I'm reaching out for some honest feedback regarding my prospects in the tech job market, particularly in internal tools or automation engineering. I have a non-traditional background and have developed some insecurities about my qualifications. Here's a bit about me:
I was the tech lead at a small hedge fund that launched in 2021, where I built internal tools from scratch, including dashboards, trade executors, signal engines, and automation systems for operations. I'm comfortable with messy business processes and can create reliable automations quickly, but I lack formal experience with Agile, Jira, SQL, and collaborative engineering practices, as I was the sole technical person on my team.
I'm left feeling like my skills are more intuitive than foundational, and I'm worried that this will hinder my job prospects. I have several questions about my employability potential and what skills I should focus on to be competitive in Canada's job market, especially with roles that pay between $80k-$110k. I'm genuinely looking for realistic advice, even if it's tough to hear.
2 Answers
You definitely have a chance at landing internal tools or automation engineering roles! Just focus on showcasing your hands-on experience, especially in building systems. Frame your CV to highlight your problem-solving skills and how you've made things more efficient. Learning SQL and getting familiar with some version control systems like Git could also help boost your employability. Since you have a finance background, that’s a plus—many may overlook crucial domain knowledge, so make it part of your narrative.
While I can’t speak for Canada, from what I see in the UK market, your experience qualifies you. Just tweak your CV a bit. Instead of calling yourself an 'automation engineer', try highlighting your software engineering capabilities. If you can build a simple full-stack app in Python and use a database like PostgreSQL, plus know some Git and CI/CD, you'll be in a good position. Your financial domain knowledge really offers you a unique edge—lots of people struggle with that technical side.
Great advice! I’ll work on a full-stack app and aim to highlight that finance expertise. Any ideas on roles to apply for with that mix?
Thanks for the encouraging words! I’ll make sure to highlight my problem-solving and finance experience in my applications.