How To Brand Yourself When Switching Careers Into Software Development
Tags: beginners, career, personalbranding
Published: 2019-03-25 14:41:02

---
title: How To Brand Yourself When Switching Careers Into Software Development
published: true
description: How do you brand yourself if you are from a non-tech field and wanting to make the switch into software development?
tags: #beginners, #career, #personalbranding
cover_image: https://thepracticaldev.s3.amazonaws.com/i/6aos9p3o4gjoxezlsd6d.jpg
canonical_url: https://yourdevcareer.com/articles/branding-when-becoming-a-software-developer
---

A few weeks ago I received a question from a reader of the [_Navigating Your Software Development Career_](https://eepurl.com/gdIV5X) newsletter about how to position or brand oneself when switching careers into becoming a software developer: 

> "I've read your post about branding for online presence as Developer on Dev.to  💪 great read!

> May I ask your recommendation?

> I assume your post is intended for Developers who already working as professionals.

> And for code newbies who are a complete beginner — just newly starting learning to code and wants to write a blog (either self hosted, or using Dev .to  / Medium), how can we 'brand' ourselves while we are transitioning from non-tech field into software engineering?"

Love it - great question! 

# Non-Technical Backgrounds
 
Many of you guys/gals reading this are probably already developers - but I'm sure many of you actually have a "past-life" before becoming a developer.

As an example, I only started really coding at around 25 years of age when I went back to college to learn how to code! 

I had used computers during my late teens and was playing around with Unix machines and some bash scripts - but nothing more than that.

My background is actually in music and philosophy 🤔.

Before starting to code, I was planning on completing my studies... until I decided that spending another 7 years getting a doctorate just wasn't worth the time, the money, etc.

So I had to think about what other possible careers would be available that:

- Didn't require tons of schooling
- I was passionate about
- Was available to study where I lived
- Paid well in general

That happened to be programming!

# Short Answer

Here's my answer to the question that was posed:

**Position/brand yourself as someone who is transitioning careers into software development.**

Hmm....🤔

# Long Answer

Here's a great example I've been seeing on LinkedIn - [Alex Ortiz.](https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexotechsales/)

He's been blogging about his journey of trying to get into more technical/dev positions lately - as a non-developer. 

I think this is a fantastic approach.

## Tactics

As you are learning to make the switch, you can make your journey public by:

- Blogging
- Creating short video updates every now and again
- Tweet smaller bite-sized updates about what you are learning, what's difficult, what's easy, etc.

By branding yourself as someone that's - let say - more of a traditional marketer (if that's your field) who is switching to a dev career, you can market yourself as just that: what you are!

Branding after-all is simply all about your reputation - are you intelligent? Passionate? Helpful? Trustworthy? Authentic? Honest? Who do you help?

The key is to build a community and reputation around who you are, where you've been and where you are going.

_Note: A long-term approach should actually revolve around where other people are and where you can get them. But for now, starting out, focusing on your own journey is a natural and great way to do this._

People who are either going through the same process or considering making a carer switch to becoming a developer will **DEVOUR** your content!

There are so many people that are doing this - switching from non-developer roles to learning and starting a career as a software dev. I think that's one of the reasons why boot camps are so popular.

I know from speaking with one of the major boot camps in the US that they have a high percentage of students who are pivoting from a previous career track.

# The Next Level

If you are really serious about building a reputation and trying to help others who are looking to make this switch, you could also start an email newsletter.

Weekly or bi-weekly send updates about your journey, tips or even interview other people who have successfully made the same type of transition.

Eventually, you could self-publish a book to this market too. You'll already have a following that wants to consume your content!

# Some Final Thoughts
 
Finally, most companies are, as a requirement, looking for skilled developers.

But the people who end up getting the jobs are those who can demonstrate their worth to a potential company. Having a good reputation and a following can really help you to do this and stand-out.

You'll gain so many more connections this way and will be in a great place to enter the field - if you've built a following around your journey! 

# Here's Your Cue!

If you are a developer and have come from a non-tech or non-dev background, I'd love to hear your story (even a couple sentences would be awesome!).

# Keep In Touch

Don't forget to connect with me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/jamesmh_dev) or [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesmhickey/)!

# Navigating Your Software Development Career Newsletter

An e-mail newsletter that will help you level-up in your career as a software developer! Ever wonder:

✔ What are the general stages of a software developer?
✔ How do I know which stage I'm at? How do I get to the next stage?
✔ What is a tech leader and how do I become one?
✔ Is there someone willing to walk with me and answer my questions?

Sound interesting? [Join the community!](https://eepurl.com/gdIV5X)