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Want to break into tech?

You’ve probably heard of hackathons, attending events, and creating a project based on your own problems (as outlined in this article about how to break into tech).

And you probably already know about these resources to help you break into tech.

But did you know about:

• Surfkey

• Kernal

• Product reviews

• Vower

Psst: tech project experience isn’t the only thing you need to break into tech. Read til the end to understand why.

1. Surfkey.io

Whether you’re in data, product, marketing, or something else, you can use Surfkey to find projects for free.

Just put your desired keywords (like “learn product management” or “data analysis project”) and narrow it down to specific subreddits.

You’ll find a list of people talking about their projects or seeking advice, which you can learn from.

2. Product reviews

Reading what people love and hate about a product is a great way to get project ideas.

Here’s an example of an online education product. Based on the most common problems outlined by users, what’s a project you could would on?

Example:

Data analyst - find usage data and figure out which courses are more profitable than others, and why. EntryLevel walks you through this project in the Data Analyst Level 1 program.

Product manager - research online course competitors, brainstorm features to address users’ problems, and prioritize those features.

UX designer - design a better learning platform that addresses users’ problems

Digital marketer - come up with an experiment or marketing campaign to address users’ problems

3. Kernal

Kernal is a goldmine of product ideas for you to work on.

Use our unique signup link to skip the waitlist: https://kern.al/register?invitecode=ENTRYLEVEL

4. Vower

Get gigs. Get paid in points, which you can redeem in a shop.

It’s a great way to get experience.

If none of the postings interest you, you can also explore ways to take this platform to the next level. How can you use your product, design, data, or marketing skills to make this the best platform ever?

Then, you can add the project to your portfolio or contact the Vower team with your insights.

You need more than just project experience

Companies want more than just employees who can do the work.

You also need to have soft skills - like communication - to succeed at work.

For example, let’s say you’re a skilled UX designer. You know how to use design tools like Figma, and you can create beautiful and functional designs within a few hours.

However, you lack work experience, communication skills, and teamwork skills.

You’re used to working on your own, so you don’t know how to:

• Give feedback

• Receive feedback

• Communicate your ideas effectively to different teams (developers, product managers, other stakeholders)

This leads to delayed projects and makes others frustrated working with you.

But if you develop your soft skills, you can save everyone time and handle projects professionally and with confidence.

In a few weeks, we’ll dive into how to develop these soft skills. Stay tuned!