How to get into tech from any degree

You do not need a computer science degree to work in tech. We have seen people move from English, Economics, Law, and Geography into data science, product management, and engineering roles.

This is not motivational fluff. The data backs it up. Research from Harvard Business School and the Burning Glass Institute found that between 2017 and 2019, employers reduced degree requirements for 46% of middle-skill positions and 31% of high-skill positions, with the technology sector leading this shift 1. A follow-up study in 2024 found that while skills-based hiring rhetoric has grown significantly, the shift is real and accelerating in practice across industries including tech 2. The industry is moving towards skills-based hiring, and that shift creates real opportunities if you know how to use it.

Employers care about three things: can you solve problems, can you learn quickly, and can you work with others. Your degree proves at least two of those.

A CIPD survey of UK employers found that a significant proportion of employers in professional occupations felt that applicants did not have the required skills, and that over half of employers who recruited school leavers believed young people were poorly prepared for work. The skills gaps they identified were overwhelmingly in communication, problem-solving, and adaptability, not in subject-specific knowledge 3. Google's own internal research, published through their re:Work project, found that among their top attributes of successful employees, STEM expertise ranked last. The top predictors were coaching ability, communication, and the ability to make connections across complex ideas 4.

The National Centre for Universities and Business reports annually on collaboration between universities and employers. Their 2024 report showed continued growth in employers actively recruiting graduates from non-STEM backgrounds into technology-adjacent roles 5.

Pick one skill and go deep. Breadth comes later. Depth is what gets you hired.

If you are interested in data

Learn SQL and Python. These two skills unlock more doors than any other combination for non-CS graduates. The Office for National Statistics tracks employment growth by occupation, and data analyst and data scientist roles have been among the fastest-growing job categories in the UK in recent years 6. Start with a free course on platforms like freeCodeCamp or Codecademy, then apply what you learn to a real dataset. The ONS itself publishes open data that makes excellent practice material.

If you are interested in product

Start reading how companies make decisions. Follow product leaders on LinkedIn and Substack. Read Marty Cagan's Inspired 7 and Teresa Torres' Continuous Discovery Habits 8. Then find a problem at your university, your student society, or in your own life, and write a product brief for it. Analyse the users, define the requirements, sketch a solution.

If you are interested in design

Build a portfolio. You do not need a design degree to get into UX. The Design Council's research on the UK design economy has shown that while the majority of designers hold a degree, a significant proportion entered the profession without a formal design qualification, with growth in the design workforce outpacing the supply of design graduates 9. What you need is evidence that you can understand user needs and translate them into solutions. Start by redesigning something that frustrates you. Document your thinking. Show the before and after.

If you are not sure yet

That is fine. The best first step is to talk to people who work in the roles you are curious about. Reach out on LinkedIn. Attend career events. Ask questions like "what does a typical week look like?" and "what skills do you use most?" Informational interviews are underrated and extremely effective.

University teaches you to think. Industry needs you to do. The bridge is projects.

This is a pattern we see consistently. The students who transition most smoothly into tech are not the ones with the highest grades. They are the ones who built something, wrote about it, and put it somewhere people could see it.

High Fliers' annual survey of the UK's leading graduate employers found that most graduate scheme offers went to candidates who had already completed work experience with the employer or within the same sector, and that employers ranked practical experience and demonstrated initiative highly in their selection criteria 10. HESA's Graduate Outcomes data showed that students who engaged in extracurricular projects or work placements during their degree had significantly higher rates of graduate-level employment after graduation 11.

Build something. It does not have to be software. It could be:

• A data analysis of something you care about, published as a blog post
• A case study of a product you admire, with your own critique and recommendations
• A side project that solves a small problem for a real group of people
• A contribution to an open-source project, even if it is just documentation

The point is evidence. Evidence that you can take initiative, work through ambiguity, and produce something tangible.

First-year summers are undervalued. Most students treat them as a break. The ones who use them to explore, experiment, or gain experience have a significant advantage by the time second-year applications open.

High Fliers' research consistently shows that the majority of graduate scheme offers at the UK's top employers go to candidates who completed prior internships or work placements 10. The ISE's Student Recruitment Survey found similar patterns across a broader range of employers 12.

You do not need a formal internship. Volunteering, freelance work, a personal project, or helping a small organisation with something practical all count. The point is to have something to show that demonstrates initiative beyond your coursework.

We have both made non-linear career moves. Between us we have worked at Google DeepMind, law firms, government, and startups. The common thread was not our degrees. It was curiosity and the willingness to learn in public.

LinkedIn's Work Change Report found that the skills required for jobs are expected to change by 70% by 2030, and that over half of UK workers are open to taking on a role in a new industry 13. The Learning and Work Institute's research on career transitions found that over a third of UK adults were looking to change job or career, with the majority recognising they would need to develop new skills to do so 14. Career change is not unusual. It is becoming the norm.

The path is not always linear, but it is well-trodden. And the evidence shows that it works.