What to Do if You Went to a Coding Bootcamp But Don’t Want to Be a Developer
By: Roxy A
Tags: Codingbootcamp, Coding, Programming, Web Development, Learning To Code

What to Do if You Went to a Coding Bootcamp But Don’t Want to Be a Developer Roxy A Follow Dec 11 · 3 min read

Photo by Damian Zaleski on Unsplash

You may have found yourself taking a leap of faith and doing an intensive 12-week coding bootcamp. During the 600+ hours learning to code, you may have realized that neither front-end or back-end development are for you.

The job titles software engineer, fullstack developer or front-end developer may not appeal to you.

Or, your comfort level with creating functional components in React may not be there.

Or, your lack of excitement for staring a a screen all day may not be what you want.

During this economy, the unemployment rate is at a record high and hiring has slowed down. It has been even harder to land such a role with no work experience.

If you completed a coding bootcamp and don’t want to be a developer, here are some alternative roles you can consider. In these roles, coding is either simple, minimal or none at all. Having an understanding of tech not only increases your chances of landing a job, but also to be better at it.

Email Developer

If you like to code often but don’t feel comfortable creating complex functions, being an email developer might be a great option. If you are comfortable with HTML and CSS, then email developing is just that.

Email developers code HTML email templates (which are like simple single web pages) that are easy to read. Since emails aren’t as dynamic as websites, there isn’t a large code base to manage, animations to create or complex CSS methods used. Each email is only one index.html file.

Email developers are often provided with a concept or design and asked to build the email.

Some companies require email developers to code emails from scratch while others (most middle or large companies) use email building tools such as Klaviyo or MailChimp. Using these tools, you drag and drop features of an email. You only code in-line html to tweak those features to fit your needs.

User Interface (UI) Designer

If you like creating websites but not developing them, then UI design might be of interest.

UI designers choose the look and feel of a site experience. They may create wireframes and storyboards, choose colors and design the layout of a site. Once the design is approved, they hand off the designs to the development team to code.

This creative role requires no coding. Having an understanding of the development process (how certain features can complex to code) can ensure that you design products that your team can develop given the deadlines.

Project Manager

If you want to be in/around tech but don’t want to do any coding yourself — project managers do that.

Project managers oversee the day-to-day progress of individual projects. They take part in all stages of the software development process.

Project managers attend a decent amount of meetings (they are often the first-line-of-contact for clients) and are the ones who are communicating across all teams to ensure projects run smooth.

Software Sales

If you have excellent communication skills, enjoy traveling for work and being around people, software sales could be for you.

Software-as-a-service sales, ‘SaaS sales’, is a business (B2B) service. You provide your clients with technology solutions that will help them solve a problem. You advocate for both the clients’ best interest and the product you are selling.

The career path has various titles, such as, sales engineer, sales development rep or account executive. Your salary may vary as these roles offer commissions and bonuses.

Technical Recruiter

There is a close to zero percent chance you will need to code as a technical recruiter.

But, it is very helpful to have some understanding of the tech space and tech limbo to best identify potential hires.

Knowing how to read and understand a technical resume is a key skill. The hiring manager will thank you.

If you don’t want to code or be a developer , there are plenty of fulfilling tech jobs that you can consider.