Strategies for Success in the Tech Industry 

Whether you’re a student just starting your studies or a recent university graduate, you want to succeed. You chose tech for a reason, whatever that may be, and that reason fuels your success. 

But how do you actually succeed? How do you improve your chances of reaching your career goals and potential? 

These are the three key strategies we’ve learned for finding success in the tech industry. Let’s chat about them. 

Networking 

We’re not reinventing the wheel here by mentioning this one, and we’re sure you’ve heard it before: networking is really important. But why? 

Networking opens doors to many opportunities that aren’t always publicly available. For example, jobs. Often, jobs are filled by referrals, and having an extensive network can help you find future opportunities. Beyond jobs, though, it offers much more than you think. 

Have you ever thought about speaking on a panel? Networking can help make that happen. Want to join a hackathon but don’t have a team? Networking helps you find one. 

Networking often isn’t for your current self. It’s for your future self who might be looking for a new job, mentor, or advice. 

But how do you start networking? 

One easy option is to join a community you identify with, such as Rewriting the Code (RTC), if you’re a woman in tech. RTC gives you “access to a strong network of women in tech, offering resources and a platform to share experiences. RTC's focus on community and collaboration has been invaluable in empowering me to stay motivated and find support during pivotal moments in my tech career,” says RTC member Nayan Pasari, who joined in 2020. There are plenty of other communities for you to join if RTC isn’t the right fit for you, including ones around specialty, ethnicity, and many other options. 

Mentorship 

Finding a mentor is one of the most overlooked strategies for success in tech. A mentor is more than just someone to learn from; it is someone who can help shape your career trajectory.

They’re someone you trust for advice when struggling to adapt to working a 9-5. They are the person you can rely on to help bounce ideas off of, navigate tricky work situations, or when you have a crisis of confidence. Mentors, especially the right mentor, can significantly impact your likelihood of staying in tech. 

In RTC’s 2024 Internship Experience survey, 40% of interns who didn’t feel supported by their mentors questioned whether or not they’d stay in tech. In comparison, the number dropped down to just 3% when they listed their mentors as extremely supportive. 

Finding a mentor can be challenging, but networking can help! 

Another way to find a mentor is by joining a community with a mentorship program. 

At RTC, we have two different membership programs. The first is the more traditional method, where you browse our list of mentors who align with your career or interests and set up a meeting with them. One of our members, Rue Sriharsha, had this to say about the program: “The mentorship program helped set me up for success during my first-ever Big Tech recruiting cycle, and my mentor gave me actionable tips that led me to getting an offer from Microsoft Explore.” 

The second is our quarterly Mentor Circles program, where we bring together small groups of mentors and mentees and allow mentees to choose whom they want to talk to. These mentoring circles are themed, so each mentor is keyed in on what they will discuss. It’s a great way to find a mentor or ease into the mentoring process if you’ve never had a mentor before! 

If you aren’t an RTC member, there are many ways to find mentors. If you’re a member of a community, see if they have a mentoring program. If you aren’t a member, utilise your network. Is there someone you follow on LinkedIn whose career journey you admire? Ask them if they’d be willing to mentor you. 

Continuous Learning 

And finally, keep learning. Just because you’ve graduated (or are about to graduate) doesn’t mean you should stop learning. Technology is constantly changing and evolving. Take AI, for example. Five years ago, it was barely a blip on most people’s radars (at least the generative AI side of things), and now, more businesses than ever are using it. Even though RTC’s members feel fairly proficient in AI, 80% strongly desire to learn more and improve. 

AI isn’t the only area of tech constantly growing and evolving; it’s just the current loudest. Continue to strengthen and work on your skills to keep you afloat and ahead, to help you stand above your peers. 

Use LinkedIn, your network, and your communities to find webinars (many of which are free!) that you can learn from. Go to conferences, take courses, and build soft skills (which are just as

important as technical skills). There are so many opportunities to build your knowledge; you just have to start searching! 

Joining a Community 

Rewriting the Code is a community of 34,000 women in tech, featuring both student and early career members, that provides networking, mentorship, and learning opportunities for our members. We do what we do because we know just how important it is for young people in tech, especially women, to have a community that helps them achieve their goals and stay in tech.