Tech Jobs That You Don’t Think Are Tech Jobs

For decades, popular culture has kept alive a set of very narrow stereotypes about tech workers. These caricatures are often young, white, and male, like the software engineer who guzzles coffee by the gallon, or the socially skittish IT administrator hiding in a cave of wires. 

The reality is, tech is a far more diverse and inclusive field than any TV show or movie wants you to believe. In fact, plenty of roles exist that don’t even require coding. To illustrate the possibilities, here’s a list of four rewarding careers that are great options for breaking into tech.

Market research analyst

Market research analysts use qualitative and quantitative data to uncover insights on an organization’s customers, competitors, and marketing strategies. For example, they surface trends on consumer behavior, conduct market segmentation, and evaluate competitors.

They work closely with sales and marketing teams — and also communicate frequently with executives and high-level managers. As such, market research analysts need to be comfortable presenting findings and sharing suggestions to improve an organization’s strategy.

Even though market research analysts don’t code, the role relies heavily on technical skills, such as data collection, analysis, and visualization. Many in the profession are employed in tech, where data is a competitive advantage and companies are eager to harness its power.

Market research analyst occupational outlook

Source: BLS

AC Slamet’s story: Leaving TV for tech

‍AC_{A Producer Switches to Tech to Find Time for Life: AC Slamet’s TripleTen Story} used to work 15 hour days as a producer for unscripted TV. But as time went on, the relentless pace started to take its toll on his health. Intrigued by the idea of working with data and having a regular schedule, AC enrolled in what was then the TripleTen Data Analytics program and is now the Business Intelligence Analytics program. Three months after graduation, he landed his current job as a data analyst at an ad agency. He no longer works holidays and has energy to spare for family life with his partner and dogs.

It’s a stark difference. I work eight hours every day, Monday to Friday. I have my weekends off, which is amazing. AC Slamet, tripleTen grad

UX/UI designer

UX/UI designers_{Demystifying UX/UI Design: The Power of User Experience} support product or website development at each stage of the development lifecycle to ensure an end product that is visually appealing, as well as functional and easy-to-use. Their role spans informational architecture, visual design, and more. 

They work closely with developers, product managers, and other stakeholders to ensure user needs and behaviors are being carefully considered at each stage of development. As such, UI/UX designers must be very comfortable collaborating and advocating for quality.

Although coding is less common for UI/UX designers, basic coding skills can be helpful. This makes it a “technical-lite” position for people who enjoy using their curiosity and problem-solving at work. It’s also essential to building successful products, so is in-demand among tech teams.

‍UI/UX designer occupational outlook

Source: BLS

Learn more about this career path on the TripleTen UX/UI Design program page.

Business intelligence analyst

Business intelligence (BI) analysts_{How to Become a Business Intelligence Analyst} collect, process, and analyze the data a company receives or has access to such as revenue, customer demographics, website clicks, etc. They typically sit under the BI team within an organization, or serve as an offshoot of the engineering team.

BI analysts use tools from Google, Microsoft, or Amazon to collect and visualize data so they can inform decision making and drive efficiency across an organization — from hiring to sales and beyond.

BI analysts may use programming languages like SQL_{Data Analytics 101: All You Need to Know about SQL} or R to build database systems, as well as extract, transform, and load (ETL) tools such as Informatica or Talend. So they’re definitely more technical in scope than roles such as UI/UX designer or market research analyst, but these professionals are still less code-focused than software developers or data scientists.

‍BI analyst occupational outlook

Source: Zippia

Sheldon Kinsler’s story: Finding community as a BI analyst

‍Sheldon_{From Sales to Tech: How Sheldon Kinsler Found a New Career and Community} did not like his job in sales — or its inconsistent paycheck. On the hunt for a community he could call home, a consultation with a TripleTen advisor led him to our Business Intelligence Analytics program. Now a business data analyst for an insurance brokerage company, Sheldon is finally part of a team that celebrates both the wins and learning moments.

When the person who’s training me, someone who’s been doing this for 10 years, gets a piece of code right, he still fist bumps me, saying, ‘Heck yeah. Score one for the data team.’ Sheldon Kinsler, TripleTen grad

Data analyst

Data analysts_{How to Become a Data Analyst} gather, parse, and leverage data to solve specific problems, such as declining revenue or low engagement, or to make predictions that business leaders can utilize. They turn raw data into something easy to understand, so they need a genuine passion for working with it.

They may use programming languages such as Python_{A Brief Introduction to Python — the universal programming language}, SQL, or even Excel to streamline the data collection and storage process. From there, data analysts use data visualization tools like Looker or Tableau to make dynamic graphs or charts. Each day is unique as a data analyst.

Data analysts are in high demand, especially in the tech industry where data plays an essential role. This role requires slightly more confidence with tech skills than others on this list — a level comparable to that expected of business intelligence analysts.

Data analyst occupational outlook

Source: BLS

Evgeniia Unzhakova’s story: Repurposing old degrees in a new country

‍Evgeniia_{How an Immigrant Landed a Career in the US: Evgeniia Unzhakova’s TripleTen Story} found herself looking for a new career after her move to the US meant she could no longer teach college mathematics. Community college moved too slow for her taste, so she decided to go all in on the TripleTen Data Science program. After graduating, she found herself back in a college setting, but as a research analyst at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

It was what I was looking for. It’s a science between math and programming. Evgeniia Unzhakova. TripleTen grad

How to snag one of these jobs: the first step

We shared these three TripleTen graduate stories with you because we wanted to illustrate an important point: Anyone, regardless of prior experience, professional background, or personal commitments, can break into tech with the right support and educational path.

How do we know? Our Outcomes Report, based on the experiences of over 1,000 TripleTen students, proves it. Not only do 87% of our students come from a non-STEM background, 80% consider themselves as not particularly tech-savvy. Yet despite this newness to both subject matter and required hard skills, 87% of our grads land a job within six months of graduation.

See if a bootcamp is right for you

Even though we’re big believers in the power of the professional bootcamp to launch tech careers, we also understand everyone’s journey is unique. That’s why we put together an impartial self-assessment to help people in transition figure out the best educational path.

In just five minutes, you’ll get results that are accurate, unbiased, and informative, including next steps and ideas for what you can do next, regardless of the path recommended. So if you’re curious whether a bootcamp could be right for you, check out the quiz here.