How did you get here? Technical.ly is tracking tech career trajectories this November

Maybe you’re a VP of product now, but it’s your second career after starting as a librarian. Maybe you went to school for architecture and now work in UX design. Perhaps you’re in project management, but want to pivot to cybersecurity engineering. Perchance you did everything you were “supposed” to, but are still struggling to break into a next-level role at your company.

Has your tech career path been a straight line, a twist or a zigzag? Technical.ly wants to hear your story.

November 2022 is Technical.ly’s How I Got Here Month. Our newsroom will take cues from our ongoing How I Got Here series of profiles, Q&As and guest posts, as well as past editorial calendar themes such as Tech Career Paths Month (February 2021) and How to Get a Tech Job Month (November 2021).

Expect additional reporting on the winding career trajectories of today’s technologists and other professionals in our local tech ecosystems. We might cover topics like tech education programs, publish explainers on how to break into different careers within the industry and ask “Where are they now?” of folks we’ve featured previously in the How I Got Here series.

We’ll also explore themes and questions like:  What nontraditional paths led to successful tech careers? What are the latest skill and salary trends? How can junior devs secure mentorship from more experienced technologists?

Be a part of the ongoing How I Got Here series

Our reporting will follow threads we’ve explored in the past, and seek to go further. For instance, we know that career pivots are common and lessons from past lives can translate surprisingly well to new ones (dance to coding, anyone?). We know diversifying the tech sector requires intentional hiring practices, but also strategies for retention alongside things like apprenticeships and youth STEM programs at the talent pipeline’s first stages. We know that your college major doesn’t always match what you’re doing now. Moreover, we know that this isn’t the whole picture of a unique, successful tech career.

Are you an expert we should talk to, or do you know of one? Is there a report we need to read to explain this topic better? Want to write a first-person guest post about your relevant experience or share some resources? Let us know:

Get in touch

Plus, there’s an event to bring some of this reporting to life: If you’re based in the Greater Philadelphia region, meet us and 1Philadelphia on Nov. 17 for a reception and hiring event celebrating the Most Diverse Tech Hub series. To mark the conclusion of our current initiative to increase Black and brown participation in tech, we invite you to connect with employers hiring in the region, network with other local technologists and celebrate with food and drinks. Hiring companies in attendance will include:

• Pinnacle21
• Comcast
• Crossbeam
• Kleer

Register for the free event