What was your first role in the tech industry, and how did it shape your journey 🚐

Deniz
66 replies
Hey Product Hunters! πŸŽ‰ Let's take a fun trip down memory lane. I want to know: What was your very first role in tech, and how has it shaped your career journey so far? Whether you're a founder, developer, marketer or just a tech enthusiast, I'm so sure that each one of us has a unique story to tell. Before ending up as a marketer in Contentrain, I was doing recruiting for IT companies. Let's inspire each other! Share your tale below. πŸš€πŸ‘‡

Replies

Pir Ahmed
Personal FolioKit
Personal FolioKit
It all started from me taking the role and responsibility of web development in the first business I co-founded. Building websites, attracting hundreds of customers cemented my fascination with design and technology and now I am working as a product designer in an amazing startup from Pakistan. πŸ˜ƒπŸ™Œ Every step of this journey was worth it and I am so grateful to have chosen this career! This is just the beginning though, there's a lot more to come...
@pirahmed Hi Pir, Thanks for sharing your story. It's inspiring to hear how you started out as a web developer and eventually transitioned into product design. It's clear that you have a passion for design and technology, and I'm glad that you're able to pursue your passion in your work. I'm also excited to hear that you're working as a product designer in a startup from Pakistan. I think it's great that you're able to use your skills to help grow a local business. I'm sure you're right that there's a lot more to come in your career. I'm excited to see what you accomplish in the future.
Cyril Gupta
CloudFunnels AI
CloudFunnels AI
Well, my beginning was rather unusual. I dropped out of school to start as a products creator.
@cyriljeet Wow, Cyril, that's a bold and daring move! It shows your passion and determination to make your mark in the tech world. I believe your journey must be filled with a lot of exciting and challenging experiences that have made you the person you are today. Best of luck for your upcoming launch, I'm sure it'll be a great success! πŸš€
Nick from FirstHR
I have always been a founder, so I can’t even imagine myself in any other role.
@nickanisimov Hello Nick, That's the spirit of a true entrepreneur! Being a founder from the start implies an innate drive and passion for creating and innovating. It's an exciting and challenging journey, but one that is certainly rewarding.
Feyzan A.
Hey everyone! 🌟 As a frontend developer at Contentrain, my tech journey began with a passion for creating captivating user experiences. Building the interface for Contentrain 2.0 has been an incredible learning experience and has shaped my career path in ways I couldn't have imagined. I love being part of this innovative team and can't wait for you all to see what we've created! πŸš€ #frontenddeveloper #Contentrain2.0 #TechJourney
@etjecode Hey Feyzan, It's always inspiring to hear stories of passion leading to profession! Your journey as a frontend developer at Contentrain truly illustrates the exciting possibilities in the tech industry. The joy you express in creating captivating user experiences and being part of an innovative team is palpable and infectious. Your enthusiasm for the upcoming Contentrain 2.0 is stirring curiosity and anticipation in the community. Thanks for sharing your journey and keep up the fantastic work! Can't wait to see where your tech journey takes you next! πŸŒŸπŸš€ #JourneyContinues
Bibhu Panda
Started of as Market research analyst. This helped me a lot during my Entrepreneurial phase.
@bibhu_panda That's fantastic, Bibhu! I bet the experience and knowledge gained from your initial role as a Market Research Analyst must have greatly benefited you in understanding customer needs, market trends, and shaping business strategies. Thanks for sharing your journey, and here's to continued success in your entrepreneurial endeavors! πŸŽ‰πŸ™Œ
Nirnimes
I had always been a Tech Enthusiast. But I am from a Non-Tech Background, I broke into tech with my Product Internship turning into an Associate Product Manager Role. I'm interested in knowing how you made the switch from a Recruiter to a Marketer. Sounds like an interesting story! @ako61142833
@nirnimes Hey Nirnimes, First of all, congratulations on making a successful transition into tech from a non-tech background. That's not an easy leap to make and you've done it! Your journey from a product internship to an Associate Product Manager role is truly inspiring. As for the switch from a recruiter to a marketer, it's all about leveraging the skills you have and aligning them with your interests. Both roles require a deep understanding of people, effective communication skills, and a strategic mindset. Ultimately, it's about finding what you love to do and pursuing that with everything you have. Can't wait to see what's next for you in your career! Looking forward to your launch! πŸš€
Nirnimes
@ako61142833 That's a very interesting way to look at one's career! Thank you for this insight!
Kunal Mehta
My first role in the tech industry was actually as a developer, and it had a profound impact on my journey with ProApp. Working hands-on in development allowed me to understand the intricacies of building a powerful edtech platform like ours. It also taught me the importance of user-centric design and how technology can truly transform education. By the way, speaking of edtech, we just launched our application ProApp on Product Hunt today! It's an exciting platform that helps you learn design in an interactive and engaging way. If you're interested in checking it out, here's the link: (https://www.producthunt.com/prod...)
@realkunalmehta Hi Kunal, Thank you for sharing your journey from developer to founder! It's truly inspiring to see how your hands-on experience in development shaped your approach to building ProApp. Understanding the intricacies of technology and user-centric design certainly puts you in a unique position to create a transformational educational tool. And congratulations on launching ProApp on Product Hunt today! Your focus on interactive and engaging learning for design is much needed in the edtech space. I'm sure many learners will benefit from it. Heading over to check it out right now. Keep up the great work and wish you all the best with ProApp! πŸš€πŸŽ‰
Gil Villamater
I worked for a company that let's you shop in multiple affiliated websites and have it shipped in one box, one package. It was a great concept though the company didn't last long.
@gilvillamater Hi Gil, Thanks for sharing your experience. It sounds like you were working on a really innovative project. I'm sorry to hear that the company didn't last long, but I'm sure you learned a lot from the experience. Thanks again for sharing your thoughts.
Georgina Healey
I started at Synap, a tech start-up, just over 3 years ago as a digital marketing apprentice after graduating from Uni with a Sports & Exercise Science Degree (a change of pace I know). I've been working there ever since take on projects in marketing, UX/UI design and now product management. I'm constantly learning and trying to adapt with the growth of the company. Every day is a school day!
@gealey97 Hello Georgina, Your journey is a perfect example of how versatile and dynamic the tech industry can be! It's truly inspiring to see how you have adapted and grown from a digital marketing apprentice to taking on projects in marketing, UX/UI design, and now product management. Your story speaks volumes about the diverse opportunities that exist within tech, and it's a great reminder that our past education or experiences do not limit us in any way. The phrase "every day is a school day" beautifully encapsulates your zest for continuous learning and adapting to new challenges. Thank you for sharing your story with us. We're excited to see where your path leads next. Keep on learning and growing! πŸš€πŸŽ“πŸ“š
Anthony Adams
This is something impressive. Congratulation on the launch.
Moritz Tomasi
I applied for a software developer internship at one of the more prominent startups in Austria back then. I didn't really think that i would get the position, but they were on a hiring spree, so they hired me as a junior backend developer instead. Those were great times! I learned an immense amount, made some good friends and my current business partner had started 2 weeks before me at the same company. Unfortunately the company didn't make it, but i'm insanely grateful for the mentoring i got there, without them i wouldn't be where i am now.
@moritztomasi Hey Moritz! Your story is a testament to the unexpected routes that our careers can take. It's amazing how what started as an internship application turned into such an impactful experience for you. The friendships, lessons, and partnerships that you forged are invaluable! Even though the company didn't make it, it's clear that the experience has helped shape your career and lead you to where you are now. Kudos to you for seeing the positives in every situation and using them to propel yourself forward. Keep going, your journey is inspiring! πŸš€πŸ’ͺ
Sebastian Varga
@moritztomasi That's so often the way IT careers start(ed), don't know if that's still possible today
Moritz Tomasi
@arviaja I just know that i was incredibly lucky. You might be right that today it might not be possible or that easy, but i think it depends heavily on where you are.
Aden Will
This is a very nice piece of work. Congratulations on the launch.
Peyt Spencer Dewar
Quality Assurance Engineer for a year right after I graduated. Let’s just say I was happy to get laid off πŸ˜‚.
@psd Hi Peyt! πŸ˜„ Thank you for sharing your experience! It's often that unexpected turns in our career like a layoff can open up new and exciting opportunities that we hadn't considered before. It seems like your stint as a Quality Assurance Engineer gave you some unique perspectives, and we're eager to hear more about where your journey led you from there. Keep the humor, resilience, and openness to growth. All the best for your future endeavors! πŸŒŸπŸš€
Anna Carmichael
I started in sales and then moved over to product! I have found quite a few parallels between the two roles as the two seek to understand and solve for pain points from users. The drive to help solve and resolve for pain points is really key and keeps me going every day!
@anna_carmichael Hi Anna, Thanks for sharing your experience. It's interesting to hear how your background in sales has helped you in your current role in product management. I agree that there are a lot of parallels between the two roles. Both sales and product management require a deep understanding of the customer and their needs. In sales, you need to be able to identify and articulate the customer's pain points, and then convince them that your product is the solution. In product management, you need to understand the customer's pain points so that you can design a product that solves them. I think the drive to help solve and resolve pain points is a really important quality for both sales and product management. It's what keeps us going every day, knowing that we're making a difference in the lives of our customers. I'm glad to hear that you're enjoying your current role in product management. It sounds like you're making a real impact on the company. Thanks again for sharing your thoughts. I'm always interested to hear about the experiences of product management professionals
Neder Ghadhab
I was 19 years old, created the first 2 e-commerce professionally and for a country store and working in-house as an e-commerce specialist and all doer. I was doing ADV, social management, customer care, and taking care of orders and product research. Basically everything πŸ˜‚
@neder_ghadhab sorry for late reply πŸ₯² Your story is a reminder that hard work and sacrifice can pay off. It's also a reminder that we should never give up on our dreams, no matter how difficult things may seem. I'm excited to hear about your new project on blockchain, metaverse, and NFT. I think it's a very promising area, and I'm sure you'll be successful. Thank you for sharing your story. It's inspiring to hear about the challenges you've faced and how you've overcome them. I wish you all the best in your future endeavors.
@neder_ghadhab Wow, Neder! Talk about wearing many hats and diving right into the thick of things. That sort of comprehensive experience must have given you a uniquely rounded perspective on the operations of an e-commerce business. I'm sure it was challenging, but such valuable learning can't be underestimated. Thanks for sharing your inspiring story! πŸ’ͺπŸš€
Neder Ghadhab
@ako61142833 I admit that it was a period of full exploitation. At 19 years old, in a small town in Sicily, you grow up with undeclared jobs (without a contract) and with embarrassing wages (I was getting 10 euros a day when I started, and then after 1 year I got to 750 € / month managing 2 e-commerce of 10k / month each and an 20k Ebay channel that was then going strong). In compensation I was able to enter professionally in the business world, I made my experiences and today I am here, CMO of an artificial intelligence startup of which I am the founder and on the way to launch a new project on blockchain, metaverse and NFT that aims to become the reference platform in italy for web 3). The lesson? It is thanks to the greatest and sometimes even "humbling" sacrifices that I have become what I am today. But I would have gladly done without it.
Niroshan Ranapathi
What a great initiative! It's amazing to see how diverse tech career journeys can be. Looking forward to reading everyone's inspiring stories. πŸŒŸπŸ“š
@niroshnr Absolutely, Niroshan! The diversity in tech careers highlights how adaptable and dynamic this field is. How about your journey? What path did you take in tech, and what were some key moments that shaped your career? Can't wait to hear your story too! πŸŒŸπŸ’»
Dominic Pritham
My first impactful role was at a startup in Madison WI. It was also my first introduction into the world of ML and changed how I started viewing problems and solutions.
@braghumble I'm curious, what kind of problems did you work on with machine learning at the startup? And how did it change the way you view problems and solutions? Thanks again for sharing your thoughts. I'm always interested to hear about the experiences of other people in the tech industry.
Dominic Pritham
@ako61142833 We were trying to solve hospital acquired infections using computer vision. This was in 2011. It showed me how ML can be applied to areas where traditional software solutions don’t work best. It showed me how difficult challenges like occlusion were to solve. It’s both the opportunity and challenges in ML that attracted me to the field.
Angela Cvetinovic
Internship in marketing in b2b SaaS company, followed by full-time position in marketing, then as sales representative and account management, which led to current role, product manager. As a young curious freshman with non-IT background, I find now these not-so-IT roles crucially shaped my current skills and knowledge, since m&s positions pushed me to go far with understanding people needs and emotions, although they're often neglected in b2b IT industry.
@andjela_cvetinovic That's quite an impressive journey, Angela! You've really highlighted the importance of understanding and empathizing with customer needs, especially in the B2B sector. This kind of human-centric approach is truly vital in any role, but especially in product management. Your diverse experiences no doubt provide a valuable perspective for your current role. Thank you for sharing your unique career path! 🌟
Allison Ly
my first role was a Marketing Design Intern for a company in collaboration with a club I was apart of in college. The club held consulting projects every semester and I wanted to add something to my resume so I signed up. It was my first ever internship. It was fun, it was stress, but overall rewarding and gave me insight in a workplace. And we even won Judges' pick at the end of my internship for our business proposals! We launch next week, would love your support! (https://www.producthunt.com/prod...)
@allison_ly Allison Ly@allison_ly Launching soon! my first role was a Marketing Design Intern for a company in collaboration with a club I was apart of in college. The club held consulting projects every semester and I wanted to add something to my resume so I signed up. It was my first ever internship. It was fun, it was stress, but overall rewarding and gave me insight in a workplace. And we even won Judges' pick at the end of my internship for our business proposals! We launch next week, would love your support! (https://www.producthunt.com/prod...)