If you’re racking your brain, trying to figure out what you want to do after college, you are not alone. Lots of high schoolers — from first years to seniors — aren’t entirely sure what field they want to study, or even what career they want to go into.
Over the last decade, the tech industry has continued to flourish. And given the success of companies like Apple, Google and Microsoft, that growth isn’t slowing down anytime soon. Even cooler is that jobs in technology often present themselves with unique perks that aren’t often found in other traditional industries (teaching, medical, law etc.).
Curious? Here are 4 unique benefits of working in the tech industry:
1. Tech Careers Don’t Require the Traditional College Path
For those who intend to enter a career in medicine, law, or education, a traditional college path is often necessary to prove they’re qualified to practice in their field. Jobs in technology, however, generally don’t require a formal education from a 4-year university. The majority of tech employers only care about whether or not you have the skills to produce products that help customers and make the company money. That being said, the time it takes to acquire the appropriate skills and launch your tech career is much faster than that of a traditional 4-year university.
For example, a learner graduating from a software engineering program after 1 to 2 years will have the skills required to seek out full-time employment. If your desire is to kickstart a fun, fast-paced career as quickly as possible, a career in tech might be right up your alley.
2. You Can Make Great Money in Tech
Tech careers are often associated with high paying jobs. Because software engineers, UX designers and digital marketers are in such high demand, many organizations are willing to pay top dollar to fill these particular roles.
After graduating from college, many of learners have received offers ranging anywhere from $55k to $90k — and that number will only continue to go up as they grow in or grow out of their current roles. Couple that with the fact that software engineering programs are significantly more affordable than those of a 4-year university, and that salary becomes worth even more.
3. Work Remote with Flexible Hours!
In the world of tech, the only thing that truly matters is developing a product that caters to a customer’s wants and needs. Building a sufficient product doesn’t need to be done Monday through Friday, between the hours of 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. So long as a product can be developed according to the client’s wishes and delivered on schedule, then standard office hours don’t matter.
In fact, there might very well be times where you don’t need to be in the office at all. So long as you have a computer or laptop with good hardware and a strong internet connection, you can work from almost anywhere. It’s extremely common for tech employees to work remotely — enjoying the comfort of working from their couch or even traveling to another part of the world. Can you imagine writing code on the beaches of Thailand? That’s incredible!
4. You Can Be Your Unique Self
Most industries have a standard dress code of some sort. If you’re a doctor, you’re typically expected to wear a dress shirt, slacks or as skirt and a white coat. If you’re a school teacher, you can expect to wear clothing that is considered “business casual.” And if you’re a lawyer, you’re expected to dress professionally — wearing a business suit and a conservative tie. Folks in the world of tech, however, can almost always wear what they want.
In tech, employees can come to work wearing jeans, a t-shirt and sneakers. While every tech company is certainly different, a majority of the tech companies out there only care about the type of work being produced. They could really care less about what you’re wearing.
In general, the tech community has always embraced casual atmospheres, and that’s why jobs in technology are so popular. Along with the opportunity to dress however you wish, tech offices are known for providing a welcoming, laid-back atmosphere. Bean bag chairs, couches, hammocks, stability balls and the like, are common at tech companies. The mindset is that if an employee is comfortable and happy, they’ll be more productive. But don’t take my word for it. Companies like Google, Apple and Facebook are already doing this!
