Understanding the Different Career Families

Navigating the tech sector can be overwhelming, whether you’re just starting or not.

These days, there are multiple pathways into tech. You don’t have to gain a degree or have qualifications - anyone can find themselves in a tech role.

Career changers, people bringing skills from other sectors into tech, are proving to be key drivers of this boom. It’s a great time to start a tech career, with recent statistics echoing this growth.

According to figures, the UK tech scene employs over 1.7 million people, adding over £150bn to the UK economy each year. In the North East of England alone, there were 27,000 individuals in employment in digital tech across the North East LEP in 2021.

Before embarking on a tech career, researching the roles and skills required is key. Ultimately, understanding the job you would like to pursue is one piece of the puzzle. The next stage involves navigating how your skill set aligns, the terminology required and the job titles that match your expertise.

Here at Tech Talent Engine, we have made this easier by outlining six distinct career families in digital. Below, we discuss these in more detail.

A career in Creative Digital involves working on a range of projects under the creative bracket. This can include working on several visual and interactive means, such as design or videography.

Some roles that fall under this career family include:

• Videographer– This role involves working with camera equipment to produce video pieces. Most videographers also edit their material using software such as Adobe Premiere Pro.
• Graphic Designer – This involves the design and production of a range of visuals, including flyers, logos, packaging, and product displays.
• Animator– An animator works as part of a larger team to produce animations for a range of media. This can include overseeing a specific element of the animation process or the full lifecycle.

Although experience is an important aspect of this sector, soft skills can be equally as important.

Soft skills required:

• Communication– In the creative sector, communication is key. Whether following briefs or speaking with external clients, successful communications help us to better understand our audience and their motivations.
• Adaptability– Working brings its challenges. Adaptability is key, allowing you to pivot to the organisational needs at the time.
• Emotional intelligence – Involves recognising the emotions of others and creating content that resonates with them.

If you’re a creative person, then this may be a suitable career path for you.

Data and Insights involve collecting, analysing, and interpreting data. If you’re good with numbers and data, then a career in data and insights may be of interest.

There are plenty of transferrable skills in this sector too, including marketing specialists, managing consultants and business analysts. These roles typically involve analysing data and suggesting improvements.

A few roles that cover this career family include:

• Data Analyst – This involves collecting, organising, and studying data to produce reports for businesses and organisations. A data analyst takes responsibility for producing reports and presentations for stakeholders.
• Data Scientist – As a data scientist, you will gather data from sources to create models and test different ideas. This can involve analysing patterns to form insights.
• Business Analyst – Business analysts look at how organisations are performing and help them to improve systems and processes.

Soft skills required:

• Critical thinking – Working with data involves problem-solving, so a strong passion for analytics is key. When things go wrong, you should be able to confidently find an escape route.
• Teamwork– Teamwork is an essential aspect of this sector. Whether it’s presenting data or collecting findings, the ability to work well in a team is highly sought after.
• Time management – Data involves a high level of concentration and attention to detail, making time management essential.

Working in data is a challenging but rewarding role. Given the high level of demand, those working in this sector are constantly learning and adapting to new technologies and trends.

Digital Communication involves using an organisations online communication effort, such as social media, email, and marketing strategy.

This involves creating a relationship with its audience and key stakeholders, as well as portraying strong brand awareness. To work in this sector, you will have a passion for creativity and people.

Some roles under this career family include:

• Copywriter– Responsible for writing clear and succinct copy, this role involves working on a range of formats. From blogs to landing pages, PR and mailers, a copywriter can pivot to meet organisational needs.
• Social Media Manager – Social media managers are involved in creating strategies to increase followers and maintain an online community.
• Communications Manager – This involves creating and overseeing communications programmes to effectively enhance an organisation's products or services.
• Marketing Executive – Marketing executives are involved in the strategic execution of marketing campaigns, planning marketing events and maintaining an online presence.

Soft skills required:

• Communication– Working in this sector requires strong communication skills. This enables a company to build relationships with its customers.
• Emotional intelligence – Empathy and emotional intelligence are two key components of a great marketer. If you can put yourself in someone else's shoes, then this sector is a great fit for you.
• Adaptability – The technology world is constantly changing and adapting, meaning you will be required to often pivot and change. Adaptability is a must.

A career in IT Operation involves administering processes and services for an organisations information technology (IT) department. The IT Operations department often provides other IT support, such as network administration and help desks.

Some roles under this career family include:

• IT Technician – An IT Technician provides a range of services to fix and maintain the hardware and software within an organisation's computer systems.
• Solutions Architect – A Solutions Architect observes problems and works on proposing technological solutions. They create the overall technical vision for a business.
• Security Architect – Security Architects assess an organisation’s systems for weaknesses and build robust penetration tests.
• IT Helpdesk Engineer – IT Helpdesk Engineers monitor and maintain computer systems. Operating the helpdesk, they also provide technical support across the company.

Soft skills required:

• Problem-solving – With the ongoing risk of cyber attacks on organisations, those working in this sector must hold strong problem-solving skills.
• Creativity– Do you have an eye for detail and seek creativity in all formats?
• Critical thinking – Thinking quickly on the spot is key. Whether the network has gone down or an issue has arisen, you should be able to think intelligently.

The IT department is a highly specialised team that is responsible for IT support, such as network administration, mobile contracting, help desks and device management. This can include creating a framework for cyber-attacks and forming extra security measures to equip a company for a digital market.

Working in Technology Solutions allows you to be involved in creating, designing, programming and testing applications used by businesses and end users. This can include coding, software and analysing programming of a computer database.

If you’re an inquisitive person who enjoys problem solving, then this career family would be a great opportunity to utilise your skills.

Some roles under this career family include:

• Software Engineer – Software Engineers design, develop, test and maintain software applications, systems and platforms. They write code using languages such as Python, Java, C++ and JavaScript.
• Full Stack Developer – Full Stack Developers are proficient in front-end technologies such as HTML, CSS and JavaScript. They create user interfaces and user experiences that are visually appealing and responsive.
• Cloud Architect – A Cloud Architect works within the cloud realm to create solutions and architects to meet the technical needs of an organisation.
• DevOps Engineer – A DevOps Engineer facilitates collaboration between development (Dev) and operations (Ops) teams by implementing processes, practices and tools to streamline delivery.
• Security Analyst – A Security Analyst is a cyber security professional responsible for protecting an organisation's information systems and data from security threats, vulnerabilities and breaches.

Soft skills required:

• Communication – Clear and effective communication skills are crucial for conveying technical concepts and collaborating with team members.
• Problem-solving – Strong problem-solving skills are a must, allowing professionals to analyse problems and develop innovative solutions.
• Critical thinking – Critical thinking skills are essential for evaluating information, analysing data and making informed decisions in a technical project.

User Research and Relationships involve building, managing and utilising relationships. If you’re a natural people person, then this career family will allow you to work with people on all levels.

Some roles under this career family include:

• Product Manager – A Product Manager defines the overall vision and strategy of a product, considering customer needs and business goals.
• Market Researcher – A Market Researcher gathers, analyses and interprets data about markets, customers, competitors and industry trends to make decisions about their product.
• Account Manager – An Account Manager is a professional responsible for building and maintaining relationships with clients to ensure their satisfaction and loyalty.
• Project Manager – A Product Manager oversees the development and lifestyle of a product from conception to market launch and beyond.
• Sales Executive – In this role, the primary objective is to drive sales growth and meet or exceed sales targets.

Soft skills required:

• Empathy– This will allow you to understand a range of different perspectives, needs and pain points.
• Flexibility– Unexpected challenges may occur. This often requires flexibility and adaptability.
• Communication – Strong communication is critical as you will often work with stakeholders and team members.

Whether nurturing relationships with key stakeholders or building a rapport of contacts, you’ll get the opportunity to network with others in the field, as well as understand their motivations.

Now that you’ve understood more about the different career families, the next step is to take the skills quiz.

The skills quiz is designed to prompt several questions around the type of technology you’re comfortable working with, your interests and values in the workplace.

Once you have answered all the questions, it will assign you a career family and suggest appropriate roles. From here, you will be able to see how your skill set aligns with available vacancies.

Taking a leap into a technology career is a big step and it’s important that you conduct your research before investing your time, money, and energy.

Although it’s only natural to not know all the answers, there are some things you can do to prepare before you enter the sector.

The first step is to sign up to Tech Talent Engine and create an account. From here, you will be able to access expert insights into the sector, as well as bookmark vacancies under your chosen career family.

For more help, simply email us at info@techtalentengine.co.uk.