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12 Entry-Level Tech Jobs To Kick-Start Your New Career

Andrei Neagoie
Andrei Neagoie
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Do you want to get a job in tech, but are not sure where to start?

Maybe you want to build a tech-skilled career and are trying to figure out what roles are out there, and what to learn + apply for first?

Or perhaps you just want to work in any role in a tech company, so you can get some of those benefits that they offer, such as remote work, good pay, a free laptop, and more?

Well, good news! In this guide, I’ll share 12 different entry-level tech jobs, along with their average salary, job requirements, and tips on how to get the skills needed to get hired.

So let’s dive in…

What defines ‘entry-level’ in the tech space?

As you might guess, there are different types of ‘entry-level’ roles in the tech industry. Technically, the Janitor at Google is an entry-level role, but I’m not sure they get the same perks package as other employees.

janitor at google

With that in mind, I’ve limited this list to entry-level roles that have the opportunity for career advancement.

Keep in mind that the required skills for entry-level roles in different departments can vary wildly. Some of them you could apply for today with your current skills and experience right out of high school, while others you’ll need to take specific training programs before you could apply.

get an entry-level career in tech today

I’ve broken down this list into 2 sections:

  • Foot-in-the-door type roles that you can start ASAP and skill up on the job. (Which also have a path to possible further career progression), and
  • Entry-level tech-focused roles, where you’ll need some level of coding experience (such as a project portfolio) or similar before you can start. It's more time upfront, but generally much higher salaries, and you don't need to have worked in the role already to apply. You just need to show you can do the work

Where possible, I’ll also give you paths for how to learn what you need for each.

Entry-level technology jobs with no experience required

These first 4 roles are perfect if you just want to get hired as soon as possible with your current skill set.

Some do require certain skills or attributes that you may have picked up already, but I break that down below.

1: Customer Support

One of the biggest costs to running a successful business are refunds and ‘churn’ (where an ongoing customer cancels/stops their service).

An easy way to stop this from happening is to have customer support people in place to assist with any issues, answer questions and solve problems.

It's not the most exciting role, but it is a great entry-point into a tech company, if you wanted to start immediately.

Requirements:

  • Communication Skills: Your entire job is to communicate with others, so strong written and verbal communication skills are essential
  • Technical Knowledge: A basic understanding of the company's products or services and the ability to troubleshoot common technical issues is often required. This will often be provided by the company, but if you can get some experience using the product in advance, you'll ace the interview
  • Patience and Empathy: Dealing with frustrated or upset customers is not easy, and requires patience and empathy. The ability to understand and address customers' concerns in a positive manner is crucial
  • Problem-Solving Skills: Although the majority of problems will be reccuring (Not plugged in etc), you'll also need to be analytical to try and solve outlying issues. This can actually be quite rewarding
  • Multitasking: Customer support representatives may need to handle multiple customer inquiries simultaneously, so good multitasking skills are beneficial

Salary:

Nothing huge to start with, but again, no prior experience required.

The average salary for customer support roles is around $27,000:

customer support salary

Potential Career Path:

There's a few options from here. You could stay in customer support and gain experience into a more senior role, or you could pivot into a Customer Success Manager.

That being said, if you're good with people then you could even apply for that CSM role right away instead...

2: Customer Success Manager (CSM)

This role seems similar to the previous, but there are a few differences.

  • Customer Support is more of a reactive role, where you respond to customer issues
  • Whereas, the CSM role is a proactive role. Here you're interacting with customers before issues occur - so that they have a smooth customer experience

You'll still be providing help and answering questions, but the main focus of the CSM is on 'onboarding' new users so that the customer can learn how to use the product ASAP.

This is either done in person, via email, or over video conferencing software such as Zoom.

Why care about onboarding?

Well, lack of early product usage is a high indicator that the customer may not stick around very long, or worse, ask for a refund.

Add in the fact that Enterprise customer contracts at tech companies are typically worth $10,000+ at a minimum, and can be as high as $100,000+ or even $1,000,000+ per year, and the CSM becomes vital to ensuring the customer is happy and sticks around year after year!

Requirements:

  • Education: A high school diploma or equivalent
  • Communication Skills: Strong written and verbal communication skills
  • Technical Aptitude: Basic understanding of the technology and an ability to learn and adapt to new software and systems
  • Customer Focus: A customer-centric mindset with a focus on providing positive experiences
  • Problem-Solving Skills: Ability to analyze issues and provide effective solutions

The CSM role is a perfect entry-level job if you don’t have any current technical skills, or just want to get into a tech company - but are good with people.

Most of the information you need to know will be given once you’re hired, so there is a focus instead on soft skills, such as empathy and communication.

However, depending on the company, they may ask that you have some previous experience with their product if possible, or even a niche skill set.

For example

Here we can see a position at Google for a CSM that would focus on helping new customers with Google ads.

The niche skill however is that they require that you can speak both English and Swedish.

google csm

Although it looks super technical, the actual role requirements are pretty simple (as long as you hit that one niche factor):

  • Can you speak English and Swedish?
  • Have you set up Google ads before? (Take a 2 hour course)
  • Do you know why businesses might want to run an advert? (Covered in that same course)
  • Do you work well with others?
  • Can you solve problems and be a self-starter?

As I said up top though, not every CSM role requires these types of niche skills, and this exact same job is also available in just English.

You’ll often find positions where the only niche skill is some relevant experience with the product, and even then, it’s not always the case. If they think you can smash the role, they’ll teach you as they go.

Average Salary:

Salary varies based on company and location, but the average salary for an entry-level customer success manager role on ZipRecruiter is currently $86,000 per year.

csm salary

Potential Career Path:

There are a few paths you can take with this role. You could continue to skill up and apply internally for other roles such as programming, or, you can take this particular career path further.

Senior technical support at some companies can have a salary as high as $110,000!

technical csm

That's some serious money!

3: Tech Sales

When it comes to tech, you usually have companies with:

  • Tiered options for their offer (Free, then Paid, then Enterprise)
  • An offer that is super helpful for their audience, but needs some explaining before people can make a purchase. (Maybe they don’t understand why they would want it yet or even know that such a thing exists)
  • A brand new company that wants to make sales ASAP before their other marketing channels become profitable
  • Or simply a company that wants to drive sales to meet investor targets. (X growth year on year)

With that in mind, tech companies will often hire large teams of salespeople to help explain products, run demonstrations, answer live chats, or simply cold call and email to help bring awareness and make the sale.

For example

Google Analytics is a free tool that literally millions of companies use.

However, they also offer Google 360, another analytics tool that has a heap more features, but pricing starts at $150,000 a year!

google 360

Most users will never need this or even be aware of it. For some people though, it could make a massive change to their business and actually make them more money, as they can become more data-driven in their decisions.

But, it’s a big price jump from free to $150,000.

360 price

This is why their pricing isn't listed on the website, and the CTA on the page is to chat to sales.

This way a salesperson will reach out, answer questions, and run those demos to help people see the value, before handing it off to the CSM to then onboard those users.

Responsibilities

Key responsibilities may include:

  1. Prospecting: Identifying and reaching out to potential customers. Maybe you have a list of companies using standard Google Analytics, with X traffic and revenue, and so you reach out
  2. Product Knowledge: You will often need a deep understanding of the products or services being offered. Most companies will train this up
  3. Customer Engagement: To some extent you may need to build up relationships with customers, during the prospecting phase before hand off to the CSMs
  4. Sales Presentations: Delivering presentations to potential customers about the benefits of the company's products
  5. Closing Deals: Successfully closing sales and meeting or exceeding sales targets

Requirements:

  1. Education: A high school diploma is typically the minimum requirement, though some companies may prefer a bachelor's degree in business, marketing, or a related field. Honestly though, if you know the product, what it's for, and have a go-getter attitude, you can score these roles with zero other education
  2. Communication Skills: Strong verbal and written communication skills are essential. Your entire job is communicating and understanding the user's needs
  3. Sales Aptitude: When it comes to Enterprise sales, it’s less about being pushy (as sales cycles can take a while), and more about educating, helping, and then following up. If you can show them how much value it gives and the money saved, it is almost always a no-brainer not to buy from you
  4. Tech Savvy: Basic understanding of technology and the ability to learn about complex products
  5. Team Collaboration: Ability to collaborate with other sales team members and cross-functional teams

Average Salary:

Again, this can vary based on company and location. Some early start-ups may even offer salary plus commission which opens up the opportunity for huge earnings.

For non-commission roles, the average salary is currently around $77,000 on ZipRecruiter.

tech sales salary

If you find a salary plus commission role, you could easily clear $10,000 a month or higher, depending on the company and your skills.

Potential Career Path:

Good salespeople can often be head-hunted by new startups for crazy salaries. (They want the best so they can get growth ASAP).

However, if you want to stay in the same company, you can usually move up to a more senior role such as an Account Executive, Sales Manager, or even into broader roles in business development, product management, or marketing.

The salaries in senior roles can be literally insane…

senior sales salaries at google

Just a cool $777,000 per year for a senior sales manager at Google.

4: IT Support Technician

Have you tried turning it off and on again?

tech support

Rather than being an external-facing role, IT support is an internal role that assists other people in the company with technical issues and ensures everything is set up, up-to-date, and working correctly.

Responsibilities

Key responsibilities may include:

  1. Technical Support: Assisting employees with IT-related issues
  2. Hardware and Software Installation: Installing, configuring, and maintaining computer hardware and software
  3. Network Support: Troubleshooting network issues and ensuring connectivity
  4. System Maintenance: Performing routine maintenance tasks, updates, and patches
  5. Documentation: Documenting IT procedures and resolutions for future reference

Requirements:

Here’s where we start to get a little more niche, as you need specific skills or training to perform this role before you can be hired.

If you're anything like me, and have nerded out and built your own PC, then you're probably fine with this role already.

  1. Education: A diploma or degree in information technology, computer science, or a related field is typically required. Like I say though, if you can show specific relevant experience, you can often get brought in as a junior support role
  2. Technical Skills: Basic knowledge of computer hardware, operating systems, and software applications
  3. Problem-Solving Skills: Ability to analyze and solve technical issues
  4. Customer Service Skills: Effective communication and customer service skills
  5. Adaptability: Willingness to learn and adapt to new technologies and tools

Average Salary:

According to ZipRecruiter, the average salary for this role is around $52,000 per year:

it support tech salary

Potential Career Path:

The IT technician role is a great starting point for other, more advanced roles in a company, such as a Systems Administrator ($85,000 a year), or a Network Administrator ($75,000 a year, going up to $82,000 if they migrate to the cloud).

Or you can even take it a step further and learn both these fields, and become a full DevOps Engineer. (Click to follow a set career path and learn what you need to learn, and in what order).

It’s a little more effort, but the average DevOps Engineer salary is around $127,000 a year, so not bad at all!

devops engineer salary nationwide

5: Data Entry

Do you have a way with numbers and want a clear path to higher-paying roles?

If so, then data entry is a great entry-level tech job.

Responsibilities:

Basically, you spend your time inputting, updating, and maintaining accurate data within the company's systems. This means a lot of managing and organizing information, ensuring data integrity (i.e. is the information correct), and supporting various departments by accurately entering and retrieving data as needed.

Key responsibilities may include:

  1. Data Input: Entering and updating data into databases, spreadsheets, or other software systems
  2. Data Verification: Checking data for accuracy and completeness
  3. Data Maintenance: Regularly updating and maintaining databases to ensure information is current
  4. Record Keeping: Organizing and archiving data for easy retrieval
  5. Quality Assurance: Ensuring the quality and integrity of data through validation and verification processes

Requirements:

  1. Education: A high school diploma is typically the minimum requirement
  2. Attention to Detail: Strong attention to detail is crucial to ensure accuracy in data entry. You will probably take some kind of test to ensure typing speed and accuracy
  3. Organizational Skills: Ability to organize and manage data efficiently
  4. Basic Computer Skills: Proficiency in basic computer applications such as spreadsheets and data entry software
  5. Typing Speed: Adequate typing speed to efficiently handle data entry tasks

Average Salary:

Again, this can vary depending on company and location. The current average salary for data entry in the US is around $57,000.

data entry salary nationwide

Potential Career Path:

The beauty of this role is it can lead into more analytical roles that pay much higher, such as a Data Analyst ($79,000), Data Scientist ($127,000), or Data Engineer ($129,000).

The tasks and responsibilities vary between these three positions, but all are data-focused and in high demand.

You could also train right away for a Data Analyst role (as it’s still technically entry-level, just in the data analysis department). However, it will take longer and will require some specific training.

More on this in a second though.

Entry-level tech jobs for if you want to move into a tech-focused career

Each of the roles below qualifies as entry-level in different tech departments. However, because these are often more technical departments, they will require you to take additional training before you can get hired.

It’s more effort upfront, but the starting salary and opportunities for advancement are amazing.

It’s also worth noting that when we talk about required skills or education, some companies will want degrees, but not all of them. In fact, very few tech companies care if you have a college degree.

The tech industry is unique in that it only cares that you can do the work. If you’ve taken an online course and learned the exact same information, built a portfolio, and can do the work - then that’s good enough for them to hire you.

We’ve had people with no college experience get hired at Tesla, Google, Amazon, Uber, and more - all from following our online training instead of a college degree.

With that out of the way, let’s get into each of these roles.

6: QA Engineer

Remember how I said earlier that refunds and churn are major issues? Well, another cause for refunds is poor quality products.

There's nothing more annoying than when a product isn’t functioning as it should. You click something and it doesn’t work, you get frustrated, and eventually, you stop using it or look for a competitors' products instead.

This is why tech companies will hire Quality Assurance (QA) Engineers to use and test the products to see if everything is working as intended.

Responsibilities:

Identifying and reporting bugs, collaborating with dev teams to address issues, and contributing to the overall improvement of the software development lifecycle.

The faster they iron out the kinks, the quicker the product goes to market and makes money!

Key responsibilities may include:

  1. Test Planning: Developing test plans based on project requirements. What would the average user do?
  2. Test Case Design: Creating detailed test cases to validate software functionality. Can we cause it to break in X situation?
  3. Execution: Performing manual or automated testing of software applications. What if we click 30 times in a minute? Would that affect the page?
  4. Bug Reporting: Identifying, documenting, and tracking software defects
  5. Collaboration: Working closely with developers and other team members to address and resolve issues

Requirements:

  1. Education: A bachelor's degree in computer science, engineering, or a related field is often preferred. That being said, you can take courses to cover major components of a CS degree and sidestep the huge costs.
  2. Analytical Skills: Strong analytical and problem-solving skills to identify and document software defects. What is happening and why?
  3. Communication Skills: Effective communication to collaborate with development teams and document testing processes
  4. Attention to Detail: You have to be able to spot even minor mistakes
  5. Technical Skills: Familiarity with testing tools, programming languages, and understanding of software development processes

Average Salary:

The average salary for a QA Engineer is around $96,000.

qa engineer salary nationwide

Not bad for an entry-level role right?

Potential Career Path:

Senior QA engineers don’t make much more money (on average) than others on the team, with the average salary being around $115,000.

However, because you’ve been working directly with the product in a technical role, you could continue to skill up and transition into the software development side if you so wished.

7: Junior UI/UX Designer

Interested in design? Then a junior UI/UX Designer might be the perfect role for you!

You’ll be creating visually appealing and user-friendly interfaces for digital products, under the supervision of a design team lead.

Responsibilities:

This role involves understanding user needs, designing intuitive user interfaces, and collaborating with cross-functional teams to deliver a positive user experience.

Key responsibilities may include:

  1. User Research: Conducting user research to understand target audiences and their needs
  2. Wireframing: Creating wireframes to outline the structure and layout of digital interfaces
  3. Prototyping: Developing interactive prototypes for user testing and feedback
  4. Visual Design: Designing the visual elements of digital interfaces, including color schemes, typography, and imagery
  5. Collaboration: Working closely with developers, product managers, and other stakeholders to implement design solutions

Requirements:

  1. Education: Either a bachelor's degree in graphic design or simply showing you have experience with the latest design technologies (having a great portfolio website is key). It’s about being able to show you can do the work more than anything else
  2. Design Tools: Proficiency in design tools such as Adobe Creative Suite, Sketch, Figma, or other UI/UX design tools
  3. Portfolio: A strong portfolio showcasing design projects and problem-solving skills
  4. Creativity: A creative mindset with an understanding of design principles and trends
  5. Communication Skills: Effective communication to present and justify design decisions

Average Salary:

The average salary for a Junior UI/UX Designer is around $56,000.

junior ux designer nationwide salary

Potential Career Path:

A junior-level role is usually less responsibility and has lower pay. However, once you start to skill up further and gain more experience, Senior UX designers can see an average salary of around $131,000.

But I've also personally worked with many UI/EX designers earning significantly more than this. (Notice how this is the average salary. There's jobs available right now that are paying $213,000!).

senior ux designer salary nationwide

It should also be worth mentioning that design is a great career if you want to freelance and earn money on the side.

Or, you could even specialize further into specific design fields (ex: motion design, user experience, illustrations, game design, etc). The more you specialize and improve, the higher your earning potential as you gain experience.

8: Junior Web Developer

Want to build websites or apps? Well, the junior Web Developer role is the perfect entry point for this.

You start out working closely with more experienced developers, learning and gaining practical experience in the development process while continuing to skill up.

The coolest part about web development is that it is as close as it gets to meritocracy.

What do I mean by that?

Simply put, if you can show you can do the work, you can get the job. Tech companies really don't care about much else. Degrees are great but the majority will hire you based on your project portfolio and proving that you can do the work.

The crazy part is you can even learn to code and get hired using completely free resources.

Don't believe me? This is exactly what I did and I've helped 1,000s of others do the same. (I cover the process that I followed in the guide above).

Sidenote: Web development and programming has technically 3 core areas of focus:

  1. You have people building the front-end of your website or application

  2. People who build the back-end (so that it all works)

  3. And then those people who can do both are referred to as ‘full-stack’ developers.

We’ll be covering entry-level roles for all 3 of these.

However, when we talk about Web Developers, most people assume you’re focusing on front-end work and tasks associated with that, so that's how we'll filter this role.

Responsibilities:

Building sites and apps!

Key responsibilities may include:

  1. Coding: Writing clean and efficient code
  2. Testing: Conducting testing and debugging
  3. Collaboration: Collaborating with cross-functional teams, including designers and other back-end developers
  4. Problem-Solving: Identifying and solving technical issues
  5. Learning: Continuously learning and staying updated on new technologies

Requirements:

  1. Education: A degree in computer science, web development, or a related field is common but becoming increasingly less important. Self-taught individuals that can prove they can write the code and have a strong portfolio have just as good of a chance of getting hired.
  2. Programming Skills: Proficiency in programming languages such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
  3. Frameworks and Tools: Familiarity with web development frameworks (e.g., React, Angular, or Vue.js) and version control systems (e.g., Git).
  4. Problem-Solving Skills: Strong problem-solving and analytical skills.
  5. Portfolio: A portfolio showcasing web development projects and coding skills.

Average Salary:

The average salary for a junior Web Developer is around $61,000 right now.

junior web developer nationwide salary

Potential Career Path:

The great thing about a web dev role, is it pretty much opens the doors to any career in tech. You can keep going to become a Senior Developer or transition into other areas of focus.

Heck, you can even work on freelance projects and get paid while you're still learning!

I may be a little biased (seeing as we started out with our very first courses teaching Web Development here at Zero To Mastery), but it really is a gateway role to so many areas of the tech industry.

Experience in Web Development can help you transition to pretty much any other role, as it's all applicable.

If this role stands out to you, then be sure to check this career path guide.

It'll teach you front and back-end, so you can become a full-stack web dev. You can easily complete the first section, get hired as a front-end developer, then carry on learning and transition to full-stack and earn even more!

9: Junior Database Administrator

A Junior Database Administrator (DBA) is a back-end developer role, that focuses on assisting in the management, maintenance, and optimization of databases, under a team lead.

Back-end is the glue that makes apps and websites work, so that sales can happen, and services can be delivered.

Responsibilities:

  1. Database Maintenance: Performing routine maintenance tasks such as backups, updates, and patches
  2. Security: Implementing and maintaining database security measures
  3. Troubleshooting: Identifying and resolving database-related issues
  4. Database Design: Assisting in the design and implementation of databases
  5. Collaboration: Working with developers, system administrators, and other stakeholders to ensure the smooth operation of databases

Requirements:

  1. Education: The usual. A CS degree or relevant experience and portfolio
  2. Database Knowledge: Understanding of database management systems, such as MySQL, PostgreSQL, and SQL Server
  3. SQL Skills: Proficiency in those same systems
  4. Problem-Solving Skills: Strong analytical and problem-solving skills. Why is the database not working, etc
  5. Communication Skills: Effective communication to collaborate with other teams and stakeholders

Average Salary:

The Junior Database Administrator role's average salary is around $77,000.

Junior Database Administrator nationwide salary

Potential Career Path:

If you continue down this career path, you can expect an average salary of around $118,000 for a Senior Database Administrator.

Or, you can choose to specialize in areas such as database development, data architecture, or even system design.

10: Junior Full-Stack Developer

Most people will usually focus on either front-end or back-end skills first, but there are a few people out there who decide to learn full-stack development before getting hired.

This is mainly because certain languages and frameworks exist that allow you to learn a single language that works on both the front and back-end.

With that in mind, there are opportunities to join a company on an ‘entry-level’, as a full-stack developer, and work on both the front-end and back-end aspects.

Responsibilities:

This role is basically everything from a front-end and back-end role combined. Building and maintaining web applications, collaborating with cross-functional teams, and contributing to the full software development lifecycle.

Key responsibilities may include:

  1. Front-End Development: Creating and implementing user interfaces using HTML, CSS, and either JavaScript, TypeScript, or Python
  2. Back-End Development: Developing server-side logic, databases, and APIs using technologies like Node.js, Python, SQL, and others
  3. Database Management: Designing and maintaining databases, ensuring data integrity and optimal performance
  4. Version Control: Using version control systems (e.g., Git) to manage codebase changes
  5. Testing and Debugging: Conducting testing and debugging to ensure the functionality and reliability of web applications

Requirements:

  1. Education: A bachelor's degree in computer science, software engineering, or a related field can be preferred for a very small selection of companies. That being said, you can train to be a full-stack developer online quicker, cheaper, and easier and still get hired
  2. Programming Languages: Proficiency in both front-end and back-end programming languages (or learn JavaScript which you can use for both 😎)
  3. Web Development Frameworks: Familiarity with one or more web development frameworks (e.g., React, Angular, Vue.js for front-end; Node.js, Express, Django, Flask for back-end) depending on the specific tech stack of the company or companies you want to get hired at
  4. Database Knowledge: Understanding of database management and SQL
  5. Problem-Solving Skills: Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities

Average Salary:

Here’s why it's worth learning both the front and back-end. The average full-stack developer salary is around $76,000.

junior fullstack developer salary

Potential Career Path:

There are so many options from here. You can stick it out into a more senior role, or niche down into a specific area.

11: Junior Cyber Security Analyst

Cyber security is a growing concern, which also means that there's a lot of demand for people in this field.

If you fancy implementing security systems or even trying to hack your teammates to find vulnerabilities, then this is the role for you!

Responsibilities:

A Junior Cyber Security Analyst plays a critical role in protecting the organization's computer systems and networks from security threats, under the supervision of a team lead.

Your responsibilities include monitoring security systems, analyzing potential vulnerabilities, and implementing measures to safeguard digital assets.

Key responsibilities may include:

  1. Security Monitoring: Monitoring security alerts and events to identify potential threat
  2. Incident Response: Assisting in the response to security incidents and breaches
  3. Vulnerability Assessment: Conduct vulnerability assessments to identify and address potential weaknesses in systems. Did Karen from HR click the fake email you sent from Amazon and now has a keylogger on her machine? Boom - now it’s time to train team members in web hygiene
  4. Security Policies: Contributing to the development and enforcement of security policies and procedures. This means you’re always learning something new
  5. Security Awareness: Educating employees on security best practices and promoting a security-conscious culture. No clicking dodgy emails Karen!

Requirements:

  1. Education: A bachelor's degree in cybersecurity, information technology, or a related field helps. But you can also just take courses online to get the skills you need to get hired
  2. Certifications: Industry-recognized certifications such as CompTIA Security+, Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), or Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) may be beneficial. Some companies will even want this before you’re hired, as it shows a baseline level of current skills
  3. Technical Skills: Knowledge of security technologies, tools, and techniques. Why do things work the way they do, and why are their weaknesses?
  4. Analytical Skills: Strong analytical skills to assess and respond to security incidents
  5. Communication Skills: Effective communication to collaborate with IT teams and convey security concepts to non-technical stakeholders

Average Salary:

Salary starts at around $61,000.

Junior Cyber Security Analyst salary

Potential Career Path:

This career is cool in that there are a lot of different focuses in Cyber Security. You can build systems, hack systems, find bugs, and more, or stick with where you are and become a Senior Cyber Security Analyst ($113,000 a year).

There are even opportunities for freelance work finding bug bounties, which can be extremely lucrative.

bug bounties

That’s a $3 million dollar reward if you can find a vulnerability that gives remote code access!

12: Data Analyst

The final role on my list, and one I hinted at earlier with the data entry role.

The Data Analyst is a great career progression path from Data Entry, however, there’s no reason why you couldn’t train and start out as a Data Analyst right away if that's what you wanted to do instead.

It would just mean more training upfront before you could apply, but a much higher salary once you do get the role.

Click here to check out our recommended skills for this career path.

Responsibilities:

A Junior Data Analyst is less about inputting data, and is instead more focused on understanding what that data means, so that it can be used to support business decision-making.

Key responsibilities may include:

  1. Data Collection: Gathering data from various sources, and then ensuring its accuracy. (You can’t make good decisions on bad information right)
  2. Data Analysis: Analyzing data sets to identify trends, patterns, and insights. What is happening? What is trending? What actions should we take?
  3. Data Visualization: Creating visual representations of data through charts, graphs, and dashboards.
  4. Reporting: Generating reports and presenting findings to stakeholders.
  5. Collaboration: Working with other teams to understand business requirements and provide data-driven insights.

Requirements:

  1. Education: A bachelor's degree in statistics, mathematics, computer science, or a related field is considered a plus. But like all these entry-level roles, you don't HAVE to have a specific degree. You can also follow this career path of courses here instead and get hired
  2. Analytical Skills: Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
  3. Technical Skills: Proficiency in data analysis tools (e.g., SQL, Python, R) and data visualization tools (e.g., Tableau, Power BI)
  4. Communication Skills: Effective communication to convey findings to both technical and non-technical audiences
  5. Attention to Detail: A keen eye for detail to ensure accurate data analysis

Average Salary:

The average salary for a Junior Data Analyst is around $79,000.

junior data analyst salary

Potential Career Path:

Same as the Data Entry path but you’re already a step further ahead. You could go on to become a Data Scientist ($127,000), or Data Engineer ($129,000).

Which job will you choose?

So there you have it. 12 entry-level tech jobs. 5 of which you could start today with no previous experience and no matter what your current skills or background is.

Or 7 others thatn if you put in a little extra effort, you can quickly train up and start a career track that can lead to $100,000+ salaries.

Heck, there’s nothing to stop you from starting in one of these tech roles that don't require any previous experience, and then continue learning on the side once you’re in the company. That way, you get access to internal hiring opportunities, are earning money right away, and then can transition after a few months.

The choice is yours - you just need to decide which job you want to apply for!

And if you’re not sure which sounds best for you?

Well then, take our tech career path quiz.

You answer a few questions and it’ll help you figure out the best tech career for you and give you a personalized step-by-step roadmap to make it happen.

Good luck 😀!

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