John McBride, a former intensive-care-unit nurse, is now a software engineer at VMWare.
John McBride
The tech industry is a popular choice for workers seeking stable, high-paying jobs.
But making the switch to a new career may not be as easy as some workers make it seem.
Six tech workers in jobs like engineering and product management told Insider how they did it.
Stories about the life-changing experience of switching into tech seem to be everywhere, but it can be hard to decipher what’s real and what’s exaggerated.
Tech salaries averaged above six figures in 2021, but it may not be as easy to break into the field as some workers make it seem. The hype around tech work on platforms like TikTok, for example, has been criticized as overly romanticizing the transition, Insider reported earlier this year.
Plus, there’s no one way to make the jump. Workers switching into tech come from all backgrounds and take various paths. For example, a former intensive-care-unit nurse became a software engineer after teaching himself through online resources and applying his nursing credits to a new degree. And a former teacher landed a job at Zoom by illustrating how their teaching skills would benefit the firm.
“In just five years I managed to turn my whole life around,” Cinneah El-Amin, a product manager who said breaking into tech helped her stop living paycheck to paycheck, told Insider. “If I learned anything, while tech can be a difficult industry, it’s important to not let your own insecurities or upbringing hold you back.”
Read stories from tech workers in engineering, product management, software development, and more about how they made the switch into the field:
A burned-out teacher pivoted to a job at Zoom by showing how their teaching skills could help the firmGianni LaTange is a developer advocate at Zoom.
Gianni LaTange
Teachers bore the brunt of the shift to remote learning during the pandemic, making already long workweeks even more strenuous. Some teachers have left the field for good and found other industries where they can apply their skills.
Gianni LaTange, who left teaching to work at Zoom as a developer advocate, said they landed the job by showcasing how their teaching skills would be valuable to the firm. The move also allowed LaTange to increase their pay to $175,000.
Read more: I burned out teaching grade school during the pandemic. Here’s how I doubled my pay to $175,000 by pivoting into tech and landing a job at Zoom.
Switching to tech helped this product manager stop living paycheck to paycheckCinneah El-Min is a product manager who has worked for companies like Mastercard and American Express.
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Higher salaries can be life-changing for some people entering tech.
Cinneah El-Amin earned $44,000 a year in her first job out of college, and it left her living paycheck to paycheck as she managed her debt. She said the jump to a technical role — she’s now a project manager — helped her quadruple her salary, pay off debts, and reevaluate her life goals.
Read more: I’m a 27-year-old product manager making $186,000 a year. Here’s how I went from living paycheck to paycheck to breaking into fintech.
An ICU nurse became an engineer in just two yearsJohn McBride, a former intensive-care-unit nurse, is now a software engineer at VMWare.
John McBride
John McBride spent four years as a nurse in the intensive-care unit, until witnessing nearly daily tragedies became too much. He started using free online resources and later went back to college, attending a program that let him put the credits from his nursing degree toward a bachelor’s in computer science.
McBride landed his first software-engineering gig at VMware after two years, and he’s been there ever since.
Read more: I was an ICU nurse who quit after 4 years of long hours and burnout. Here’s how I became a software engineer at VMware 2 years later.
