In this 3 part series (a part a day) I’ll take a look at some of the options techies can consider when looking to do something “different”. They aren’t “build-an-egg-farm-the-hi-tech-way” kind of unusual – I leave those kind for you to find out. These are careers you’re definitely aware of, but may not necessarily be aware how easy or difficult making the switch can be.
I wrote this for PCQ originally but they never got around to publishing it – don’t ask me why. So you may find that I have “toned myself down” a little bit here – go figure. There might be a few India specific references in the article as well which I can’t be arsed to change/ remove right now. Here you go.
Unusual Careers for IT professionals
There are careers and there are careers. Even within the IT industry there are many paths that you can follow ��� you could be a coder, tester, an analyst or if you���re lucky and know Word and Excel, you could be a project manager. But all of these are more of the same ��� all of them are predictable, done-to-death kind of jobs. Have you ever wondered if you could do something that isn���t your typical job whilst still using your technological skills? Read on.
Music
If you love music and think creating software is more of an art than science, there might be a musician hidden in you somewhere! Technology is playing a bigger part that ever in the creation as well as distribution of music. So whether you���re a twenty something software engineer looking for a career change or someone just starting out with a zest for technology, if you believe you have music in your genes, you can seriously consider it as a career option.
Artists that are afraid of experimenting with technology fear being left behind these days. But since the computer is already your best friend, no fear! All you need is some decent hardware and specialized software and you���re good to go. You no longer need to hire an orchestra or rent a studio to create and record your own musical masterpiece.
Infact, you don���t even need to know how to play any of the musical instruments to create digital music. No harm done if you can play them of course. The software can ���simulate��� the sound of practically any musical instrument out there ��� you can change the ���vroom��� into ���wham���, with one stroke of genius, err, keyboard. You need some music sense and a MIDI controller to create some real original stuff ��� you can buy the latter off the shelves. Or you can use one or more of the various pre-recorded ���loops��� that ship with the software to come out with your own remix version of the latest hit number.
The line between technology and music is blurring by the day ��� and no I���m not referring to techno music. Many a performer illustrate this example. DJs who mix music on their laptop at home and plug it straight into the sound system while performing are no longer an uncommon sight. Our very own A.R. Rehman is a bit of ���geek��� himself as he composes most, if not all, of his music on his computer.
Even distributing music is now tech friendly with stores like iTunes that make selling music for the garage band musicians a reality. So what���s stopping the Rehman in you?
To be continued…
Dude,
Respect to what yu’ve written here(Although i’m reading it pretty late! :P). I just got into a “tech” job after being a DJ while in college for 3 years! Maybe yu can help me out with what I can do apart from the “tech” job not having to be a proper “techie”…!
Why not go back to your first love i.e. DJing. Check out the various software available and mix your own tracks. You don’t need a fancy setup to get started. And do share your music on the Internet 🙂