4 answers
Jake
Student
Scottsdale, Arizona
1
Question
Asked
338 views
How do I get a career in what I love?
I like computer science and anything in technology really.
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2 answers
David Gustafson
VP, Global Support
11
Answers
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Updated
David’s Answer
Stay curious and experiment with things that hold your attention and get you motivated. Leave yourself open to learning about yourself and what interests you - but also what resonates with the rest of the world and how you can add value with your time and energy.
At its core - loving your career is as much about choosing the right environment (shared values with your peers, purpose behind the work you do) as it is about developing expertise in a specific industry. I have had tremendously satisfying and fulfilling roles as an individual contributor helping complete tasks. I've also had very interesting roles trying to define those tasks or needs for others as a leader.
Think about how you fit in most comfortably and satisfied in your world right now - whether that's hobbies, socially, extracurriculars, or in core studies - and just keep saying "yes" to new opportunities. Even if they don't fit you quite right, you might learn something about yourself.
Best of luck staying curious.
Make a list what you're best at or receive praise for.
List what you enjoy most or gravitate towards.
List what you'd be interested in trying but haven't tried yet. It could be coding a raspberry pi to display the weather and time. It could be to join a volunteer group that teaches computer skills at the public library.
Try a few things new, and check back in with yourself. Was that for you? Did you make an impact?
At its core - loving your career is as much about choosing the right environment (shared values with your peers, purpose behind the work you do) as it is about developing expertise in a specific industry. I have had tremendously satisfying and fulfilling roles as an individual contributor helping complete tasks. I've also had very interesting roles trying to define those tasks or needs for others as a leader.
Think about how you fit in most comfortably and satisfied in your world right now - whether that's hobbies, socially, extracurriculars, or in core studies - and just keep saying "yes" to new opportunities. Even if they don't fit you quite right, you might learn something about yourself.
Best of luck staying curious.
David recommends the following next steps:
Loona Zingarelli
Accessibility Quality Engineer
1
Answer
Phoenix, Arizona
Updated
Loona’s Answer
It is amazing that you know you love computer science and technology. As David mentioned, the next step is to think about your personality, values, and learning styles, as the tech industry has many paths.
Based on these, match them to tech roles and then to the tech industry. For example:
a. You can choose whether you would love to be part of gaming, banking, health, and so on. Then, within that industry, decide whether you want to be in analytical and engineering roles like developers, cloud engineers, and data scientists, or in creative roles like UX designers, or leadership roles like product managers, and so on.
b. One of the best ways that helped me figure this out was by picking companies that I admired and searching their careers page to look at roles that I may not be familiar with but am somewhat interested in. I paid attention to the skills they required and the education they mentioned. I also watched YouTube videos or listened to podcasts regarding those roles. If you are sure that you want to pursue a certain role, then from the careers page, find out the skills companies are looking for and try to learn them incrementally.
Remember, you do not need to perfectly match all the skill requirements; use them as guidance on where you want to grow. Sometimes your passion and personality will help you find opportunities. Be patient if you do not land your dream role; use any company or role you enter as a learning platform and an opportunity to build your network. The best learning happens on the job, where you are solving real problems, building things for customers, and learning from your peers and leaders.
You got this!
Match your personality, values or hobbies to a role and industries within Computer science and technology.
Research Job skills and descriptions
Build skills incrementally
Stay patient and flexible
Learn through any experience and build networks
Based on these, match them to tech roles and then to the tech industry. For example:
a. You can choose whether you would love to be part of gaming, banking, health, and so on. Then, within that industry, decide whether you want to be in analytical and engineering roles like developers, cloud engineers, and data scientists, or in creative roles like UX designers, or leadership roles like product managers, and so on.
b. One of the best ways that helped me figure this out was by picking companies that I admired and searching their careers page to look at roles that I may not be familiar with but am somewhat interested in. I paid attention to the skills they required and the education they mentioned. I also watched YouTube videos or listened to podcasts regarding those roles. If you are sure that you want to pursue a certain role, then from the careers page, find out the skills companies are looking for and try to learn them incrementally.
Remember, you do not need to perfectly match all the skill requirements; use them as guidance on where you want to grow. Sometimes your passion and personality will help you find opportunities. Be patient if you do not land your dream role; use any company or role you enter as a learning platform and an opportunity to build your network. The best learning happens on the job, where you are solving real problems, building things for customers, and learning from your peers and leaders.
You got this!
Loona recommends the following next steps: