Tech Is Not Dead

It seems like every day we are greeted with more news of another tech company going south. Whether it’s a startup, midsize organisation or global conglomerate nobody is safe from announcing layoffs, job cuts or at worse, voluntary administration. It’s understandable that many of us are left feeling uncertain about our career stability, while also juggling the skyrocketing cost of living and the potential threat of a recession looming. 

We want to tell you firstly: you are not alone to feel that way. So many of us can relate to this ambiguity and reflect on what our future in the industry will even look like. We’re all faced with similar anxieties but we are here to tell you that all hope is not lost.

Beneath the rubble and redundancies, there are still plenty of opportunities for growth, development and a rich future in tech.

Recruitment is ongoing! 

It may sound shocking, even controversial in these times, but we do still need tech workers. Last year the Tech Council of Australia reported that tech was the 7th largest employment sector nationwide. Even with that accomplishment, we’re still in a tech deficit. It will take an additional 286,000 workers in the industry to meet the demands. Fortunately, there are many companies trying to fill these gaps.

Shine Solutions continue actively taking a ‘people-first’ approach with their recruitment. 

Shine wants to see their employees succeed - offering clear career pathways for new recruits, encouraging growth and learning from their first day. Shine also are transparent about the hiring process - giving interested applicants a sense of security from day one.

Shine CEO, Mark Johnson says:

 “At Shine, we continue to see incredible demand for software engineers and other technical skills across the corporate sector. The majority of software engineers in Australia are working for major corporates rather than for big tech, and those corporates are constantly coming to us looking for more people. If you read behind the layoff stories, you'll usually find that in the context of the last 2 years, overall employment is still well up. Australia is going to have a shortage of developers and other technical skills for many years to come, so it's a smart career choice."

There is more to tech than tech.

It is worth repeating: you can work a tech job outside of the tech industry.

While we’ve all ogled at the start-ups with breakfast buffets and fantasised about strutting into a Silicon Valley office, there are great opportunities that are detached from these heavy-hitter companies. Healthcare, not-for-profits and so many more industries will continue to need tech workers. E-commerce businesses need UX designers. Restaurants need developers to build apps. Amusement parks could not exist without engineers behind the scenes.

Government services may not be top-of-mind when you think about your next tech career however, they are actually more digitally focused than reputation suggests. 

The Department of Customer Service and Service NSW both remain focused on the provision of world-class digital government services and continue to recruit for all levels of tech talent to support their development and transformation initiatives. 

Stepping into a completely new industry will open so many doors. Not only will you meet new (non-techy!) people, but you’ll also gain a fresh perspective and learn skills outside of your expertise. It could also lead to a whole new career pathway that you couldn’t have envisioned.

Take Rachel Power - one of the recent Women In Tech that we featured on our blog. Her career journey began in the unlikeliest of places - a Bunnings retail store. 14 years later she is heading up departments and working across Australia and the UK.

Upskill yourself.

It can be hard to dust yourself off and figure out what is the right next move with so much ambiguity. The good news is that while the industry is constantly changing, the potential for new opportunities grows too.

One way to stay ahead of the curve is by furthering your education. Widening your skillset keeps you adaptable - which is a soft skill that companies adore. Learn more about soft skills on our blog.

If soft skills aren’t your forte, developing your tech knowledge could be another option. Augmented and virtual reality is currently booming and we have an exclusive opportunity to upskill. We are so honoured to cohost a full 7-week course to learn AR with the Meta Immersive Learning Academy.  Find out more at the link.

AI is also having its moment as an area with massive growth. We know that AI sounds scary but it’s important to remember that even as AI booms, we will still need humans! Rather than fearing that robots will soon take over all our jobs, consider that we will require professionals who can take care of and manage these new mechanisms, updating these products to meet our future needs better. We’ll be chatting more about this topic in our upcoming event ‘Don’t Feed the AI’

Keep going.

It might sound like a cliche wall art but this feeling of career stress, fear and uncertainty is only temporary. 

Despite the negative newsreels that flood our algorithms, there are still many opportunities available. Whether it's exploring a new industry, pursuing further education, or actively seeking out companies that align with your values there are steps that you can take to navigate this changing landscape.