Tech is, unquestionably, the industry of the future. If you’re one of the millions of young adults about to dive into the first leg of your career, you may be wondering what to do if you don’t like coding.
Programming isn’t for everyone. It requires a very specific kind of quantitative, analytical mind, and the learning process can be a tough one. You don’t need a name-brand degree to find success, and there are plenty of computer science jobs without coding involved to choose from.
The good news: you don’t have to be discouraged if you still want to be a part of the tech industry. There are plenty of non-coding tech jobs. If you’ve got the brain and the drive, you can get involved with any of them. Here’s how to find the best tech jobs without coding skills.
1. Designer
Coding can be an artistic trade in many ways, but graphic design is all about the look of a product or service. If you’re artistically-inclined and want to become involved in tech, you may want to consider becoming a designer. There are several areas that you can specialize in.
For example, you could be designing products and packaging for companies that produce tangible goods. You might also be interested in designing ads and brand imaging, or even web pages.
Although everyone in tech can benefit from some basic coding skills, there are many opportunities for designers who wish to support those in other tech jobs, no coding required.
2. UX and UI Specialists
Some of the most obvious no-coding tech jobs are in User Experience (UX) and User Interface (UI) development. Careers in UX and UI have the potential to be some of the most fulfilling and meaningful tech careers that don’t involve coding. If you’ve ever asked the “I don’t like coding what should I do?” question, a career in UX or UI design might just be for you.
When websites, programs, and apps are being developed, UX/UI specialists sketch out wireframes and mockups. They then test them on users, enabling the development of guidelines for designers to complete the user interface to make it feel whole and optimally functional. It’s a great way to get involved as a professional without coding software courses or other investments of that nature.
Several roles fall under this category, each related to how users interact with a website, program, or app. These roles involve skills in design, psychology, human-computer interaction (HCI), and others.
UX experts come from a wide range of backgrounds. They hold degrees in all sorts of things, often at the master’s level, such as in HCI specifically. When asked which skills they found to be most useful, some prevalent responses were web design, writing, programming, psychology, design, and research methodology.
3. Business Analyst
From the outside, it might seem like the software development cycle is simple. However, a great product takes more than developers creating what customers tell them that they want. Tech jobs other than software development and design are just as vital to the success of a future enterprise. The customer’s wishes will rarely translate directly to a sound technical model.
This is where the business analyst comes in, bridging the gap between customer needs and the work of the developer. By gaining a solid understanding of what the customer wants the software or product to do, the business analyst turns those requirements into a plan grounded in the logistics of what is feasible.
For those who relish the feeling of being the diplomat and finding compromise, business analysis will be one of the most appealing technical jobs without coding to choose from.
4. Project or Program Manager
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Although project managers and program managers are both tech careers without coding, they will typically require a higher level of understanding of the company, project, or domain than some of these other roles would.
Project managers rarely touch the source code themselves. Instead, they’re in charge of specific projects and often coordinate the priorities and work of several cross-functional teams at once. Even without coding, software jobs from all corners of the organization answer to the project manager. This includes developers and engineers, marketers, analysts, salespeople, and designers.
Program managers do the same thing at a higher level within the company hierarchy. They may oversee many project managers at once, working to further the company’s overarching goals over time in a big-picture sense. This could involve helping their executive leaders determine the best course of development across different products.
Typically, they work closely with project managers to oversee the progression of skip-level work carried out by those within each team. They steer the ship, middling between the executives and those with their boots on the ground. This makes program management one of the most important non-programming tech jobs in the industry.
While these are both computer science jobs that don’t require coding, the best managers in tech understand programmers and ensure that their needs are being met. Context is everything.
5. Technical Writing
If your talents lie in crafting concise, useful prose, technical writing is one of the most abundantly available jobs in tech sans coding. Forget crafting apps or databases; programs, websites, scripts, and nearly every other type of product need extensive documentation and all sorts of copy.
Technical writing can include instructions for users, requirements for developers, press releases, technical reports, specifications, or other miscellaneous documents. Being knowledgeable, concise, descriptive, and well-organized are all very useful skills to have in this role. Many technical writers get their start in the field that they work in, but others begin as freelancers.
If your base of knowledge is extensive and you need a break from the tough stuff, technical writing is one of the best non-programming jobs for software engineers. It’s the perfect way to apply what you know about various technologies without coding a single line.
6. System Administrator
Do IT jobs that don’t require coding even exist? If you can find your way around setting up an office phone system, you’ll find plenty of IT careers that don’t require coding at all.
“Sysadmins”, as they’re commonly called, are often viewed as the handymen of the IT department. They cover everything from unboxing and setting up equipment to getting an email server back online when it goes down. As a sysadmin, you may also have to back up files across the entire company or create firewalls to protect the network.
It’s a busy job. Does it require coding, though? In many cases, not at all. Some companies have several sysadmins with different specialties; others have a single sysadmin to take on any project needed.
Successful sysadmins have a wide range of skills at their command. These include people skills, imperative when working with frustrated coworkers who can’t check their email or submit their project reports. While coding outright will not usually be necessary, having some programming experience will be useful. At the very least, you need a solid understanding of how to run a computer from the command line.
There are, of course, other IT jobs that don’t require coding, too, such as desktop support and help desk operator. Many consider system administration to be one of the best IT jobs without coding, however. It feels good to be the big man in charge.
7. Marketing and Sales
When it comes down to it, almost every tech company’s goal is to make money, which means they need to sell products. That means that people who have the skills to market and sell those products are in high demand, making way for many tech careers without coding. Two areas may be of interest to you: marketing and sales.
The following tech jobs without coding are all relevant to many types of companies in the industry:
Some of these jobs require more technical expertise than others, but all of them are tech jobs that don’t involve coding; having a good understanding of the company’s marketplace will be much more beneficial.
8. Tech Journalism/Tech Blogging
If your interests as a professional are diverse, you can write about anything from data warehousing and security to gaming as a tech journalist or tech blogger. Both of these careers are great non-programming jobs for computer science graduates; they’ll involve many of the same skills as a technical writer, along with a keen mind for questions and analysis.
Tech blogging and journalism cover all manner of styles of writing and publication platforms. You might be interviewing start-ups and their stakeholders. Alternatively, you may be relaying complex ideas to normal users through simple explainers and walkthroughs. Everybody has an audience and a mission to find.
Tech journalism has enjoyed a boom as the industry grows. It’s one of the most exciting computer science careers without coding for those who wish to contribute from the sidelines.
9. Software and Game Testing
Another dream job in software development without coding skills: software and game testing. This covers all manner of apps and services, from tools for managing industrial machines to games on the newest and shiniest gaming systems. Testing can be one of the most competitive tech jobs that don’t require coding, especially if you want to test video games. Not surprising, given the perks.
Testing any type of software includes running through various scenarios within the application and checking for correct or incorrect responses. You need to find bugs and report them so that developers can resolve them. The only skill you really need is being able to take a screenshot or accurately note an error code.
These can both be very tempting non-coding tech jobs to the layman. A word to the wise: while it sounds like a lot of fun, testing means more than just playing the latest and greatest and calling it a day. Work is work, no matter what you do.
Get a Tech Job Without Coding
Just because you don’t like coding doesn’t mean you can’t have a job in the tech sector. There are so many software jobs without coding involved at all for you to peruse. And you can apply for any of these jobs in tech without coding experience.
These nine areas, and some others, are open to you if you’re willing to work hard and prove yourself. As mentioned, some understanding of the principles of programming can be very helpful. For most of these jobs, though, you won’t need to know more than the basics.
