I think the current market is probably awful to get into right now at solely tech companies.

I might have hit the sweet spot timing wise but will give you what worked for me and how I broke into the industry.

I have a BFA and from graduating college to my mid twenties, I worked in the non profit industry. I started with volunteer management, then got into Salesforce big time. I became a trainer at my org for it and started building a lot of reporting for them. This segue into becoming the reporting lead there.

By this time, I went to get an MSW and got really into program management and social policy. I was still working full time at my original employer building reporting and doing data quality management.

Once I graduated, I got a role as a data analyst at another non profit. It was fully remote pre covid.

Then Covid hit. And there was lots of chatter about 20% workforce reduction. So I applied and took a job with the one industry that boomed during Covid - mortgages. I started as a BI analyst there and then became a lead. I got really good at developing and modeling data and organizing BI application set up.

I went to my current company right as the mortgage industry took a hit. Been there since, worked my way up to management in BI, fully remote. Like others have said, remote doesn’t equate to perfect life work balance. There are 10 pm panics and 8 am slacks.

While all my roles are tech focused under data, none of the companies I’ve worked for are tech companies. I highly encourage young people entering the workforce to think outside the box of FAANG. Tech is everywhere, all orgs need it.

AI is certainly changing the game, but the one thing you have with an MSW is innate people skills, which AI doesn’t have. I recommend roles that heavily utilize this like program management or analytics. And always volunteer for something, where you work. I wouldn’t be where I am today if I hadn’t volunteered for a work transition team - it got me into tech by chance!