How to Make Any Career Path More Technical Without Switching Fields
Have you ever noticed developers work smarter than the rest? Well, if you haven’t, now you know. Not everyone wants to be a developer, but everyone can work like one. All you need to do is to bring a little bit of technical skill into the job you already do.
If you’re in HR, marketing, or business ops, then you have a few manual tasks you need to do over and over, every single day. You know, things like copying data between systems or sending reminder emails. It doesn’t seem like a lot of work because none of it lasts for too long, but add it up and you’ll see how much time you actually spend on all of it. Hint – too much.
Did you know that a good deal of this stuff can be automated, simplified, or improved with tools that are already there? And what’s even better is that you don’t need a single line of code to use them.
Let’s see how to get started.
3 Easy Ways to Add Tech to Your Role
Using tech in your job doesn’t have to be hard, plus you don’t need a background in software or data science.
Here are 3 easy ways to start.
1. Use Dashboards to Instantly Surface Insights
Dashboards let you track your data without digging through spreadsheets. Tools like Google Data Studio, Tableau Public, and Power BI let you connect the data sources you already have (like Excel files, Google Sheets, or CRM exports) and turn them into real-time charts, graphs, and summaries. You can set it up once and have the results automatically update whenever the source data changes.
For example, a sales manager can quickly see how each team member is doing without having to ask them for a report. In HR, you could build a simple dashboard that shows attrition trends by department, which will help you spot issues before they become very problematic.
Once you’re used to seeing your data in a dashboard, you’ll see what a waste of time manual reports are.
2. Make Repetitive Tasks Automated
If you do the same thing every day, there’s a good chance you can automate it. No-code tools like Zapier, Make (formerly Integromat), and Microsoft Power Automate let you connect your apps and set up simple workflows without any programming required. You choose the trigger (a new form submission, updated spreadsheet, etc.) and then define what happens next.
Let’s say you work in business operations and you need to send out invoices when someone submits a request form. You can build a flow that pulls the data, generates a document, and emails it – all on autopilot. The great thing about these tools is that they rely on logic, not code, so once you understand the sequence, you’re good to go.
3. Start Using Simple APIs to Pull External Data
An API (Application Programming Interface) sounds technical, but it’s just a way for apps to ‘talk’ to each other and share data. You can use APIs to pull information from external services directly into your spreadsheets or tools, even if you have absolutely no experience in coding whatsoever. With something like the API Connector add-on for Google Sheets, you can plug in a few details, click ‘run’, and start importing data.
For instance, if you’re running regional outdoor events, you can integrate forecast data straight into your planning sheet with an Apple weather API (macOS or iOS), an Android one, or Windows/Linux if you’re going for desktop, enabling easier scheduling decisions without ever opening a weather app.
You can also use APIs to track currency rates, prices on products, or even news headlines – whatever makes your work easier.
How to Use These Tools Without Formal Training
Most platforms already come with step-by-step tutorials, templates that are easy for beginners to use, and community forums where you can find help if you get stuck.
Of course, you can’t forget about YouTube because it’s a great way to get a quick overview of the tools you want to use. It’s also full of creators who will walk you through real examples like Tech with Tim for APIs and Leila Gahrani for anything related to Excel or data.
If you want something more structured, Coursera and Udemy have free courses that cover no-code automation, dashboards, and the basics of APIs. And when in doubt, the official documentation usually explains things in plain language. Zapier, for example, has a learning center that was built specifically for non-tech users.
Conclusion
The work isn’t usually what’s hard – we make it hard with the way we work. Once you realize that, you can do something about it and what better way to start than to automate something that annoys you and takes up too much time?
Spend just 10-15 minutes per day trying things out, and you’ll see, it’ll all click faster than you could have imagined.