The word “master’s degree” has a certain appealing ring to it, doesn’t it? When you hear someone who’s got it, you instantly think that they must be an expert on whatever they have a master’s degree in.
Further, many professions actually require that you have this degree if you want to be able to work. You may thereby be inclined to conclude that it’s impossible to get any kind of meaningful job without studying for 4, 5, or 6 years, depending on the specific requirements of your country.
This is absolutely not true, though. Many experts who work for big tech companies didn’t need a master’s degree to get the job – and neither do you.
Self-education is good enough if you’re good enough
As long as you can show that you have a keen eye for technology, are willing to learn, and have at least some kind of skill, it might be enough to get you into the big tech industry.
Self-education is good enough if you’re good enough to keep learning the necessary know-how of your job, getting experience, and picking up lessons here and there as you go forward.
Apprenticing in IT can get you big tech jobs
The pathway into a good technology job doesn’t have to be through a bachelor’s or a master’s degree. It might just be enough to get a foot inside the door by becoming an apprentice in a tech company.
If you want to secure an apprenticeship in a big tech company yourself, or in any other industry, countless tutorials exist on how to do that. I want to cite an especially useful site I’ve found for students in my home country, Norway (I now live in Arizona).
I told a long-time friend of mine I was writing an article on big tech and apprenticeships, and he told me of his experiences with this Norwegian matching portal that makes it easier for people to find an apprenticeship. The website is called SmartEmploy, and in an article on the website, finn læreplass, they outline some quite useful tips on how to find an apprenticeship. Although the article is written for Norwegians, many of the tips are related to factors that are universally important, for example, writing a good CV and preparing for interviews. It helped my friend, so it might help you as well.
What to consider if you want to work for big tech companies
In conclusion, you really don’t need a master’s degree in IT to create successful online companies or succeed within big tech in general. In order to make it easier for you to succeed in the industry, here are some things to consider:
- Stay humble in the beginning, and don’t set too high expectations
- Don’t necessarily go apprenticeships within the highest-paying jobs, but the jobs that will give you the experience that is most in line with your ideal career path
- Know the value of cooperation: a team of people with highly specialized and different skills will be able to accomplish much more than one person who tries to learn all the skills superficially