Do you consider yourself a techie who has unusual tastes, goals, and skillsets? If so, you're probably not aiming to land a 9-to-5 corporate position with one of the top firms in the technology sector. Instead, your idea of a fun workday involves a bit of ethical hacking, detective-like research, or gaming evaluation. Fortunately, there are plenty of offbeat career paths for talented, independent tech wizards who want something different. If a cubicle, suit, and tie are not your cup of tea, consider the following suggestions for finding a truly different way of making a living. Step one is being prepared because without the right skills and education, success can be quite elusive.
Be Prepared
The world of tech is filled with non-degreed, independent, self-taught mavericks. But as is true in most other major job categories, a college degree offers a head start to anyone who wants to earn a decent living and achieve a substantial amount of career security. That's why getting a degree and financing it are the two most important parts of the process. By far, the most efficient way to get from Point A to Point B in your educational pursuit is to apply for a student loan several months before classes are set to begin. Many future IT pros leverage the power of private student loans to cover costs associated with getting a diploma. Dealing with the monetary side of the effort first gives candidates the chance to focus on earning excellent grades and acquiring as many skills as possible.
IT PI
Private investigators are relying on technical skills more than ever before. Some of the top agencies outsource tasks like skip tracing, surveillance, and personal investigation to freelance IT adults. To get work in this intriguing category, you should know how to use online locator platforms to find people, research their activities, and build a dossier on your subjects.
Trading App Developer
One of the hottest fields in securities is robo-trading, a tech-intensive practice in which developers create sophisticated codes and applications that help investors ferret out profitable trades. Consider boning up on stock market skills before writing programs. Some who take this route earn a brokerage license to create better systems.
Legitimate Hacker
Legit hackers, sometimes called ethical tech hackers, sell their services to corporations. There are several reasons businesses should hire a hacker as cybersecurity threats are on the rise. The companies hire these specialists to find out how secure the corporate computer systems are. If you have basic hacking skills, no matter how you acquired them, consider taking at least one formal course at an online academy to hone your expertise. Be careful never to practice on unsuspecting, unwilling volunteers, or you could run into legal trouble.
Gambling System Creator
This underrated career path all started about 25 years ago with something called the Horse Calculator, a simple program packed into a handheld device that helped users predict the outcomes of horse races. Incredibly ancient by today's standards, the calculator did a decent job of crunching a dozen or so variables for a given contest and assigning win probabilities to each horse at the starting line. Fast-forward to 2022, throw in the complexities of AI and the desire of millions of gamblers to beat the house, and you have one of the fastest growing career fields for techno-capable workers.
Game Testing Engineer
If you like to play games, the chances are good that you also enjoy testing them. But you'll need a strong background in programming and other areas of IT acumen to earn a living as a professional game tester. The market is brisk, and there's a huge demand for skilled adults who can find coding errors and other problems with newly developed games. Most who dedicate themselves to this pursuit begin as indie workers from a home office. Later, many expand their earning power and financial security by taking positions with gaming corporations. Requirements for success include an eye for detail, the ability to find and fix coding mistakes, and a true love for gaming.
