If you have been thinking about getting into tech as a felon, you will be very happy to know that it is not as hard as you must have imagined. Tech industry is one of the best in the world, and there’s a lot of money for you in it.
Of all the industries in the world, this is the most welcoming place to work remotely. And as you grow higher in the profession, you will get even more freedom and flexibility with your time.
The starting point
Getting into tech as a felon requires the same prerequisites as anyone else that has never been to jail. Your case will only be different if you have no educational background at all.
In such a situation, you can start applying to training programs online or offline. Some of them are even free, so you can easily give yourself some foreknowledge of the basics.
If you already had education before serving jail, what you should focus on right now is the skills you need.
Start by figuring out the part of tech you want to do
Most people just start taking random coding lessons without any area of focus in mind. And this is why many people give up when they start learning tech skills — there’s nothing to keep them going.
The tech industry is broad and always evolving, so you should not go in blind. Ask yourself what you are already good at, then find a place to fit your skills into the tech space.
UI/UX design
If you are naturally creative or have some experience with art, get into designing. UI/UX designinvolves a lot of artistic creativity and you will do very well in that area. If you also don’t like to code, UI/UX is perfect for you because it requires little or no coding at all.
Front end development
If you are creative and also want to code, frontend development is a good place to work. Many people that have tried getting into tech as a felon, have succeeded through front end development.
As a front end developer, you will be responsible for coding the visible part of websites and applications. It is a very popular aspect of tech and you will have fun acquiring the skills.
Backend development
This is one aspect of tech that many people seem to overlook. You can take advantage of that by learning how to be a backend developer through online courses.
When you work on the backend, you will be more cornered with things like logics and operations of the websites and applications that front end developers build.
These are the three most popular areas of tech that felons get involved with, and they have been very successful. There are other areas to focus on, but with frontend, backend, or UI/UX design, you’ll get a job faster.
You will need the right channel for getting into tech as a felon: Dream corps tech
After figuring out what you want to do, the next step of getting into tech is choosing the right program. Though there are many platforms, it is not advisable to sign up for any random program online.
This is where dream corps tech comes in. They are an organization that focuses on improving the lives of marginalized people, including felons like you.
When you get involved with them, you will be able to start your career in tech with massive support.
Dream corps tech runs a program that takes a duration of about 10 weeks. And in that period, you can go from a newly released prisoner to a successfully employed member of society.
They have a great learning system that has been customized for the needs of marginalized groups. So you will feel at home in dream corps tech.
Even if you don’t know a single thing about computers, you can take up their precourse resources and start making a good foundation for your career in tech.
You basically have everything you need, so free up your week (Mondays to Fridays), and start learning with dream corps tech.
