- Charlotte Chase is a 33-year-old former data analyst and researcher.
- Working in technology at a non-tech company has allowed her to live her dream life with high income, flexibility, and stability.
- Now she helps others break into the tech industry.
At the age of 28, I realized that my career was worthless.
I was a researcher in academia making $28,000 a year and working 50-60 hours a week. Subconsciously, I believed I didn’t deserve to earn more because horribly low pay is the norm in this industry. When I first realized I wanted more money and a real work-life balance, I felt guilty.
One day I had an epiphany. I realized that getting my boss’s job was the best trajectory for my career. However, he was working significantly more hours than I was and wasn’t earning a salary that I considered fair. I didn’t want that. I wanted to make enough money to survive.
Getting a job as a data analyst helped me live the life I had always dreamed of.
I started looking at job boards and in 2018 I found a ton of openings for data analysts, with an average starting salary of about $70,000. I taught myself data analysis using free websites and then started applying for jobs in Philadelphia because I wanted to leave Delaware, where I had lived for two years.
Within a few months, I landed a job as an analytics associate at a consulting firm in Philadelphia and moved there.
Suddenly, my salary was $70,000, more than double what I was making before, and my lifestyle had completely changed: I could afford to live in a city, buy anything I wanted (within reason), and finally started saving for the future.
My salary increased to $158,000 in 4 years
My salary increased, but my working hours were still crazy because I was at a consulting company. Most of us have realized that we are not saving the world with our work, we are just helping corporate overlords make more money. So there was no reason to spend so much time on work.
A few months later, I started applying for other data analyst positions. Specifically, I looked for a position at a general company rather than a consulting firm.
I took a $90,000 senior analyst position at Comcast. I immediately saw a dramatic change in my work hours. I only worked 35-40 hours a week, but I didn’t have to think about work all weekend.
With more time on my hands, I started traveling more. I crammed in a short weekend trip to take my dog on an amazing hike and take my girlfriend’s sister to Disney World for the first time. I was finally able to go out to restaurants, explore the city, and start making local friends.
Within two years, he was promoted and his salary increased to $104,000. At the age of 30, I was able to buy a nice car and my own home.
Just when I thought things couldn’t get any better, I accepted a job as a senior manager in AT&T’s advanced analytics division with a base salary of $158,000.
By switching to a technical career, I was able to live the life I had dreamed of.
I don’t think it’s worth it to work in big tech.
When many people think of tech jobs, they think of big tech companies like Tesla or Meta, which offer the highest salaries and carry some kind of prestige.
In my opinion, working for a big tech company is not worth it This is because there are incredible downsides, such as mass layoffs and long working hours. Sure, these companies offer great perks like free meals, draft beer, and gourmet coffee machines, but in my opinion, these perks are scams and simply a way to keep you working longer. Would you rather work until 8pm and get a free dinner on campus or finish work at 5pm and eat whatever you want?
This is why I encourage people to look for tech jobs, especially in non-tech companies. For example, Home Depot, Kroger, or whatever company owns the last store you entered are hiring for tech positions.
Non-technology companies offer the best of both worlds:
- High salary: While they may not be as high as the big tech companies, salaries at non-tech companies can be very competitive, especially if you focus on non-tech companies in the Fortune 500.
- More flexibility: Working at a large technology company means working in a fast-paced and competitive environment, which results in long hours. However, when working at a non-tech company, 35 to 40 hours a week is the norm, and the workload is more conducive to achieving a real work-life balance.
- Less competitive: Companies like the Googles of the world are highly competitive as they offer the highest pay and bragging rights. However, it is difficult to get a job there, even if you are talented, hard-working and have many years of experience. When you apply for a technical position at a non-technical company, you’re not competing against people who are trying to be the best in the world.
Anyone can join the technology industry
Once I stepped into the world of technology, my life changed dramatically. So in 2022, I left his job at AT&T and started Break Into Tech, a small business that helps people land their first entry-level data analyst job, just like I did. Ta.
According to the World Economic Forum’s Future Jobs Report 2023, big data analytics is the technology expected to drive the most job creation over the next five years, and data analysts are in high demand. That’s why this job is one of the highest paying in the world. Entry level role. And data analyst jobs exist in every large company in every industry.
If you’re looking to land your first data analyst job at a non-tech company, my advice is to start by looking at your current job as an asset and finding ways it overlaps with data analyst work.
For example, if you have experience in the healthcare field, you will be familiar with data, which will give you an advantage when applying for healthcare analytics jobs. Find an area where your current experience would be an advantage and use it to your advantage.
Of course, improving technical skills is also important. He can learn and practice skills like SQL and Tableau online for 20 minutes a day and be ready for an entry-level job within a few months. Once you get the offer, the impostor syndrome will go away and you’ll wonder why you didn’t do this sooner.
Charlotte Chase is the founder of break into technology. She is a champion of modern worker rights and has helped thousands of people with no prior experience land their first data analytics job.
If you’ve landed a tech job without a technical background and want to share your story, email Jane Zhang at: janezhang@businessinsider.com.
