HI everyone! I have been in tech for a couple of years and this is what I learn. although I have learned a lot about things not just about technology but also learned a lot more about myself and also l have learned about how the tech industry works, so in this article I want to pick out three to five things on what I learned and hopefully that can help you in making your decision if you should an engineering tech, a drawing tech, or why you shouldn’t joint tech.
So the number one thing I learned about being in tech for about a couple of years is — “I think I have to emphasize this a lot, you never stop learning! ”, I remember when I first started coding and I have been studying my ass for like three years thinking so after three years I’m getting recruited, NO!, technology is always changing when I learned code, jQuery was a thing and then one year after learning jQuery react was a thing then after react I moved to backend development (php & laravel) then I was like php and laravel going down on the drain, learned node js, learned the mern stack or move on to python and now doing python so things changed very quickly in tech, you are always learning but the thing is, the more you continue to learn (it’s not like you have to like study three hours every day to keep up with the tech industry), dedicate time here and there throughout the week maybe two days ,three days or even one in a week to keep learning new code, what out there?, update yourself to keep your skill up to the new development in other to be able to make better money.
Secondly, I think this part is also very Important and I’m blown away by my income right now, you are more valuable than you could ever realize. The value you are going to bring to a company, they don’t know it but you do, your job is to show to them and to prove to them what value you bring and depending on the value you bring will help determine how much income you could receive from that company if that makes sense, please understand this, I was laid off during the pandemic when I was working in my second developer job in California, I was laid off! And I was making $70000 then which is peanut to what I’m making now I’m not trying to look down on people who make that amount, I’m just saying is that what I make now and before is a world different. The thing is that at that time, I thought at that time the most I could ever make in tech is $90k a year that’s it! And for the first time in my life I was like 90k in a year in California its poor and I wanted to go from my 70k to like $160K plus bonuses which should add up to like 183K in a year, then I went from that job to where I am now, believe me I make much more than that now though I don’t want to say the amount because I currently work there! but I’m happy with what I’m making now , let me tell you this, my first job pay me $45,000 but I make five to six times that amount right now I’m not doing all that math in my head but I make a lot more than that. The thing is I thought I will only make 700 to 900k per year in my life because I always say oh! I wasn’t good enough but I was more than good enough for now and I’m here and I’m going to, because I believe in five years I will be making 400 to 500K if not even more because I know how valuable how I am and how much more value I can bring to a company, I am going to keep learning more technologies, be a better engineer, a better developer and moving up so believe in yourself.
thirdly, I regret this and I don’t regret this, I regret it because so many people, my family come up to me now and asks for money! I regret telling my family how much I make though I don’t mind giving people money or helping people who were there for me and when I stop giving out money to those people the bond disappears, so if I’m making half a million I won’t tell my folk so they think I make that same money I’m making before. I regret it big time because it is sad how money can make and break even more relationship that you make it. unfortunately, that sucks!
fourthly, networking and building relationships in tech is important, this industry is very small but one of the easiest way to get a job in tech is by knowing people. I always help to recommend people in my company and build a relationship even if you will be leaving that company the relationship you built will help you in getting another job.
Lastly, tech has tried to change me , I’m more like a shy person who doesn’t like to party or go clubbing and I don’t care about all that although tech involves meeting more people who will invite you to these things but that’s not me and one of the things I’m disappointed in myself and proud of is when I give into particular situations like when everyone is drinking and do other partying activities and I’m the only one that I’m not, you know you don’t need to be like everyone else you have to be able to stand your ground because some people will say why don’t you do this and that, you now you have to build a relationship with everyone and so on, I want to mingle and build a relationship doesn’t need me to do some stuffs I’m not comfortable with.
Anyways these are the five things I’ve learned in tech over the years although still nervous of what I will become in seven years or eight years to come but nevertheless this is the life of a web developer so we keep learning and updating ourselves with the latest tech whatsoever.
