While venturing into tech, I basically looked at the few stuffs around me and said, “Yes, I do.”
Like a nonchalant girlfriend accepting a proposal without even asking, “What are your plans for the future?” 😂
But after roughly 5+ years of being in tech, I’ve realized there are a few things you should actually consider before saying:
“Yes, this is the path I want.”
Firstly, your current device.
Now, this isn’t me saying, “Oh, you don’t have a laptop, so you can’t learn tech.”
If you have a smartphone and you’re able to read this, you’re already set to start learning something.
But your device can determine what areas of tech you can realistically get into.
You can learn a lot with just a phone, but you can’t properly do things like app development with just a smartphone.
And if you’re thinking about learning Swift, you should know that you’ll need macOS.
These are things you need to understand before choosing your niche.
Secondly, your reason.
Yeah, most people’s reasons are pretty straightforward:
“Tech pays well.”
“I want to work remotely.”
“I want to make money.”
And there’s nothing wrong with that.
But ask yourself: is that reason strong enough to keep you going when things get difficult?
Because tech isn’t just the salary you see on Twitter or LinkedIn.
You can come in and see peanuts for a salary or even equity. Don’t be wowed. 😅
Thirdly, delayed gratification.
This one is VERY important.
If you don’t get a job in 6 months, 1 year, or even 2 years, would you still continue?
Because you might spend months learning, building projects, applying for jobs and hearing absolutely nothing back.
And that’s where you need to be honest with yourself.
“If the reward takes longer than I expected, am I still willing to put in the work?”
Because if your only motivation is “I need a tech job ASAP,” you might quit before the results even have time to show up.
Fourthly, the future potential of the skill you’re choosing.
This is something I honestly wish I considered earlier.
Not every skill has the same trajectory.
Look at areas like AI and cybersecurity — they’re seeing huge demand and continued investment.
Then look at something like web development.
And before the web developers come for me, chop rice 😅. I’m a web developer too.
But whether we like it or not, AI is already changing how websites and software are built. A lot of the simpler work that used to require a developer can increasingly be automated or assisted by AI.
That doesn’t mean web development is going away.
It means you need to think beyond:
“Can I learn this skill?”
Ask:
“Where is this skill heading, and what will my value look like 5 years from now?”
Because you’re not just choosing what to learn today.
You’re choosing what you might be doing years from now.
From the tears of an ex(not past but extra ) developer