The truth behind ageism in the tech industry—and strategies for overcoming it.
When you leave school or university and start to look for a job you may worry that your lack of experience will impact your chances of landing a position. Because you are young, employers are looking to see if you have the right attitude and character to fit into their company. They can see you as a blank canvas that can be trained and molded to match their culture and ethos.
What happens if you are a 40-year-old career changer looking for a new opportunity?
Will employers give you the same chance?
In the tech industry, the chances are that they won’t unless you can prove you already have experience. Ageism exists and can mark you as a dinosaur ten years before other industries make you feel that way. …
Learn how to identify it and stop it in its tracks
Burnout has become a big problem in this modern and fast-paced age of development. Demand for experienced developers is now higher than ever with increased pressure to always bring their A-game to the table.
People are working more hours for increased profits, but that is being counteracted by increased pressure and stress. Overstretched deadlines and workflow conflicts with co-workers or clients can all add to the problem.
Even though you may live and breathe coding, once burnout hits you will find your appetite for work diminishes to the point where you would rather do anything else than go near your computer. …
And not turn your next project into a banana skin situation.
The life of a freelancer can be very appealing. You can work from home, no commuting to suck up your day, and no boss breathing down your neck. On the face of it, nothing could be better.
“The supreme accomplishment is to blur the line between work and play.” — Arnold J. Toynbee
If you want to make a success out of freelancing there is a lot more to understand and consider. You need to go into it with your eyes wide open and understand that it can be a bumpy ride until you get a few projects under your belt. …
Use these 4 pillars of passive online income — and potentially earn while you sleep
Making money while you sleep has a great ring to it, don’t you think?
The truth is that it’s very possible and easy to maintain if you know what you are doing
For many of the self-employed including freelancers, passive income is an essential way of stabilizing what can be an erratic form of generating a wage. If you are a freelance web designer or writer, once you stop working, you stop earning. It’s as simple as that.
Make no mistake, passive income does require work upfront, but if you get it right, you can be earning from that piece of work long after you finished making it. …
You can navigate through the fog — and come out on the other side.
For many people, the thought of having your own business and being your own boss is the holy grail of income and lifestyle. You can start and finish work when you want while in the comfort of your own home. No workplace politics to worry about. What could be better?
According to Forbes, there are over 53 million freelancers in America today. The current Covid-19 pandemic is creating a big shift towards remote working and thus playing into the hands of the freelancing community. More businesses are choosing to outsource work that freelancers can capitalize on.
For some, freelancing is a roaring success, straight out of the blocks, while for others not so much. If you suffer from depression, then certain problems can present themselves that need to be overcome to move ahead. …
Pave your own path in a way that empowers you — without feeling overwhelmed
Introverts are often thought of as quiet, reserved, and thoughtful individuals. Some may be shy while others are not. Most prefer to work alone to process information and work more effectively. In meetings, they prefer to step back and let others lead the conversation.
“Quiet people have the loudest minds.” — Stephen Hawking
According to EduAdvisor, there are four kinds of introverts.
- Social introvert: Where you prefer to keep social activities to small groups
- Thinking introvert: You reflect more on your inner thoughts (introspective)
- Anxious introvert: Feeling awkward and self-conscious around people. confidence can be an issue.
- Restrained introvert: When you shy away from spontaneous situations and are very careful when making…
Debugging the gender gap in the tech industry.
According to a report recently released by TrustRadius:
More than 1 in 3 women (36%) said they’re not sure their company has made an effort to address gender equality concerns in the tech industry
Occupational sexism in the tech industry has been a subject of argument in the media for years.
A recent survey by “Women in Tech” states that:
- 82% of women believe that there are more males than females in tech
- 52% experienced gender bias in the workplace
- 81% believe that the tech industry would benefit from an equal gender workforce
- 70% believe SME’s, as well as large organizations, have a gender imbalance in the…
But so many of us make the same mistake
Have you ever sat through a 20-hour Udemy course teaching you how to build a website or app?. Maybe you have gone through a popular YouTube series that will teach you how to become a guru at React?. Yes, these resources do exist and to be honest many of them are teaching you all the right things. Some of the tutors are world known. It’s not what you are learning that is the problem but instead the way you are processing the information. Let’s look at this in detail and how you can tackle it going forward.
I once completed a Udemy course on learning how to build a WordPress theme. It was 27 hours long. By the end of it, I had an awesome Website that had so much functionality that I couldn’t wait to show it to family and friends. I was working with the rest API and using AJAX for just some of its features. …
Or is it enough to be self-taught?
I graduated from university three years ago with a computer science degree. It was one of the most difficult challenges I have taken on in my life. I was 47, so I understand what is involved in getting to the finishing line. Computer science degrees are awesome and I for one am happy that I finished it. It was a proud moment, however, one question gets asked a lot within development circles and that is whether it is worth it. Let's look at the pros and cons of taking a computer science degree.
Pros
- Ability to get a foot in the door at job…
A look into the strengths, weaknesses and problems faced within IT
What is an IT professional?
A professional is defined as “someone who is certified formally by a professional body or belongs to a specific profession by virtue of having completed an appropriate course of study and/or practice. And whose competence can usually be measured against a set of established standards”
The British Computer Society recognised the need to improve the quality and service of IT. In order to address lacking issues in the field and to deliver leadership, they embarked on a two-year programme called “Professionalism in IT programme”. This is an IT profession which:
1. Is defined in terms of its ability to play a full part in all stages of that…
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