, participate in hackathons, or network with professionals to learn about their roles (more on these later).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elvis Sun, a Google software engineer<\/a>, says that finding the right tech career path involves applying a problem-solving mindset to the world around you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I’ve found that the best way to find your tech niche is to look for problems that need to be solved in the real world,” he says. “For students who have never had a job, I suggest that they start by looking at the problems they see daily in their immediate surroundings. This could be problems that local businesses are having, problems at their university, or even problems that family members are having. Once students know what the problems are, they can start coming up with solutions using a variety of technologies. This way, they can naturally find the areas of technology that interest them the most. This hands-on approach helps you learn both technical and business skills at the same time.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What tech role is right for you?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Take a free (and fun) quiz to learn what tech job is right for you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Get started<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Build Technical Skills<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

“If you want to increase your chances of landing a role, focus on building skills that match the jobs you want,” James Hacking, founder of Socially Powerful, says. “It doesn’t need to be complicated \u2014 look up what tools or programming languages are common in the industry and start practicing.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Look at job descriptions to figure out what tech skills you need. Notice themes in types of skills, whether that’s coding, web development<\/a>, design, data analytics<\/a>, or something else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How do you build those skills? Forage job simulations<\/a> are a good place to start. You can explore hundreds of free programs that walk you through a day in the life of different tech roles For example, you can try data science at BCG<\/a> or software engineering at Electronic Arts<\/a>. Each program teaches you the technical skills employers are looking for. You can then add them to your resume and talk about them in interviews.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Don’t Forget Soft Skills<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It seems straightforward: landing a job in tech requires technical skills. But what about the other skills you need to use those tech skills in a workplace environment \u2014 your soft skills<\/a>, or the skills you use when interacting with others?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Soft skills are crucial when learning how to get a tech job without experience because they’re what makes you stand out. Employers know that you won’t have high-level technical experience (nor do they expect you to). They want to know that you’re a good communicator, a fast learner, and a helpful teammate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Master the soft skills \u2014 particularly those involving face-to-face and written communication<\/a> \u2014 and leverage those in punching through the clutter of the tens of thousands of other applicants sending out generic resumes, not bothering to do their research before they interview, and relying on online applications vs. referrals generated by relationships,” says Dan Ulin, founder and CEO of Elite Student Coach.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

>>MORE: <\/strong>Learn how to build your soft skills from the Forage blog<\/a>. Explore critical tech soft skills like problem-solving skills<\/a>, analytical skills<\/a>, decision-making skills<\/a>, leadership skills<\/a>, and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Get Experience<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We know \u2014 you found this article because you’re trying to learn how to get into tech with no experience! But there are ways to get tech experience that aren’t full-time work experience:<\/p>\n\n\n\n