What you need to know if you want to start, retrain, or grow in technology
Talking about technology no longer means talking about a single type of job or a single professional profile. Today, the technology sector offers opportunities in development, support, data, infrastructure, cybersecurity, analytics, compliance, operations, and management, while continuing to transform rapidly through AI, digitization, and new work models. For those considering making the leap—especially women looking to start or redirect their careers—understanding the market realistically can make a big difference.
Myth 1. "To get into IT, you need to have studied computer science or engineering."
Truth: Technical training helps, but it is not the only gateway.
More and more employers are moving toward hiring models based on skills rather than just degrees or previous positions. LinkedIn estimated in 2025 that a skills-based hiring approach could expand eligible talent 6.1 times globally. In cybersecurity, ISC2 also reports that, although IT remains a traditional route, more and more people are coming from other backgrounds, and these diverse paths are considered valuable for performance in the field.
This matters greatly to those transitioning from administration, customer service, law, auditing, education, logistics, or even operational areas. In tech, it's not just technical knowledge that counts: problem solving, communication, documentation, analysis, organization, and the ability to learn quickly are also important.
Myth 2. "The tech sector is only for female programmers."
Truth: Programming is only one part of the ecosystem.
The tech world encompasses many paths: technical support, help desk, QA, data analysis, platform administration, networking, cloud, user experience, product management, and, in cybersecurity, areas such as monitoring, risk management, compliance, governance, awareness, incident response, and identity and access. CyberSeek, one of the most widely used career maps in cybersecurity, organizes career paths from entry-level and bridge roles to mid-level and advanced positions, showing that the field is not limited to a single technical profile.
For many women starting out in this sector, the best first opportunities are not always in their "dream" job, but rather in bridge roles that allow them to enter the industry, understand its language, and gain relevant experience.
Myth 3. "All tech jobs are remote."
Truth: Not everything is remote, and not everything is hybrid either.
Flexibility remains important, but the market is not behaving uniformly. Flex Index reported in 2025 that 66% of companies in the United States still offered some form of location flexibility, but 34% required full-time office presence. Stanford, using data from the Survey of Business Uncertainty, also found that only 12% of executives with hybrid or remote arrangements planned to impose a return to the office in the following year; in other words, flexibility is still alive and well, but it coexists with in-person and hybrid arrangements.
Furthermore, personal preferences are not the same for everyone. Gallup found in 2025 that Generation Z is the least inclined to work entirely remotely among jobs that can be done remotely: only 23% prefer it, compared to 35% in older generations. This helps to dispel another simplistic idea: working in tech does not automatically mean working from home every day.
Myth 4. "If I don't have tech experience, I have nothing to offer."
Truth: you do have what you need to get started, but you need to learn how to translate it.
A career transition does not mean erasing your work history, but rather reinterpreting it. Experience in service, administration, processes, sales, auditing, training, or coordination can become valuable for roles tech when you know how to explain it in terms of skills: attention to detail, customer service, incident management, follow-up, documentation, prioritization, control, and continuous improvement. LinkedIn concludes that hiring based on skills broadens access to opportunities, especially for young people, those without a college degree, and non-traditional profiles.
In cybersecurity, organizations such as the World Bank also highlight the importance of strengthening entry routes through training, internships, apprenticeships, and on-the-job learning. This confirms that the sector does not depend solely on "being born in tech," but rather on building progressive evidence of ability.
Myth 5. "Women are already fully integrated into tech and cybersecurity."
Truth: There has been progress, but the gap remains real.
ISC2 reported in 2025 that women represent an average of 22% of cybersecurity teams. McKinsey, meanwhile, shows that in the corporate world, women continue to lose representation as they advance in the hierarchy, despite improvements in the last decade. And the OECD emphasizes that, although the digital access gap has narrowed, differences in skills, representation, and confidence in fields related to digital transformation persist.
It is not about becoming discouraged, but rather looking at the context clearly. The challenge is not just "getting in," but getting in with support networks, visibility, preparation, and real opportunities for permanence and growth. That is why programs with a focus on inclusion and employability remain so relevant.
Myth 6. "In cybersecurity, only technical skills matter."
Truth: Technical skills matter, but they are not enough on their own.
The Future of Jobs Report 2025 by World Economic Forum indicates that among the skills with the highest expected growth are AI and big data, networking and cybersecurity, and technological literacy; but alongside these, analytical thinking, creativity, resilience, flexibility, and continuous learning are also growing. ISC2 also found that, in the context of AI adoption, employers are prioritizing transferable skills such as problem solving.
Simply put: knowing how to use tools is important, but knowing how to think, communicate, document, prioritize, and adapt is also part of the profile that companies are looking for. In many junior positions, that combination can carry a lot of weight.
Myth 7. "A certification or short course guarantees me a job."
Truth: They help a lot, but they don't replace practical evidence.
Certifications remain valuable because they organize knowledge, validate fundamentals, and improve employability. However, the market also looks at applied skills, case-solving ability, portfolios, simulations, exercises, projects, internships, and clarity in explaining what you can do. CyberSeek shows that employers continue to look at combinations of education, certifications, and skills required in actual job openings; it is not a single-requirement market.
Therefore, a good entry strategy is not just about "accumulating courses," but about turning learning into visible signs: a well-focused resume, an updated LinkedIn profile, practical evidence, a clear professional narrative, and a smart application.
Myth 8. "My career path must be linear to be credible."
Truth: Career paths are becoming less linear.
The dynamism of the tech sector rewards adaptability. TheWorld Economic Forumestimates that around 39% of the skills required in the workplace will change or be transformed between 2025 and 2030. This makes it more normal for careers to be mobile and constantly evolving.
This idea also appears in contemporary books on careers. The Squiggly Career argues that today's career paths no longer follow a rigid ladder, but rather more flexible routes designed around learning and opportunity.
So, what should you assume if you want to get into tech?
That you don't need to know everything when you start. That you do need discipline to learn. That a sector transition is possible, but it requires translating your previous experience. That not all vacancies will be remote. That female talent is still needed and still faces real barriers. And that, in such a dynamic market, employability is much more than just a phase of the program: it also means showing evidence, understanding vacancies, adapting your profile, and maintaining a routine of self-learning and active management.
For our Womenes Digital,, this has a powerful message: you are not late, you are not starting from scratch, and you do not need to fit into a stereotype to get started. The tech sector needs more diversity of backgrounds, more female talent, and more people capable of learning and adapting to change. Cybersecurity, in particular, continues to show a need for talent, diverse entry routes, and growing value for organizations of all sizes.
Want to start your journey into the world of technology but don't know where to begin?
Sources:
- World Economic Forum, The Future of Jobs Report 2025.
- ISC2, 2024 Cybersecurity Workforce Study and the article “Women Comprise 22% of the Cybersecurity Workforce.”
- LinkedIn Economic Graph, Skills-Based Hiring: Expanding Access to Opportunity (2025).
- McKinsey & LeanIn.Org, Women in the Workplace 2024.
- OECD, Digital Economy Outlook 2024, Volume 2: The Potential of Women for Digital Innovation.
- World Bank, “Hacking” the Cybersecurity Skills Gap (2023/2024).
- Stanford Report, “Survey indicates work-from-home is here to stay” (2025), and Flex Index, “The State of Flexible Work” (Q3 2025).
- Helen Tupper and Sarah
- Ellis, *The Squiggly Career* (Penguin).