Non-Tech Careers in Tech

The stories of tech companies and their rise to glory (or infamy) are the stuff movies are made of.  You need look no further than The Social Network, Steve Jobs, or The Dropout to see there’s excitement to be found in the tech industry (and more than a few cautionary tales). 

If the idea of a job in tech excites you, but you don’t have a background or education in that field, fear not. Only a portion of any tech company is focused on programming and innovation. To be successful, there are many roles required to make a tech company run smoothly and grow the product. Here are just a few career paths you can explore for a non-technical career in tech.

Recruiter

Often the first step in the hiring process, recruiters are tasked with seeking talent to work within a company. Either by reviewing submitted resumes or proactively looking for candidates, recruiters are crucial to shaping the success of any organization. 

A recruiter works closely not only with candidates but also with HR and hiring managers to determine the right kind of candidates to move forward in the process. 

Successful recruiters have great people skills. They are not only confident enough to cold call (or cold LinkedIn message), but put can put candidates at ease as they go through the interview process. 

To become a recruiter, it is helpful to have a degree in Human Resources, Psychology, or Communications, but often relevant work experience, as well as a passion for the work, can be a good substitute for a degree. You can also look for industry conferences, networking events, and other continuing education opportunities to not only beef up your skills and stay on top of trends but also get to know others in the industry who may be able to guide you.

Average Salary in 2022: $93,882 USD

Human Resources

While most people tend to think of Human Resources (HR) as where you go when there are problems at work, the actual scope of HR is quite broad. This breadth provides multiple career path opportunities.   

The Tech industry employs a wide range of personality types. Because of this, those who are skilled in the people-focused side of a company will be in high demand. An education or background in HR will be desirable even for entry-level type jobs. For upward mobility in the field, more experience and specialized training/certifications may be necessary. 

Entry-level type jobs include:

• HR Assistant - Assist managers and executive-level HR team members with various administrative duties. This is a great introduction to the world of HR even if it does not strictly provide HR functions.
• HR Coordinator - Often reporting to the HR Manager, coordinators can often be the first line of contact for new hire onboarding or fielding inquiries from current employees.
• Average Pay: $18-21/hr USD 

Mid-level type jobs include:

• HR Generalist - A highly administrative role, generalists will manage the department’s day-to-day operations in regard to compliance and reporting, internal communication, and other employee-focused tasks.
• HR Specialist - Specialists often work hand in hand with recruiters when it comes to filling vacancies. 
• Average Salary: $61,000 - $65,000/year USD 

Professional experience level roles include:

• Labor Relations Specialist - These are highly skilled roles as they require knowledge of local and national wage and labor laws as well as a thorough understanding of any collective bargaining agreements the company must adhere to with unionized employees.
• Employee Relations Manager - This is the role most think of when they hear “HR.” They must be skilled in communication as well as active listening. They must be well-versed in local and national employment laws to best understand how to resolve conflict and address sensitive workplace issues.
• Average Salary: $72,000 - $89,000 

This is just a small sampling of HR roles that a tech company could need. The Human Resources department could be large or small depending on the scale of the company. In addition, a bit of technical savvy will go a long way in this career path. More tech companies are embracing a remote workforce or have a nationwide (even international) employee footprint, thus cloud-based HR software is becoming the norm for managing the employee life-cycle. 

Marketing

There’s no point in creating a product if no one knows about it. Therefore, Marketing serves a vital role for a tech company. Much like Human Resources, Marketing provides a wide variety of career paths. A degree in Marketing is helpful, but if you lack the funds for a 4-year university, it is possible to get a certification through a university or “boot camp” that shows you’ve received a highly specialized introduction to the concepts and tools at a fraction of the cost. Both Google and Coursera are good resources for such certifications. Meta (aka Facebook) and Hootsuite also offer certifications with their products specifically that look good on a resume.

Marketing Manager/Director - Oversees the marketing team as well as sets the tone and focus for campaigns across all channels. Those in these leadership roles must be up to date on current marketing trends, but also understand the audience for the product. Understanding the audience, where they spend their time, and how they prefer to be communicated with will determine the successful growth of the company. This person must also be skilled at communicating with all levels in a company as they will often be the face of the team to senior management and the various divisions within a company.

Average Salary in 2022: $67,422 USD

Digital Marketing - This aspect of marketing focuses on creating brand recognition and loyalty online. They will not only plan and execute online campaigns across search engines, social media, and ad aggregators, but also continuously monitor performance and adjust spending, text, or creative accordingly. Additionally, successful digital marketers will understand SEO and use this knowledge to continually enhance their website to stay in step with current trends that will keep the brand on top of search results. They will have a keen eye for interpreting data and relaying that information to leadership and marketing team members.

Average Salary in 2022: $60,211 USD 

Social Media - Often the most misunderstood area of marketing, having a TikTok or Instagram doesn’t automatically make someone qualified to run a company’s social media. This person is the online voice of the brand. This means not only creating exciting posts (or working with a graphics department to develop them) but understanding who the audience is, which sites they are on, and what types of content they are most likely to engage with. Some tech companies are B2C (consumer) others are B2B (sell to another business); understanding this difference will also determine the “voice” used.

This job also requires a fair amount of PR (public relations) skills as people will often complain publicly if things don’t go just right. Staying on top of these issues can mean the difference between an angry tweetstorm that causes lasting damage to brand reputation and creating raving fans who appreciate that a company hears their concerns and addresses them. 

Average Salary in 2022: $56,577 

Public Relations

Public Relations (PR) often works hand-in-hand with Marketing when it comes to creating brand awareness. Those who are most successful in PR have a stockpile of contacts to who they can pitch angles for a product (or personality). They are also always networking to create new ones. Their knowledge of these contacts and their focus (print, digital, radio, TV, etc.) will allow a PR professional to pitch stories specifically for that media. A specific product may be great for an in-depth magazine feature or a showcase with a YouTube influencer. A charismatic company leader might do well on a podcast. A news outlet may be interested in how a feature is answering a problem that’s been making headlines.

PR will also help craft general press releases, share messaging for how employees should respond (if at all) if approached on a newsworthy incident, and advise executives on how to present themselves publicly. 

Average Salary in 2022: $62,528 USD 

These are just a few of the many jobs to be had in the tech industry that aren’t specifically “tech.” If you have a background in Finance/Accounting, Project Management, or even Customer Service and Success, you can be pretty sure that those skills will be sought after to create a fully functioning and successful company - even in Tech.

None of the descriptions above are intended to be definitive. Different companies will have different expectations and requirements of those they employ for the role.

Salaries listed are a national average and can vary greatly depending on location, industry, and economic conditions.

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