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Exploring Alternate Careers in Tech

Photo by Alexandre Debiève on Unsplash

If you are passionate about technology, then you’ve probably been in a number of conversations centered around terms like Crypto-currency/Block Chain, FinTech, Payments, Start-ups, Tech Hubs, or programming languages like; Java, C++, Python, Ruby/Rails or stuff like Algorithms, Bots, AI, Machine learning and so on. These conversations, seminars or job vacancies are all around these tech jargons and there you are struggling to channel your energy to the right things as you strive to pursue a career in tech.

In a world where everything is going digital — the extensive and prolific use of technology is evident in almost all aspects of human activity.

“Your handwriting isn’t relevant in the digital age”

So you decide to learn a programming language, with the intent of being a world-class developer, because it is relatively well paid, in demand, and the most popular career in tech; but coding can be a bore or more daunting than you ever imagined. You then discover that you actually lack the passion for programming, hence, that feeling of discouragement sets in as you struggle to find an alternative path for yourself.

Hard Truth— Programming requires not only certain skills and understanding but a high level of focus and extreme passion for problem-solving (emphasis on extreme passion). However, there are many other areas in tech that go beyond running codes to build websites or software applications. For example, as a product development lead; you work closely with a programmer to manage his or her interactions with business teams, management, or customers and you are pivotal to the success of the programmer and essential in making sure he is building exactly to the specifications of the project.

There are many career paths which are relevant in the tech world that does not get as much PR as coding and are still essential to the creation of some of the best products that we all use daily.

We have compiled a list of less talked about (read interesting) tech careers for you to consider:

Technical Writing — Terminologies in tech may already come off as boring and it usually takes a creative/witty writer to break down these techie words or ideas for the average end-user to understand or make sense of. As a technical writer, you get to write product release notes, instructions/procedures, patents, reports, operational documents, specifications and a lot more. So if you are a flair for writing, this is a career path that is relevant in tech that you might want to pursue.

Data Analysis — We apparently live in a world that is now data driven more than ever. Truth is everything data is very sought after across all fields; from tech to business, health, entertainment, agriculture, basically any field that comes to mind. If you love interacting with numbers, then this might just be a fit for you. You can start by getting acquainted with tools like Microsoft Excel or Google Analytics to analyze small projects.

User Interface Design — This is related to design, as a UI designer, your responsibility will be to make a company’s app or website stand out in the midst of millions of apps. In the consumer internet space such as mobile payments, hotel booking, food orders, ride-sharing, and many others, it is essential for your platform to stand out and be visually appealing in terms of the color usage, fonts, shapes, icons, imagery and many other components that make an app or website user friendly.

User Experience Design — User experience (UX) design is the process of creating products that provide meaningful and relevant experiences to users. This involves the design of the entire process of acquiring and integrating a product, including aspects of branding, design, usability, and function. UX involves the conceptualization of a product, research and the whole user flow from ideation to the final use. You get to answer the Why, What and How of any product.

Technical Support — As tech companies continue to innovate, there will always be bugs, downtimes, and glitches in the system so the role of support personnels are well needed in any tech company. If you are passionate about assisting users in an empathetic and yet professional way, this is an area you can also in explore in tech.

As a tech company, our various teams are essential to making sure the Paga platform is safe, reliable and convenient and we deliver world-class financial services. If you want to be a part of a team that is reshaping the financial ecosystem of Nigeria and forging the way to financial inclusion for all Nigerians, you can check available roles we are currently hiring for on our recruitment page.

Making Life Possible is our ethos at paga, and it is what keeps us committed to our mission of making it easy for 1 billion people to use and access their money. We are inspired by the stories of the community we are building and the people we are empowering by driving financial inclusion and providing simple financial access in the markets we serve.

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