Transitioning to Tech: Making the Leap from the Education World to a Career in Software

Rebecca Hohlenwerger | Customer Success Team Lead at LogicManager

Before Rebecca Hohlenwerger joined LogicManager’s Advisory Team, she never imagined working in software. But with an itch for change and after considering the ever-expanding breadth and depth of the technology industry, Rebecca soon found herself in a new, more digital world. Read on to learn about Rebecca’s experience making the biggest career transition of her life, and the advice she’d give to others thinking about making a similar jump.

Life Before LM

Prior to joining LogicManager, I worked in International Education for almost 15 years. From teaching English as a foreign language to children in Italy and then to medical doctors in Brazil, to managing an international high school exchange and host family program, my career path was definitely far from the tech industry!

I was ready for a change after so many years of being in similar roles. Folks in education might tell you that people don’t move around much in that industry. I was ready for more of a challenge, but the available opportunities above my position were few and far between. I was also in a role that truly required me to be “on-call” 24/7 because I was responsible for 120 international minors every year. What could possibly go wrong with over 100 teenagers coming from all over the world and being dropped into American high schools, communities, and host families for a year? Pretty much anything! I was ready to switch it up and apply my skills to a role that could fit better into a more standard work week, and I was ready to gain some new skills as well.

Comparing Then & Now

I’ve found similarities in the way that customers across industries react to problems and challenges. While the “emergencies” I faced when working with international teens were often true emergencies, that doesn’t mean that my current customers’ challenges and problems are less important. My role is to make sure the customer is heard, supported, valued, and has a great experience at the end of the day. That means that their problems and challenges are my challenges as well.

The biggest difference and learning curve for me after joining a tech company was truly learning the lingo; I wouldn’t have had such a big hurdle if I’d come from another tech role. In the early days after joining LogicManager, I could leave a conversation with a colleague feeling like they’d been speaking a foreign language to me! Now I try not to sweat it, and remember that if I’m not familiar with an acronym, Google is my best friend.

For so long, I “stayed in my lane” and didn’t bother to look outside of it. I never would have even looked at tech company roles, because I told myself that they were outside of my skill set. In actuality, software/tech companies need team members with all sorts of skills. And not everyone has to be a programmer! If you have strong managerial, sales, customer service, or people skills, allow yourself to consider tech. Yes, you’ll have to add some knowledge and skills to your repertoire, but don’t undermine the years of experience and the skills you already have. You might just find a new home in tech.

Curious to learn more about what it’s like to work at LogicManager? I encourage you to check out our Careers page today!

My Secrets to Success

At the end of the day, people are people no matter the industry. And whatever my former roles have been, I’ve always worked well with people. I like making sure that people feel comfortable, welcomed, and at ease. I like bringing calm into situations where emotions are escalated, and I like helping solve problems. These skills have helped me work internally with team members and departments outside of my own, but since my day-to-day responsibilities are primarily customer-facing, they have certainly set me up to serve our customers as confidently as possible.

I have learned just how ever-evolving software/tech is, and how a challenge you face today can always be improved upon tomorrow. I’ve also discovered that I can learn things outside of the industry I thought I would be in forever! I enjoy the fact that tech is more attainable than many folks might allow themselves to believe. I love working with our customers who don’t feel so tech-savvy themselves, and have maybe been tasked with using LogicManager for their role. I am proud to be able to gently guide them through the process and show just how easy and intuitive it can be, once you learn the basics.

For so long, I “stayed in my lane” and didn’t bother to look outside of it. I never would have even looked at tech company roles, because I told myself that they were outside of my skill set. In actuality, software/tech companies need team members with all sorts of skills. And not everyone has to be a programmer! If you have strong managerial, sales, customer service, or people skills, allow yourself to consider tech. Yes, you’ll have to add some knowledge and skills to your repertoire, but don’t undermine the years of experience and the skills you already have. You might just find a new home in tech.

Curious to learn more about what it’s like to work at LogicManager? I encourage you to check out our Careers page today!