This document provides an overview of getting started in tech. It discusses how technology is impacting most industries and the growth of tech jobs. It outlines common entry-level roles in development like front-end and back-end development. It also describes how coding skills can combine with other areas to create jobs like product management, growth hacking, and data science. Finally, it offers advice on learning skills, building a portfolio, networking, and preparing for technical interviews to break into a tech career.

1. Getting Started in Tech
July 2017
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2. Instructors
Noel Duarte
New Markets Manager, Thinkful
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Kevin Witthuhn
Agent, Aquent - Creative Staffing Agency
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3. About you
What's your name?
What brought you here today?
What is your programming experience?
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4. About Thinkful
Thinkful helps people become developers or data scientists
through 1-on-1 mentorship and project-based learning
These workshops are built using this approach.These workshops are built using this approach.
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5. What is "tech"?
Tech isn’t just one industry anymore — it’s the new business
model. Every company is now a tech company.
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6. "Software is Eating the World"
“More and more major businesses andMore and more major businesses and
industries are being run on softwareindustries are being run on software
and delivered as online servicesand delivered as online services — from
movies to agriculture to national defense.
Many of the winners are Silicon Valley-style
entrepreneurial technology companies that
are invading and overturning established
industry structures. Over the next 10Over the next 10
years, I expect many more industries toyears, I expect many more industries to
be disrupted by softwarebe disrupted by software, with new
world-beating Silicon Valley companies
doing the disruption in more cases than not.”
- Marc Andreeson, WSJ, 2011
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7. Largest in their areas - all tech based companies
Everything
Transportation
Social Media
Advertising
Entertainment
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8. Goldman Sachs
The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. is a
leading global investment banking
Lloyd Blankfein, CEO
“Goldman Sachs is a Technology Firm”
9,000 out of 33,000 employees are on
tech team
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9. The good news
- Bureau of Labor Statistics
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10. The implications for jobs
Increased demand in for technical skills
Creation of new “software plus” jobs
Diffusion of tech organizational culture, roles, and processes
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11. One such process — career trajectory
Junior sales
Account
executive
Sales
Manager
VP Sales
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12. In “tech” career trajectories are varied
Front End Developer
Back End Developer
Full Stack Developer
QA Developer
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13. In “tech” career trajectories are varied
Front End Developer
Back End Developer
Full Stack Developer
QA Developer
Manager / team lead
Reliability Engineer
Growth Hacker
Product Developer
Dev Ops
Architect
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14. In “tech” career trajectories are varied
Front End Developer
Back End Developer
Full Stack Developer
QA Developer
Manager / team lead
Reliability Engineer
Growth Hacker
Product Developer
Dev Ops
Architect
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15. Common first jobs
Front End Developer
Back End Developer
Full Stack Developer
QA Developer
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16. Front end developer
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17. Back end developer
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18. Full stack developer
+
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19. QA Developer
Write software tests and conduct manual tests to catch bugs
before they’re shipped
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20. Next step: Senior Developer
Everything that came before with the ability to estimate your
work accurately, handle challenging problems with less
support, and add support for junior colleagues
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21. Coding plus Roles
Coding + Product = Product Manager
Coding + Marketing = Growth Hacker
Coding + Sales = Sales Engineer
Coding + Data = Data Scientist
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22. Product Manager (Coding + Product)
Skills & ToolsSkills & Tools
Customer research
Customer development
User stories
Wireframes
Project management
Analytics
Turn business goals into product requirements. Work with
designers & developers to deliver — measure success
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23. Growth Hacker (Coding + Marketing)
Skills & ToolsSkills & Tools
Rapid prototyping
Analytics
Communication
Design & implement experiments to drive customer
acquisition and engagement
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24. Sales Engineer (Coding + Sales)
Skills & ToolsSkills & Tools
Customer Support
Communication
Sell complex technical product by helping customer
understand how it works and how they’ll use it
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25. Data Scientist (Coding + Data)
Skills & ToolsSkills & Tools
Curiosity
Statistics
Analytics
Machine Learning
Use statistics and programming to find valuable insights
from extremely large datasets
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26. Breaking in
Massive shortages in tech industry
Hiring is based on skills, not credentials
Anyone can learn with a growth mindset
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27. Anyone can learn how to code
Students with a growth mindset - the belief that intelligence is not
just something that you are born with - have higher levels of success.
Neural connections grow and become stronger the more youNeural connections grow and become stronger the more you
struggle with learning and correct your mistakes.struggle with learning and correct your mistakes.
Carol DweckCarol Dweck, Professor of Psychology at Stanford University
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28. Many firms recruit from coding challenge sites
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29. Technical interview is cornerstone of the process
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30. How to get in the door?
Learn the skills
Build a portfolio of high quality work
Develop a relevant network
Prep for technical interviews
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31. Learning the skills
Build stuff + Google
Free online resources (e.g. CodeAcademy)
Flexible coding bootcamps (e.g Thinkful)
Full-time coding bootcamps (e.g. Thinkful, App Academy)
CS degree programs (UCLA)
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32. Building your portfolio
Find a niche (based on your background)
Build a personal website
Get your portfolio on GitHub
Try and find contract work
Have professionals guide & review your work
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33. Networking the right way
80% of job openings are never advertised
120 average applicants per job posted
20% get an interview
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34. Networking the right way
Cold applications suck!
Figure out what you want (size, industry, role, etc)
Reach out to someone that works at company
Ask them about their work, genuine interest, build a relationship
Eventually (1-2 months in), ask for referral
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35. Tech recruiters
Tech recruiters serve as your agent
Can leverage their relationships to arrange interviews
They are incentivized to find you a job
You might get less say in where, but are helpful
Can be great in getting you feedback
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36. Thinkful students find jobs through connections
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37. The technical interview
Phone screen
Take home tech challenge
In-person interviews
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38. Resources
Prep sites (e.g. Interview Cake)
Books (e.g. Cracking the Coding Interview)
Mock interviews with technical friends
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39. Thinkful - structure and support
More Structure
Less Structure
More SupportLess Support
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40. 325+ mentors325+ mentors with an average of
10 years of experience10 years of experience in the
field
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41. Career prep and job-placement
Liz Stephanie
Our career services team has helped 88% of our grads
begin jobs at companies like:
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42. Take a Thinkful tour!
Talk to me to set something up !
Take a look through Thinkful's
student platform to see if
project-based, online learning
is a good fit for you 👀
While we're at it, give us
feedback on tonight's
workshop.
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