A College Degree in Tech: Do you need it?
Written by Raffaello Khan Agustin September 23th 2021
Technology was once an innovation that eventually has been part of our daily living in the 21st century. Let us admit it, we cannot live without having Google as our search engine, or without our smartphones, maybe from Apple or Samsung. Even with the pandemic around us, we have to stick with online classes which are all powered by technology. A tech career was once an underappreciated career, especially that it was far from the stereotypical successful careers like being a doctor, engineer, or a lawyer. But now, it has paved the way to different innovations that we are using up to this day. In fact, the richest people in the world are part of the tech industry. A tech career is an opportunity that you cannot miss, especially if you’re passionate about it. Want to create your own products, or develop your software? Then a tech career is a career path that you should consider.
If you search what are the highest paying jobs today, part of the list is tech-related jobs. And I know what you’re thinking, a high-paying job must cost thousands of dollars to go to university. If you’re a junior or senior in high school, you might have thought about the expenses of going to university. Like, who would want to have student debts in the future, right? Well, good news for you. An employer of a tech company would hire you without having a college degree. In careers like tech, it is all about having the right skillset appropriate for the specific tech field you are pursuing. With the technology around us, you can learn those skills by yourself. Or, you should be able to surround yourself with people who are successful in their career. Also, you have to be a people person, as you will be with different personalities with spontaneous ideas for your project. Technology is not a mastery of different concepts, instead, it is using your skill sets and knowledge into innovating a product or service to people. As long as you are willing to learn with different people around you, you fit into a tech career.
Pursuing this kind of career is much different than other usual careers. Technology is all about having that skill, and a continuous learning process. Learning about this specific field does not have to be in a classroom, with a professor teaching you such subjects. It requires critical thinking, along with different ideas that you can share with your boss and colleagues. Although, a tech degree is still encouraged, and it can still bring you the advantage in some aspects. But, not being able to go to university should not be a hindrance to pursuing this dream of having your own application, your version of a smartphone, or a website that you want other people to use. Technology does not have a standard that every person needs to learn. Thus, if you are passionate about tech, and you have innovations that can be used by people around you, then this is the right career for you, regardless of you having a college degree or not.