The best ways to keep your skills sharp in an industry that’s constantly evolving.
The tech space is one of the most demanding industries to work in. It’s also one of the most thriving sectors, with a strong need for web and app developers as well as designers and other IT specialists across a broad spectrum of fields within the industry.
But vast as the sector might be, it’s also one of the most competitive sectors to work in, which means that there is a constant need to innovate and keep up to date with digital and information technology trends.Anyone working in the industry would certainly need to constantly up their game in order to ensure they remain tech savvy and at the forefront of what’s new, changing or growing within the industry.
So what do you need to do to make a strong impression in this dynamic and versatile industry that’s always looking for the next technological innovation?
Don’t stagnate
Knowing the tech industry and being comfortable in it isn’t enough if you really want to make an impression.
The nature of the tech industry means that what you know now could easily become obsolete in a few years’ time.
The key to combat this is to make sure you’re one step ahead by combining your current skills with new ones according to the latest technological innovations.Research is key – find out what emerging areas are becoming an increasing demand and invest time in taking courses, attending tech industry talks and finding out which emerging trends would add a new dimension to your current job.
In cases like these taking up additional coding and programming courses will also help you to bridge whatever gap there is in your knowledge and will strengthen your resume when you feel it’s time to move on to something else within the industry.
READ MORE: How to use the skills you have to make a career switch
Another way to keep up to date with what's going on in the industry is to ensure that you follow major technology influencers on social media platforms.
According to skillcrush.com, not only will it help you give an overall sense of what’s happening on a global level, but reading about what they’re doing beyond their work lives – for example, extracurricular projects they might be working on - can also give you key insights into trends that could take off in future.
Collaboration and mentorshipsAccording to The Muse.com, in a recent interview with three employers from Asana, a sure fire way of really making a standout impression is to actively seek out opportunities to collaborate with other people, especially in the capacity of mentorship programs
A good mentor can help you by providing you with solid and unbiased feedback and in doing so give you an indication of what areas you can improve on. Widen your circle and do some networking. Get in touch with colleagues in the same industry and ask for critique on your coding and programs or apps that you’ve built.
Take note of how consumers are using technologyWhile technology is all about being innovative and creative, a big part of that is also tied in with the user’s experience of the end product.
As an example, when rolling out a new app to be tested, a group of core developers in our team testing a new product asked us to use different phone models and provide feedback on our user experience.
We were asked to test things like the interface, our navigational experience (was it easy to find what we were looking for?) and what would make us stay on the app for longer.
Being in a digital working space means that testing products are paramount to ensuring consumer experience success.
Don’t just look at market trends but look at what apps people are downloading the most and use that as a springboard to develop and create new apps and products.
Writer | Tammy February
