The Allure of the Tech Industry: Perspectives from Job Seekers
The tech industry is booming unlike any other industry. Roles continually open throughout the world and people are enrolling in STEM programs and coding boot camps in record numbers.
According to Cyberstates, the most recent trends of the tech industry from 2020–2021 include these facts and figures:
- 245,500 new tech jobs
- 3.9 million employer job postings for tech occupation job openings during 2020; over 20% occurring in emerging tech roles or skills.
- 585,000 tech business establishments just in the US
- Median tech occupation wage is nearly double the median national wage.
While the information above give a broad picture of the allure of the tech industry (including high salaries), it doesn’t tell the full story. Despite the growth and allure ofthe tech industry, there is still a large amount of stress and burnout occurring. Business Insider highlights in various reported surveys that burnout is increasing, with the biggest factors including working from home and longer hours. Business Insider explains that “Remote work can make it hard for people to turn off the office. They’re finding it hard to have that uninterrupted time for themselves.” Alternatively, findings in other surveys note that people want to work from home.
In order to gain insight about why job seekers want to work in the tech industry aside from traditional survey methods, I interviewed two job seekers named Tyler and Justin.
Tyler and Justin graciously agreed to answer the following questions about their tech-career ambitions. Their project and work-related information is at the end of the article.
What do you want to do in the tech industry (software engineering, UX, etc.)?
I want to do artificial intelligence with a major company, like OpenAI, Facebook, Google, Deepmind, Microsoft, or Amazon. — Tyler
I would love to initially start out as a Front End Web Developer and continue learning and transitioning into a more Full Stack Web Dev roll. — Justin
What made you want to leave your previous role in another industry?
I work as a freelancer. I have learned a lot, but I am looking to get into something more regular now. — Tyler
Quality of life, and work life balance. I’ve been a chef for 15 years and of those the last seven have been privately on a very upscale level.(think 5 star restaurants, in the comfort of your home) But with this line of work comes the glaring realization that the money is never stable, and your family time is minimal. With a growing family I value my time more with them, and working every single holiday with other families and their friends just isn’t something I want to do anymore. [can include pictures for you if needed/wanted of some of my plates]. — Justin
What benefits do you see working in the tech industry?
It’s easy to work from home. Also there are lots of jobs. Startups tend to have cheese fridges and free food.- Tyler
The potential to finally be able to comfortably take care of my family not only financially but to actually be home more often on all those holidays, or to have the luxury to be able to eventually work from home and never miss a moment with my child is one of the largest benefits I see in the future. — Justin
What drawbacks do you see working in the tech industry?
None really. Lots of smart and fun people. — Tyler
The entry point. At nearly 30 I feel at a disadvantage VS. someone who is coming fresh out of college with a CS degree. Though, at the same time, the challenge to learn something new is always a reward. — Justin
What companies come to mind when you think of companies you would like to work for in the future?
Microsoft, Amazon, Deepmind, OpenAI, Facebook. — Tyler
I would love to land a role for a company like Reddit Inc, or Deloitte Digital, or Razorfish. Reddit is a DREAM job, where the others are Highly rated in the Web Dev world and something I aspire to be a part of. — Justin
What is your opinion of coding boot camps? 4-year universities with computer science/tech degrees? Are they both suitable routes for tech careers? Why or Why not?
When choosing a bootcamp, it is really important to be specific. All-inclusive coding boot camps (“Become a full-stack developer!”) in general tend to be too intensive. I had a friend who worked 14 hours per day for 6 months on a boot camp… that seems way too stressful for me. I would pick an easier and very specific boot camp. Like a boot camp for basic Python skills, or one for Data Science. A CS degree will likely have you learning a lot of things you don’t want to learn. I find that sometimes academic professors are not great teachers. I honestly can’t critique either one of them because I haven’t tried them, I tend to learn on my own through self-study, one hour per night. — Tyler
I feel both have their place. Bootcamps can be an excellent place to meet other like minded people that have similar goals, I have opted for this route via Udemy, freecodecamp.org, and other various facets of the Internet. However I have noticed in my time placing applications and reaching out to businesses that I would probably have a better opportunity had I gone to a 4-year program for a CS degree. Both have their place and will often land you in the same types of rolls, I personally feel that being self taught (for the time being) is a slight hindrance. — Justin
More information about the job seekers:
Justin Meadows GitHub: https://github.com/TimeWasted1337
Justin Meadows LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-meadows-7ab2b2203/
Tyler Suard’s Website: www.tylersuard.com
Note about the interviews: This article was not sponsored by Indiana University Bloomington or meant to be published in a scholarly publication.
Local Donation Suggestion in Bloomington, Indiana: https://beaconinc.org/
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