If you’re looking to work in tech, but new to the tech industry, you might be wondering how and what that means.

Getting a job in the tech industry isn’t just about learning how to code. With tech embedded in every aspect of our lives, there are more and more options for people who want to get into tech. Understanding the types of roles is important to know what to expect and how to shape your career path.

Tech careers refer to professions that involve the use of technology to solve problems or create products. This includes jobs like software developer, data analyst, network administrator, cybersecurity specialist, and many others.

Tech domains refer to specific areas of technology that are used within these careers. Examples of tech domains include artificial intelligence, machine learning, cloud computing, blockchain, and robotics, branding, customer service, social media management, marketing among others.

Tech industries, on the other hand, refer to the sectors or markets where these careers and domains are applied. Tech industries can include software development, e-commerce, telecommunications, healthcare, finance, and many others.

You could consider two paths to a tech career.

Technical function: A technical role at any company

Technical domain: Any role at a company with a technical product or service

It’s important to determine which path you are interested in pursuing because this will determine which skills you should develop.

Technical Function

Most people, when thinking about roles in tech, think of a technical function.

These are technical roles that need you to have technical skills, experience or expertise and have knowledge of technical tools.

Some Technical function roles include:

Engineering

Product

UX

Support

DevOps/Infrastructure

Security

Quality

Data Science

These roles tend to have more clear paths of what you should learn, and even certifications, or degrees that align with the role types. There are different specialties within each — for example, Engineering could mean building software applications in C# or web development with a JavaScript framework — but it is typically easier to find resources on career paths.

TECHNICAL DOMAIN

These could be technical or non technical roles within the Technology industry, They include;

Customer Success

Marketing

Recruiting

Sales

These roles are more nuanced and could require a combination of skills and specialized knowledge depending on the company. Identifying opportunities and career paths here can be trickier. Reading job descriptions to understand requirements, reviewing the career paths of others in these types of roles, and gaining knowledge in a particular industry can be helpful.