5 reasons creative people should work in tech

With creatives all across the world struggling to find footing in increasingly competitive industries, it’s more important than ever for them to have multiple strings to their bows and transferable skills which can be applied anywhere.

Media stereotyping and outdated perceptions can make tech seem unsociable and difficult to young people with creative aspirations, compared to the glamour associated with the music industry or publishing.

However, the world of tech and coding has a job for everyone, especially the most creative. Here’s why.

Coding

If you want to create a whole world, you can write a novel, paint a masterpiece or code a video game – and coding could be the most practical and lucrative of those options.

Computer programming or coding is mathematical in terms of the precision required and calls on the same highly-functioning memorisation skill-set required of learning any language, but it also enables the power and creative freedom to build software or hardware from scratch – websites, apps or IT solutions for any demand.

Decide which language you want to learn based on what you want to create and then you can innovate in just about any industry, from the arts to hospitality.

Problem solving

Troubleshooting is an important part of many roles in tech or IT, and in a technical environment, this can require a high level of intelligence and commitment to investigation.

However, unlike in exams, in the real world you are allowed a calculator, taking painful mental arithmetic out of the equation, so to speak… To solve problems at a high level in a tech role, you need to be be able to think outside of the box and find creative solutions to obstacles for multiple key stakeholders.

Entrepreneurial Mindsets

For a lot of roles in tech, you will need the intelligence, confidence and vision to push your business forward with your own plans and ideas. An entrepreneurial mindset is essential to identifying new opportunities as well as flaws in software or business partnerships – creative tasks in need of bright ideas.

Creating a better future

Working for a tech firm or software company may not satisfy your creativity as directly as supporting the arts in a creative industry, on first glance – but tech is an innately creative field, there to innovate and advance all life.

In working at a tech giant or startup, you could be part of the team creating the med-tech of the future that empowers less-abled bodies to function better, or to connect relatives in developing countries across borders for the first time through the internet or mobile data.

Tech is a practical industry – put your creativity to the test there and you could make huge change for the better.

STEM need diversity

STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) are male-dominated sectors in the western world, and mostly populated by the wealthy and white.

Fresh blood and fresh thought would empower this often homogenous area of work into new stratospheres. If creative types with diverse educations and backgrounds were to bring their unique skillsets and perspectives to the tech industry, more ideas and more avenues into the future would open up.

Whatever the reason for the skills gap, one thing is clear – it is essential that diverse individuals input into the tech of our future, so it does not become yet another exclusion zone that has not fully considered diverse needs. Whatsmore, diversity has been proven to bolster profit and growth for businesses.

There is always something to be said for widening your horizons. So, in the spirit of opening your mind and identifying opportunities, don’t ignore writing, marketing or management roles in tech businesses and you could find yourself in your dream job.

Cristina studied English Literature and Hispanic Studies at Queen Mary University of London and now works as a writer and photographer. Catch her on Twitter, LinkedIn and her website.

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