Start with the work. Then choose a role.

Find out what you would do each day.

“I want to work in tech” leaves a lot undecided. A software developer, a systems analyst and a market researcher may work for the same company while making very different things. Start by asking what you would actually do: build and test something, investigate how a process works, or turn customer information into a recommendation. You do not need a computer-science degree to begin this comparison. You do need to inspect what each particular employer requires.

Choose one role you would like to learn more about. Think of a piece of work you enjoyed, such as testing a class app or summarizing survey responses, and look for similar tasks in a job description. Keep a second possibility in reserve if the first requires qualifications you do not have.

Compare three kinds of work.

01 / Build and test software

Would you enjoy building a feature, finding out why it fails and explaining how someone else can maintain it? Imagine a class project where you build a small booking app. You could share the app with test notes that someone else can follow. Explain what you implemented, how you checked it and which cases still fail. That gives a reader a way to understand your decisions about reliability.

O*NET’s Software Developers profile includes understanding user needs, designing and testing software, and documentation.

02 / Investigate systems and workflows

Consider whether you enjoy finding where information gets lost and asking people what a process needs to accomplish. For example, you could draw a student society’s equipment-loan process and propose a change. Explain whose needs you considered and what you would need to test. Keep the current and proposed diagrams together so a reader can follow your reasoning. If the society has not tried the change, say so.

O*NET’s Computer Systems Analysts profile covers investigating needs and workflows and evaluating and testing systems. Titles, tools and requirements vary by employer.

03 / Research and communicate customer insight

You might prefer organizing messy responses, asking what a sample can tell you and writing a recommendation. A student-club survey could give you a cleaning log, theme notes and a one-page recommendation to discuss. Explain how the respondents were chosen: club members’ views may differ from those of a company’s customers. Describe the work as a student project so the reader understands where your experience comes from.

O*NET’s Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists profile includes researching customers and markets, analyzing findings and communicating recommendations. These roles exist in technology companies and other industries.

Test the idea against an actual posting.

Open a current posting on the employer’s own website. Record the title, source and date for yourself. Check location, work authorization, experience level and any required qualification before concentrating on appealing tasks. An old search result or a broad occupational profile does not establish that a vacancy is available. If wording is ambiguous, mark it as unknown rather than deciding it must be flexible.

Look closely at roles that involve little coding, too. Customer-facing operations can involve troubleshooting, careful records, systems knowledge and communication under pressure. “Business analyst” can mean different things in different teams. Look for the reports, decisions or services the person would be responsible for, then consider whether you would enjoy producing them.

Choose one job to explore further.

Write: “I want to learn more about this role because I am interested in this task.” Select three requirements, write down related work you have done and name what you still need to learn. If you only have one useful example, start there. Leave the other rows blank until you have something relevant to add.

Use the Role Evidence Map to keep these notes together. Then read the requirements closely before deciding whether to apply, learn more or explore a different role. You can return to your notes as you find more postings and learn which tasks interest you most.