Blog: Want a seamless transition into tech? Here's career advice from millennial techie.

John Ang
AI and Data Delivery Manager,
Temus

The world has seen rapid acceleration and adoption of all things digital within the last decade. And as one of the fastest-growing sectors globally, the tech industry is abundant with career opportunities, while digital talent is in short supply.

But, pursuing a tech career may seem daunting when you come from a non-technical field of work – even more so if you're switching mid-career. The good news is that not all tech roles require a degree or technical expertise.

So how exactly does one successfully transition into tech? Millennial techie John Ang, a Data and AI Delivery Manager at Temus, shares his experience switching careers and pearls of wisdom gleaned along the way.

On what sparked his decision to pursue a career in tech

Coming from a finance background, I spent the first two years of my career working in a bank, followed by three years in a finance role at a startup, before making the jump to tech.

When I joined the bank, I had a colleague who showed me how he had written a VBA macro to automate a 45-minute task down to just 20 seconds. It was magic. From that day, I started messing around with code during my free time. I only decided to go all in after a few years.

On his pivotal journey into tech

Truthfully, it was very intimidating. I had no "lay of the land" and no sense if whatever I did would pay off professionally. There were many days when I wondered if I would ever reach a level of skill that would make me employable in a tech-related role.

Eventually, I reached the lightbulb moment, where everything started to click – but the journey to gaining skills and confidence wasn't an easy one. It's what every beginner goes through.

People from non-technical backgrounds can now opt for digital upskilling programmes like Step IT Up x Temus to accelerate their career pathways. Instead of figuring it out on their own, students acquire the digital skills needed under the guidance of industry coaches and experts. Plus, they'll get a full-training sponsorship. This factor alone would give any mid-career switcher like me peace of mind throughout the transition.

On getting his big tech break

It happened when I fully committed myself. I gave myself a year to immerse myself in learning, building projects and applying for tech-related roles. I tried everything at least once – boot camps, books, meet-ups, online courses and more. All of this knowledge has been helpful to me at one point or another.

On growing your interests through tech

If I could give my past self a tip, it would be to worry less about doing or learning the "right" things and letting your interests guide you more.

For example, if you like data science, pursue that path. If you enjoy web design, immerse yourself in UI/UX or front-end development. Your skills will carry whether you're coding up a machine learning model or building a mobile app, and you'll go much further doing something you're interested in.

On the advantages that non-tech professionals can bring to the table

One of the most significant advantages that non-classically-trained people have over those with a traditional computer science education is cross-domain expertise. Code exists to build what people find useful, and having that experience to identify those areas is an invaluable skill.

Working on the business side of things has allowed me to zoom quickly into organisational problems that would deliver the most value if resolved. I've effectively used this skill to convert business needs into precise engineering requirements.

On the ultimate skills needed for a successful tech career

The most important thing is being open to learning constantly. The tech landscape is always changing, and learning new things daily is a key feature of tech jobs.

On his job at Temus and what it entails

I work as an AI and Data Delivery Manager in the Temus AI & Data Centre of Excellence. My job involves working with clients to understand how to use digital solutions to drive business transformation and with our engineering teams to operationalise and deliver those solutions.

On his favourite Temus project

My favourite so far was an organic movement that surfaced while envisioning the future of education. Over the past few months, as we've worked on multiple education-related projects, some of the team members at Temus have realised that we have the tools to radically re-imagine education. A small team got together and started ideating – we now have over 10 people crafting working solutions to make that vision a reality.

On how joining tech has enabled him to spark change and make a difference

Tech now powers change in the world. This is true across almost every sector and industry. The ability to build this tech makes me far more empowered about shaping the future and creating the change I want to see in the world.

On why people who are interested in joining the tech industry should apply for Step IT Up x Temus

Having a platform to interact with co-workers while building real digital solutions is invaluable to someone just starting. It is magnitudes better than building projects on your own. There is also tremendous value in joining a fast-growing company, from the projects you'll take on and the opportunities coming your way.

If you're interested in tech but haven't had the chance to make the jump, Step IT Up x Temus is as close to a "no-lose" situation as it gets. The biggest opportunities come to those who join early, so don't wait!

Applications for Step IT Up x Temus (April cohort) are open till 20 February 2023. Visit stepitup.temus.com to jumpstart your digital transformation.