A career in tech can be extremely rewarding. Those who are willing to put in the time and effort have the opportunity to create lasting payoffs. It’s important, however, to avoid pitfalls that can trip up even the most well-intentioned individuals.
Below, we outline five key mistakes to avoid that could limit your career growth in tech.
1. Failing to Master the Fundamentals
The basic skills for various roles in tech from coding to managerial positions are sometimes the most important. They serve as the foundation for far more complex and nuanced situations. Neglecting to properly develop the fundamentals in favor of saving time or resources may lead to an even larger loss down the road.
While it’s much easier to act on what’s easiest in the moment, a tech career is a long-term strategy. This means that cutting corners early can force individuals to retrace, relearn, and redo work that should have been simple. It’s never worthwhile to neglect the fundamentals of a job because they play such a vital role in day-to-day tasks.
2. Not Investing in Soft Skills
Imagining a career in tech may generate images of computers, server rooms, and coding, but people often overlook the human aspects. Jobs ranging from software engineers to division managers all require performing tasks beyond just those that are technical and often involve working closely with others. This might include working on a deliverable within a larger team, critically thinking when a situation changes, reporting to superiors, or guiding subordinates.
Regardless of technical knowledge or prowess, it’s an individual’s soft skills that will help them succeed in these situations. Taking time to update and choose strategies for time management, leadership, teamwork, communication, and a host of other skills can be vital for a successful career.
3. Trying to Do Everything
Trusting others in a team can be difficult for some individuals. It’s important to realize that there are tasks which colleagues have more experience with. Rather than inefficiently trying to be the expert on everything, individuals should accept delegations of tasks so that the team can accomplish goals together.
This also means having honest conversations with superiors so that you don’t accept too much work. Taking everything on can lead to a poorer quality of work, missed deadlines, or unnecessarily high stress levels.
4. Running from Potentially Negative Experiences
Challenging yourself is a vital aspect of growth in a role and this means that sometimes experiences can result in failure. Developing yourself and your skills often takes experimenting with new methods and accepting unfamiliar tasks. Failure is a consistent possibility, but individuals should not limit themselves for fear of a potentially negative outcome.
Be open and honest about the possible detriments of a new experience. Prepare carefully to avoid as many mistakes as possible. Ultimately, however, stepping into unfamiliar territory can lead to tremendous growth and success in a career.
5. Failing to Upskill
Many individuals believe that their current skillset is satisfactory. What they may forget, however, is that the tech market is constantly shifting and adapting to new trends. This means that some skillsets become obsolete and require updating or replacing. Upskilling is the practice of developing new or additional skills for a career.
Within tech, this may be learning a new software, coding language, or platform. Regardless of the subject area, consistently developing new skills is vital to remaining ahead of the curve.
Conclusion
Ultimately, there are far more pitfalls than just these that individuals in tech will face throughout their careers. Rather than playing catch up, it will make a significant difference to actively anticipate and address them so that your career is always growing and successful. If you’re looking to explore a career in tech, take the leap today and apply to Momentum’s next full-stack immersive course beginning September 6th.
