Skills you need to build a successful career in tech

A career in tech requires a wide range of skills. In most cases, to build a career in this field, people focus on their technical skills. While these technical skills are very important to have, you also need a few additional skills to help you hone them.

As the world becomes more and more digitalised, a career in tech is becoming one of the most, if not the most, favourable career paths for students. At the same time, these skills are also becoming ever more important.

Being adaptable

The tech world is changing rapidly. Every day, there are new software updates, new pieces of hardware and software, or a new technology entirely. In such circumstances, adaptability is an essential trait for a successful career in tech.

Learning new skills is itself an important skill, and adapting to a new environment makes it easier to apply one's knowledge to a problem more effectively.

"People talk about how AI would take away our jobs. But in reality, AI is an efficient tool. The people who would suffer under AI are those who won't be capable of using AI effectively," says Fahim Arsad Nafis, a business analyst at Brain Station 23, a Dhaka-based software company.

Having patience

When exploring the tech field, there is a huge possibility that one will realise that they don't enjoy the field at all, and then it's usually back to square one. Hence, one has to be prepared for such events and remain patient.

Certain problems from different tech fields also try to test the solver's patience by forcing them to get down to the very fundamental details and constraints. For instance, software developers often have to drill down to the very basics they learned in their first-year of undergrad studies when dealing with various bugs and other issues. Unless one has the patience to do so, they can't move forward in this field.

Being an efficient problem solver

A tech career can be in diverse fields, but what they all have in common is problem-solving. The field of Computer Science, in particular, will test your problem-solving skills to their limits.

"You need to know how to solve various kinds of problems for a successful tech career. Not only do you need to be adept at programming, but you also need to be capable of facing new issues and be resilient in finding solutions," says Hasibul Haque Himel, a software engineer at Google.

Problem-solving is an umbrella term. It can be related to programming, data analytics, or even cybersecurity. Working on one's problem-solving abilities takes time. Different contests, competitions, and building projects can help acquire these skills.

In the field of Computer Science, the most suggested way to go about this is by engaging oneself in competitive programming. Here, the meticulous details and time constraints force coders to optimise their solution. This, in turn, enhances their problem-solving capabilities that can then be transferred to other areas.

Keeping your projects organised

Organising your projects and building a portfolio is a solid way to attract attention from companies when looking for a job. Whatever path one chooses to specialise in, it is advised to keep every project or assignment organised and keep their GitHub profiles updated.

Companies tend to check the GitHub repository while conducting interviews. The more enriched one's GitHub profile is, the better. Keeping everything organised helps to showcase your technical skills and makes it easier for the recruiter to evaluate them.

Learning to communicate

Communication skills are a must for tech-career enthusiasts. Today's competitive world leaves no space for vagueness or ambiguity. It is important to speak precisely and responding to the client's demands accurately.

Learning how to manage team-based work, pitch ideas effectively, and act in a way that strengthens the faith of all parties involved is a worthy skill to have. Safayet Hossain Masum, a software development engineer at Amazon Business, says it best, "Although technical skills are non-negotiable, soft skills are much more important, rarer, and harder to learn. Soft skills such as problem-solving, adaptability, and communication skills not only set you apart in the interviews but they also increase your chances of succeeding in your career as people with these skills tend to thrive in a team-based professional environment."

Leading the way

Last but not least, leadership skills are very valuable in tech-related careers. Most of the time, the projects have different people in different roles. Managing these diverse groups of people with different strengths and weaknesses and leading them to create a satisfying project is a skill that distinguishes any candidate from others.

"We look for candidates who have the best technical skills and leadership qualities. Individuals who have a blend of both traits are preferred during the recruiting process," says Mehedi Masud, COO of BJIT Limited, a software company.

This list is not supposed to be exhaustive. Everyone's journey is different, and there will be exceptions everywhere. But practising these skills is bound to give anyone interested in a career in tech a good head start and help them build a successful path for themselves.

Sadman Ahmed is a student at Islamic University of Technology (IUT).