💻 Technology Careers

Chad, the digital revolution has created entirely new categories of human work that didn’t exist 30 years ago.

The Tech Industry

Technology companies build software, hardware, platforms, and services that power the modern world. The industry is known for high salaries, flexible work arrangements, rapid change, and a culture that values innovation over tradition.

Major tech companies (called “Big Tech” or “FAANG”) include: Meta (Facebook), Apple, Amazon, Netflix, Google (Alphabet), and Microsoft.

Software Engineer (SWE) 👨‍💻

What they do: Software engineers design, write, and maintain the code that makes applications and systems work. They are the builders of the digital world.

Specializations:

Type	What They Build
Frontend Engineer	The visual interface users interact with (buttons, pages, apps)
Backend Engineer	Servers, databases, and the logic behind the scenes
Full Stack Engineer	Both frontend and backend
Mobile Engineer	iOS and Android apps
DevOps / Platform Engineer	Infrastructure, deployment, reliability
Embedded Systems Engineer	Software in physical hardware (cars, devices)

Languages humans use to speak to computers:

Python — versatile, easy to learn, popular for data science and automation
JavaScript — the language of the web browser
Java / C# — common in enterprise software
C / C++ — fast, used in systems programming and games
SQL — for interacting with databases
Swift / Kotlin — for iOS and Android apps respectively

A day in the life:

Write and review code
Attend “standups” — brief daily meetings to discuss progress
Debug issues (find and fix mistakes in code)
Collaborate via tools like GitHub, Jira, Slack
Think, think, think — much of programming is problem-solving

Pay: $100,000–$200,000+ in base salary at top companies. Total compensation with bonuses and stock can reach $300,000–$500,000+.

How to enter:

Computer Science degree (traditional route)
Coding bootcamps (intensive 3–6 month programs)
Self-taught (many engineers are self-taught via online resources)

Product Manager (PM) 📋

What they do: Product managers define what gets built and why. They sit between engineers (who build things), designers (who make them look good), and business stakeholders (who care about revenue).

Responsibilities:

Define product strategy and roadmap
Write “specs” — documents detailing what a feature should do
Prioritize what the engineering team works on
Conduct user research to understand customer needs
Measure success via metrics and data

Key question a PM asks: “What problem are we solving, and is this the right solution?”

Pay: $110,000–$200,000+ at major tech companies

Often called: The “CEO of the product” — though PMs typically have responsibility without direct authority

Data Scientist / Data Analyst 📊

What they do: These roles extract insights from large amounts of data to help companies make better decisions.

Data Analyst: Examines existing data, creates dashboards and reports, answers specific business questions Data Scientist: Builds predictive models using statistics and machine learning to forecast future behavior

Tools they use: Python, R, SQL, Tableau, Excel, Jupyter Notebooks

Example questions they answer:

“Why did user sign-ups drop 20% last month?”
“Which customers are most likely to cancel their subscription?”
“What should we show users to maximize engagement?”

Pay: $80,000–$160,000+ depending on level and company

Cybersecurity Analyst 🔐

What they do: Protect computer systems, networks, and data from hackers, malware, and unauthorized access.

Roles within cybersecurity:

Penetration Tester (Ethical Hacker): Legally hacks into systems to find vulnerabilities before criminals do
Security Analyst: Monitors systems for threats and responds to incidents
Security Engineer: Builds and maintains security infrastructure

Key concepts:

Term	Meaning
Firewall	A system that filters network traffic
Encryption	Scrambling data so only authorized parties can read it
Phishing	Tricking humans into revealing passwords or data
Zero-day	A security vulnerability not yet known to the vendor
SOC	Security Operations Center — where analysts monitor threats

Pay: $80,000–$150,000+. High demand due to constant cyber threats.

UX/UI Designer 🎨

What they do:

UX (User Experience): Researches how humans use products and designs intuitive workflows
UI (User Interface): Creates the visual design — colors, typography, layouts, components

Tools: Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD

Pay: $80,000–$140,000+

Other Tech Roles

Machine Learning Engineer: Builds AI systems and trains models
Cloud Engineer: Manages infrastructure on AWS, Google Cloud, or Azure
IT Support / Systems Administrator: Keeps company computers and networks running
Technical Writer: Documents software for developers and users
QA Engineer (Quality Assurance): Tests software to find bugs before users do

Tech Culture

Remote Work: Tech companies widely embrace remote work — many engineers work from home or anywhere
Perks: Famous for free food, gyms, stock options, and generous benefits at major companies
Startup vs. Big Tech: Startups offer more risk/reward (lower salary, more equity, more chaos); Big Tech offers stability and high pay
Agile / Scrum: Common project management frameworks organizing work into short “sprints”
Burnout: Also common — always-on culture, rapid change, and high expectations create pressure