9 Things To Consider Before Taking The Next Step In Your Tech Career

Taking the next step in your career is always challenging. There are so many unknowns and you aren’t always sure what to do next. 

That’s where this post can help. It looks at some things you’ll want to consider before taking the next step. We look at the strategies you’ll want to incorporate when searching for a tech job and how they can help you max out your resume. 

Think About What You Want Long-Term

The first step is to think about what you want your career to achieve. Knowing this will help you settle in a direction that serves you. 

For example, you might want to specialize more deeply in a specific area if there are opportunities, like network management. Or you might want to go into a senior leadership role and require new skills for that.

Sometimes, you want to pivot to a new industry entirely, it all depends. 

Evaluate Your Skills Gaps

You also want to evaluate your skills gaps and think about what’s required to get you from where you are now to where you want to be in a few years’ time. If you can be specific about this, you can avoid wasting time and simply focus on the courses that will help you. 

For example, if your company needs people to keep the network secure, then Cyber Security Courses by ASK Training could be beneficial. These run through critical security arrangements and help you understand how to keep enterprise-scale IT operations safe from malicious actors. 

You could also drill down into databases by learning SQL and NoSQL. These help you refine your skills further and learn more about how these systems operate at the company level so you can deploy them in a sophisticated way. 

Try writing a list of competencies you need to acquire to be at your best in your job. Ask how long it will take you to get them, and the ways they can help you become the career-minded individual you want to be. 

Think About Your Work-Life Balance

You might want to take the next step in your career, but you should also think about how it could affect your work-life balance. You don’t want to get into a situation where you’re constantly stressed out, even if you’re in a role you want to be in. 

Ask yourself whether the new job you want requires long hours. Some careers are exceptionally bad for this, especially in industries where work-a-holic cultures are pervasive. 

Also, think about whether you need to travel and relocate. You might have found the perfect job, but if it is in a different city and you want to stay where you are, it probably won’t be all that helpful for you. 

Seek Mentorship

If you’re thinking about taking the next step in your tech career, speaking to a mentor first about your plans is advisable. Getting their input can help you refine your decision further. 

Mentorship is helpful because it allows you to take shortcuts. Often, mentors are people who’ve been in your position and understand where you’re coming from. What’s more, they know how to deal with the kind of people who will be offering you an upgraded tech position, providing you with even more detailed advice. 

If you’re finding things hard, mentors are also people who can offer support. Many of them have been where you are now, stuck in dead-end careers and wondering what to do with their time. That’s why it is so critical to build relationships with them so you can find yourself and better define your goals. 

Sometimes mentors help provide you with feedback to help you do better in your job. They can outline your weaknesses and show you where you should concentrate your improvement efforts. 

Don’t be surprised if they are quite rough with you. It’s all part of their job to shake you into action and ensure you deliver the best outcomes for your life. 

Expand Your Network

You might also want to expand your network before taking the next step in your tech career. Going to industry events, online communities, or meetups to connect with professionals in your desired area can help substantially. 

Getting to know more people in your line of work is rarely a bad thing, and many of them have jobs you can walk into right away if you want them. You can also get them to provide you with insights into what might be coming down the pike and whether you should apply for a role. Preparing early could help you beat out the other candidates, regardless of their qualifications. 

Salary And Expectations

Before you apply for a new role or get into a different career, think about your expectations around salary. Some jobs are fun, but they don’t pay well, meaning you might not be able to have the lifestyle you enjoy right now. 

If you find yourself in this position, look at what other people in the industry get paid. Make sure you look at the distribution of earnings to determine how high you could rise and what’s feasible given your innate skills and talents. For example, you can’t earn investment banker money as a regular coder. 

Fortunately, the tech industry is full of opportunities to earn more, and often what you do is linked to your skill level. If you know how to do something rarified, you’re much more likely to see the kind of stunning success you want. 

Consider Company Growth Potential

It’s also well worth considering company growth potential when looking to take the next step in your tech career. Many of the most successful people in the industry managed to get to their esteemed positions by being in the right place at the right time. Often, they didn’t even do anything special. 

This is one of the perks of going for a job at a startup. If you can be at the top of that firm as it is on the cusp of success, you can often rise higher in the executive rankings and reach a level that wouldn’t be possible at more established firms. This is something that’s happened to a lot of people in the tech industry already, like Steve Wozniak and Steve Ballmer. 

Readiness Projects

It’s also a good idea to use projects to provide your readiness. Showing that you’re capable of taking on substantial challenges and moving forward can be an excellent way to prove your worth and show companies just what you’re capable of doing. 

If you do complete any significant projects for companies, keep clear records showing what you did. Highlight any specific competencies that you embodied and how they could contribute to a new role. Don’t be shy about talking about your achievements and successes as these will help hiring managers determine whether you’re a good fit for the role. You know you are, but they may not. 

Cultural Fit

Lastly, but perhaps most critically, you’ll want to consider whether you’re a cultural fit for the company you want to join. The internal dynamics of firms can be quite different from each other, even within the same city. 

For many career-minded tech professionals, this can be surprising. Some workplaces encourage openness and dialogue, while others force you to stick to the party line. You need to know what type of person you are and whether you can stick with the rules and processes long term.

Usually, you can find out what a company’s internal culture is like on sites like Glassdoor. Check these before making any big decisions.