Studying social sciences? Welcome on board!

As compelling as the techworld can be, sometimes it can seem a bit complicated. Many people think that to enter this field, you have to know at least one programming language, understand technology as you have invented it, or be a world class hacker. In reality, all you have to do is pay attention and have some curiosity. 

I entered the technology field while being a student of communication. At first, I thought that my communication knowledge would be useless, but boy I was wrong! Most of the skills I learned from my social studies helped me start my career in the field of technology. For example, the first rule of successful communication is listening and understanding. First months of my job in CyberCare, that was the main thing I did – I listened, took notes, tried to learn as much as I could and after some time I noticed that it is getting easier with each day.

Communication studies has also tought me patience, tolerance, flexibility, time management, looking for different perspectives, and most importantly – making sure everyone is on the same page. Communicating with customers was much easier, since I came from a field where generating an understandable message is the bare minimum. Other skills like mirroring and flexible tone of voice were also useful, as no conversation with a customer was ever the same. As time passed, I learned more and more about the VPN, and once I felt I have gathered enough information, it was time to move on. 

Now I am creating content for a help center, and my communication skills are leading the way every day. Creating convenient and understandable guides can be a bit tricky, as the techworld has difficult terminology, however my experience in generating simple messages for the public makes it easier. Improving the help center according to some numbers is also much easier, as I learned how to analyze the audience data in university. Lastly, my communication skills come in handy while discussing ideas, solving problems, planning my tasks, working in a team, and getting things done overall. Most issues come from lack of communication, and since that is the exact thing I study, I always do my best to communicate in the most efficient way.

I learned a lot from my university, as well as from working at CyberCare. But the most important thing I understood – there are no bad or unuseful skills to have. If you try, you can always find a way to use your knowledge in any field.