Healthcare workers reel under unrelenting work pressure, they work for inhumane hours, suffer from severe burnout, undergo sleep deprivation and anxiety. However, the profession requires that they put up a brave front, despite the glaring unfavourable conditions.

If you're reading this article, it’s possible that just like me, you're probably frustrated from a work/school schedule that does not allow you to spend time with family and friends. And you may be considering or have decided to change your career to Tech.

Although it seems like a herculean task, switching to a career in Tech from Medicine is possible. Anyone with the desire to get a Tech job can find one that suits their unique skills, talents and interests.

There's a good chance that you already have many of the soft skills required to apply to a career in Tech. You simply need to decide what is right for you and prepare to obtain the expertise and/or training you need to sell yourself to employing executives.

Although they’re different industries, there are similarities and certain skills can be transferred between them. Let’s quickly go through some of the similarities between both professions.

Similarities

Although the Tech and healthcare disparities are somewhat wide, certain parallels still occur.

• Both areas require a strong attention to details. Whether it is checking a patient’s vital signs or the sheer scrutiny of a mere line of code, it is crucial to see the little things.

• Both fields often involve a fast and often challenging working environment. You know that not all are swept up in the joy of the emergency department, and the same applies to working as a Data Scientist or a Web Designer.

• You can still save lives! - A good example is Data Science, which is being used in various stages to help doctors detect all sorts of health issues beforehand, allowing for more efficient and effective treatment. This includes analysing medical imaging to more accurately detect lung cancers, skin cancers and numerous other medical conditions.

• Also, Machine Learning is being used to help doctors more accurately prescribe treatments specifically optimised for the exact set of diagnosis that a patient may have. You see, you’re practically doing the same thing - Saving lives!

According to Carrington College, healthcare workers need the following soft skills:

• Empathy
• Communication
• Dealing with pressure
• Being a team player
• Strong work ethic
• Positive mental attitude
• Flexibility
• Good time management
• Self-confidence
• Ability to receive criticism

These are some of the same credentials needed in Tech, which makes it a perfect alternative profession for health workers. There is no reason why you cannot move your current skills into a new technology career if you have all this experience and computer knowledge.

You probably should like computers and technology if you're thinking about moving careers to Tech. You have to be interested before venturing. Don't just start because Chima said. I mean, that'll flatter me, but you'll be wasting your time.

Find your niche

The problem for many people who are new to the field is how many options you have when you want to get started. How can you possibly decide which area to choose when you are new to the field?

Even though it seems like you have narrowed down the field, once you start researching you see just how many directions your IT career can take you. From cybersecurity to cloud technology, data management to storage and software development to productivity – the list seems endless.

Think of what you want and where your strengths lie.

• Are you good at addressing computer issues?

• Are you good with numbers?

• Do you like solving problems?

• Are you a creative person?

• Do you like designs?

If you're unsure on what tech career to choose, read this article on how to kickstart a career in tech.

When you are ready to take that first step into your new Tech career, you will start with the basics. You will begin by registering for certification courses that provide you with a rudimentary introduction to the field.

Whether you are leaning towards a career in Cyber Security or feel like Data Science might be the best fit for you, you will need to start with the basics.

Make Friends

When you’ve decided on the tech career you’re willing to dive in to, make friends with people on the same career path, speak to them and learn about what they are doing, take a small lunar step in that direction.

A tech friend can easily point you in the right direction when you have a relatively straightforward technical problem, but don't know where to resolve it. That saves a great deal of time and frustration.

Similarly, if you come up with a project idea, you can run it by a tech friend. They’ll be able to break it down into stages and ultimately advise you whether it makes sense to do and how best to go about it. This can save you a lot of time.

Coming from a medical profession, I was practically alone when I started my Data Science journey. This made discovering and interacting with people who already are in the field so important to me. I've easily seen the benefits of that.

I would have to use Google or StackOverflow for the resolution of my problems when I initially started. These are fantastic tools, but you find it challenging if you don't know what you are searching for. One of the developers' best skills is to find a solution to their current dilemma. Other than that, I'd spend donkey years hanging on relatively easy obstacles, such as attempting to manipulate a pandas data frame, or installing and importing the packages I wanted.

Get a mentor

A mentor will motivate you to do what you need to do to properly make your dream career switch. A mentor will also help you network with the right individuals and set the right goals for yourself as you acquire skills and look for jobs.

Conclusion

It is important to note that it takes time to transition into a new career. While some people want to dramatically change their profession overnight, it is more practical to work on a different career over time.

You may have to make some adjustments to your current job, take online courses, learn the necessary skills to appeal to future employers. This can also mean, rather than such a massive jump, that you steadily transition into the new profession – and this is vital if you wish to preserve your earnings instead of returning to the entry-level earnings.

Depending on your ability and expertise and the length and quality of preparation that you require, the amount of time will be different for everyone. You will have to spend time retraining, developing a new network and acquiring realistic interactions to introduce yourself, and finally gaining reputation and accessibility to your new work and profession.

It could be a few months for some, but longer for others. No matter how long it takes, remember to go with diligence and a list of priorities to keep you constantly on the way to a Tech job.

For everyone about to start anything new that seems terrifying, don’t worry about it. Like learning a new programming language, the best way to learn is to dive in. Get in there and get your hands dirty. Will you be terrible on day one? Probably, just like everyone else. Then guess what? You’ll figure it out. So don’t let the daunting task scare you.

I hope that this provides some encouragement and direction and helps you in your tech careers. There’s no cookie-cutter way of approaching this, so feel free to take this with a grain of salt, but I hope this helps.

Goodluck.

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