Staying up-to-date on tech trends and innovations is often tedious given how quickly the industry develops and transforms. Whether you work in tech, are considering entering the field, or are simply curious about the industry, finding ways to stay informed is important. Being on top of trends and innovations will make you a more competitive job candidate, stronger employee, or simply a good conversationalist when it comes to tech news and debates.
There are numerous ways to stay informed and we’d recommend diversifying your news sources and finding a strategy to stay informed that works for you. The following strategies may be helpful as you work to stay on top of what is a dynamic and ever-morphing industry.
Staying up-to-date with tech trends
Keeping up with the latest tech trends and innovations will make you a stronger tech professional, allow you to reap the benefits of new technologies, and give you the competitive advantage when it comes to strategic decision making. Tech professionals who keep up with tech trends are more likely to innovate, offer more to their customers, and are more adaptable in the face of a quickly developing industry. Here are a few other reasons why being up-to-date on tech trends is more important than ever for tech professionals:
Professional growth: the tech industry is constantly transforming and technology evolves round the clock. Knowing this, being on top of the latest trends and innovations will make you a stronger tech professional and enhance your knowledge and skills. This will give you the competitive edge in the tech industry and also potentially make your work easier through taking advantage of new tech tools and innovations.
Adaptability: developments in technology are often what drive changes in the industry and job roles. Through staying up-to-date on evolutions in tech trends, tech professionals are more capable of anticipating and adapting to these changes in effective and successful ways. You’ll be better equipped to identify emerging opportunities, have a better understanding of the impact of new technologies on your work, and be proactive in acquiring new skills and training in order to thrive in the constantly developing tech landscape.
Creative problem solving: tech professionals who are more up-to-date on tech trends and emerging technologies are stronger problem solvers. Being on top of new trends allows you to leverage new tech tools, methodologies, and technologies to think outside the box and find creative and innovative solutions to the complex challenges you face.
Strategic decision making: developments in technology significantly impact business strategies and decision making processes. Knowing this, tech professionals who are up-to-date on developing industry trends can anticipate business changes and contribute valuable insights to strategy discussions. At the same time, being informed allows you to identify new business opportunities and provide recommendations on adapting or leveraging emerging technologies.
Collaboration and networking: being up-to-date on tech trends and innovations will facilitate better collaboration and networking opportunities. You’ll be able to participate in meaningful conversations, contribute important insights to discussions, and expand the thinking of peers, experts, and leaders in the field. Knowing what’s going on in tech can lead to new partnership opportunities, an expanded network, and potential career advancements.
Improved customer experience: customers expect that tech professionals are up-to-date on the latest technologies and offerings in the industry. Everyone wants to hear that your product or service is current and leverages the industry’s innovative capacity. That said, tech professionals need to stay on top of the trends in order to better understand customer expectations, anticipate their needs, and deliver competitive and strong solutions.
In short, being on top of the latest trends is beneficial both to you as a tech professional, your ability to adapt and take advantage of innovative technologies to help your career, expand your network, and offer the most to your company and your customers. Collaborating with industry peers, exceeding customer expectations, and adapting to and leveraging what technology can give you the competitive advantage in this constantly changing industry.
How to stay up-to-date on tech trends
Between work, social responsibilities and wanting to make time for a new series or call our parents, researching the latest tech trends may seem low on the list of our daily priorities. However, staying up-to-date on tech trends can significantly benefit your career as a tech professional and utilizing innovative tech tools may actually save you time on various tasks. Finding your strategy for how to stay on top of trends is key.
Tech journals and blogs
Keeping up with tech trends is as easy as finding a couple of reputable tech websites or blogs that keep readers updated on emerging technologies, product launches, and industry trends. The Ironhack blog is a great place to start! You can even subscribe and receive email updates with our free tech knowledge and career advice. We’d also recommend checking out TechCrunch, Engadget, CNET, Crunchbase, or The Verge.
Podcasts
Podcasts are a great way to stay up-to-date on new tech innovations, learn from other tech professionals in the field, and listen to folks speak to current debates or advancements in the industry. They’re also perfect for multitasking; put on one of the following podcasts while you’re cooking or driving and you’ll never miss a beat:
The Ironhack Podcast: we are proud to offer our very own podcast that provides a unique perspective into the world of tech. You’ll hear interviews with tech professionals and Ironhack grads and get a taste of a number of different parts of the tech industry. It’s accessible to a broad audience and gives great insight into various fields within tech.
The Vergecast Podcast: The Verge’s weekly podcast that helps listeners make sense of what’s currently happening in the field of tech. From updates on the latest technology to debates around AI or the future of certain companies or sectors within the industry, this podcast has it all.
Ted Radio Hour: Ted Radio Hour is a podcast organized by the Ted organization and looks to explore developments in our digital era. The podcast relies upon individual interviews with tech professionals and other entrepreneurs, academics, and creatives.
Clockwise: Clockwise is a podcast focused on providing listeners with rapid fire updates on current technology and updates in the tech industry. The 30-minute podcast is hosted by Dan Moren and Mikah Sargent and features two guests each week.
These are just four of thousands of tech podcasts that you can listen to. It’s always helpful to hear how other people approach these conversations and the ways that industry professionals address current topics.
Build a network
Having a group that you regularly converse with is motivation for staying up-to-date on tech trends. It’s also a great way to hold yourself accountable to researching and contributing something to the conversation.
This network could be a group of co-workers that meets once a week for lunch, a group chat that simply shares articles, podcasts and other resources, or even an online network on LinkedIn or Twitter where you follow industry leaders or hashtags in order to stay on top of current debates and industry developments. It never hurts to surround yourself by like minded individuals and this network could be the encouragement you need to motivate yourself to stay up-to-date.
Attend conferences or events
Conferences and tech exhibitions are organized for the very purpose of bringing folks from the industry together to develop one another’s ideas and debate current industry ongoings. If you’re someone who prefers face to face conversations and debates, attend conferences like Consumer Electronics Show (CES), South by Southwest (SXSW), or Google I/O. Most of these conferences also offer in person networking opportunities and are great if you like an immersive experience. Often your employer will cover the costs of the conference tickets; check out our article “How to Ask Your Boss to Fund Your Education” that covers a few tips and tricks in making a funding request from your employer.
Find a way to engage that interests you
Finally, we’d recommend finding areas of tech that interest you. For example, if you’re a sports fan, read blogs like “SportTechie” that look at how tech is transforming the games you love. Or if you’re interested in music, South by Southwest is a great resource for keeping up with the trends in the music industry.
In all, keeping up-to-date on tech trends doesn’t mean exclusively knowing the newest tech gadgets; rather, it’s about finding the areas of the industry that are particularly interesting to you. You’ll be way more likely to keep up with these trends if learning about what’s going on doesn’t feel like additional work. The great thing about the tech industry is that it’s expanding into every facet of our lives, meaning that there are many ways to relate to its ongoing developments, and there's for sure industry related content that may interest you.
We hope that these tips help you find a strategy that works for you and support you in becoming a well-informed tech professional. Don’t forget to consult the Ironhack Blog where we post daily about ongoing industry developments and ways to improve your tech career.
