Today, you need more than a diploma or certificate to find a well-paying career. Students preparing to enter the workforce need to have experience they can use to showcase their accomplishments and gain a deep understanding of their field.
Figuring out how to prepare students for a career in technology is simple and easy with the right resources. Along with your child’s natural curiosity and interest in tech, committing to a program that encourages your child to explore their interests and gain valuable experiences is key to creating a foundation for their future line of work.
5 Ways to Prepare for a Career in Tech
Even if your child is years away from entering the workforce, it’s never too early to start preparing for the future. The more experience they gain, the more direction they’ll find as they navigate their path to their future. Children no longer have to wait to graduate to start experimenting in their future fields, and there are plenty of options for your child to get a jump start in their career.
Your child can take the following steps to get ahead of the game and start exploring a career in tech.
1. Taking Specialized Courses
Taking courses that dive deeply into these subjects is a great way to get ahead and help your child pursue their interests in the tech industry. Many schools offer interesting courses your child can take that discuss the parts of a computer, data privacy, and tools and methods to prevent cyber attacks.
CCA prepares students for real-world situations and offers various courses for students to prepare for the tech industry, including varying intensities in Cyber Security, Game Design, and Principles of Information Technology.
2. Job Shadowing
One of the best ways for your child to determine their future line of work is to complete an internship or job shadow. These opportunities will give your child real-world experiences and allow them to gain valuable skills.
CCA encourages students to do an internship that helps them determine their career path. We also offer educational field trips to provide students the opportunity to explore future career options. We want to provide our learners with as many opportunities as possible to find direction and pursue their interests.
3. Joining a Club
Spending time with others interested in the same things can spark fun and exciting conversations for your student. When students bond over ideas and discuss innovations, they can come up with new solutions and fun designs to implement.
CCA offers a variety of science and technology clubs that your child can join to engage in discussion with other peers interested in the industry. We offer clubs for robotics, science, and gaming. We even have a club for kindergarteners through eighth graders who want to perform experiments — it’s never too early to prepare for professional development.
4. Taking College Courses
Preparing a student for a career in tech can be challenging if your school doesn’t offer resources to help guide them. However, this doesn’t mean your child needs to wait until they graduate to start getting ahead. Your student can apply for dual enrollment with an institution that offers technology courses they can take while still in high school.
5. Making Connections
Every connection your child makes could be a foot in the door, a recommendation letter, or a good word to an employer. Asking questions and getting familiar with people who work in and understand the field will help your child connect with people who can guide them on their path. You can start by encouraging them to talk with friends or family members in the field or who know someone who is.
Furthermore, if your child knows how to conduct safe searches online, they could benefit from joining an online forum or chat room where they can talk with current tech workers to discuss strategies and tips. They can find valuable information about their future industry by reaching out to college professors, trade school instructors, or an employee of a tech company your child wants to work for.
Tech Careers to Consider
Preparing students for future technology will be vital regardless of the field they choose to go into. Technology is the future, and there are already so many tech fields available. Our reliance on smartphones, tablets, computers, and other devices puts tech-skilled workers in high demand for many companies.
On top of our educational clubs and trips, students at CCA have access to TechWorks at CCA® — a way for children to explore careers in technology. TechWorks at CCA focuses on manufacturing, drones, coding, cyber security, and robotics. Students who take advantage of TechWorks at CCA can learn about web development, drone piloting, virtual reality, computer programming, and artificial intelligence with hands-on career preparation experiences that are unparalleled in the rest of Pennsylvania.
Tech careers to consider include:
- Software developer: These workers create software we use every day. From listening to music on Spotify to the app alarm that wakes you up every day, software developers make an average of $107,510 to continue delivering content that we use daily.
- Information technology manager: IT managers keep hackers from accessing private data and ensure your computer systems are running efficiently. They make an average salary of $146,360.
- Information security analyst: With an average salary of just under $100,000, analysts can find themselves in government offices, banks, retail corporations, health care facilities, and other private organizations to keep their systems safe from cyber attacks. This field is expected to grow by 31.2% by 2029.
- Computer network architect: These workers build the foundation for our digital world and create intranets such as the cloud. Computer network architects receive an average of $112,690 to work within their company’s budget and meet their goals.
- Web developer: As the name suggests, web developers create the websites you access daily. It’s common for web developers to work as freelancers, and they receive an average salary of $73,760.
- Computer programmer: Programmers often work with software developers or engineers to command your computer and write directions in other languages. Many companies hire programmers who live outside of the United States, and their average salary is $86,550.
There are plenty of other tech-related fields your child may be interested in, but they’ll likely need a degree in computer science or information technology to begin their career.
10 Skills Anyone Interested in Tech Should Have
Your child will need a combination of hard and soft skills to land a career in tech. They’ll need to use their experiences combined with technical knowledge about computers to create valuable innovations that aid in everyday life. They’ll need to understand cultural relevance and have a natural inclination to be curious and solution-driven.
The skills anyone interested in tech should have are:
- Time management
- Computer coding
- Mathematical comprehension
- Communication
- Analytical abilities
- Organization
- Creativity
- Attention to detail
- Problem-solving
- Cultural awareness
Your child can cultivate their skills inside and outside school. Although high school and college courses will hone their abilities, your student should also look for learning experiences independently. If they want to design their own game or pursue an internship, encourage them to do so. The hands-on experience will be great for a resume and enable them to make connections between class materials and real-world practices.
Learn How CCA Prepares Students for Tech Careers
CCA believes schools should prepare students beyond graduation, and we deliver customized education plans to each student for this reason. We encourage students to explore their interests and develop a love for lifelong learning because education doesn’t stop. We know how to prepare students for a career. In fact, we’ve embedded career training into our individualized programs.
Contact us to learn more about what we can do to put your student on the right path and encourage them to pursue their interest in technology.
