What’s next in tech education? Technical.ly will explore this July

Yes, it’s still a good time to get into tech.

While layoffs are hitting highly valued tech firms and the US approaches (or may already be in the midst of) a recession, CompTIA’s monthly tracker reports that both tech industry employment and tech occupation job postings are on the up and up. That’s been the case pretty consistently for two years, following an early-pandemic dip.

So, what to do if you’re not already an experienced software engineer or product manager — or if you’re a young person just getting curious about the field?

What technical skills and languages are essential to know now, and what’s the best way to develop them? What local computer science courses, coding bootcamps, youth STEM camps and other such programs are best preparing junior or future devs for successful tech careers? And on the company side: How are employers considering requirements for tech candidates? What entry points should, but don’t yet exist for entry-level roles?

Taking cues from past editorial calendar themes such as tech career paths, youth building the future and workforce development month, July 2022 is Technical.ly’s Tech Education Month. Look for extra reporting on the programs and best practices for training up the next generation of tech pros, advice for those looking to advance further and lessons from looking back. (Senior technologists, we’re looking at you.)

This doesn’t mark the start of our tech education coverage. Some recent stories we’ve published in Philly, Baltimore, DC, Delaware and Pittsburgh cover topics ranging from high school robotics tournaments to why engineering degree programs should blend theory with practice. We’ve dug into training bootcamps focused on low-income residents and new strategies to teach advanced technologies. We’ve asked, “What’s next for edtech?”

Plus, consider our whole dang How I Got Here series tracking the many ways to pursue a tech career. We love hearing from people who count MySpace as their first coding experience, or who can apply lessons from hobbies (say, ballet?) to their job search.

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

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