As the tech industry keeps growing, most individuals are discovering that with the right tech skills, they can migrate to the UK through a sponsored worker visa. The common question new techies ask every day is, Who are the top voices in the tech industry that we can follow to improve our careers?

Tech influencers are individuals with a significant online presence and following who give their expert opinions, insights, recommendations, and reviews on technology-related topics and emerging technologies.

If you aim to improve your skills and tech career, learning from experts is the best way to go. But do following tech influencers actually help you to improve your career?

This article will provide a balanced perspective and actionable advice that allows you to make a personal, informed decision on whether you should follow a tech influencer to improve your career.

The Rise of Tech Influencers: More Than Just Social Media Stars

There are so many people on social media platforms who claim to be tech influencers. However, techies must know that what makes a tech influencer worth following is not by how popular they are.

There are things to look out for before you choose to allow the advice of a tech influencer to influence your career. The first thing is to know the different types of tech influencers they are and what exactly their role is in the professional space.

Firstly, tech influencers are categorized by content, niche, audience, and platform. Tech influencers can create content that centers on product reviews, tech journalism, software development, and emerging technology.

They can also niche down by mobile phones & accessories, cameras & photography, software & applications, gaming, and artificial intelligence.

By audience, they can be early adopters who are among the first to try new technologies and share their experience with others, or mainstream consumers who focus on providing information and recommendations to the average consumer.

Finally, a person can be a tech influencer by the platform they’ve built on blogs & websites, YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok.

The word ‘influencer’ can be used interchangeably with thought leader, educator, industry analyst, or developer.

A tech thought leader is a tech expert who focuses on a specific niche within tech and is known for their innovative ideas, industry insights, and ability to influence others. Good examples are Elon Musk, Satya Nadella, Timnit Gebru, Yuval Noah Harari, etc.

Tech educators are teachers who teach students about various aspects of technology, educational technologists who are trained in the field of educational technology, and tech skills educators who focus on intensive, short-term training with connections to tech companies for internships and job placements.

Tech industry analysts are market experts who conduct in-depth research on technology markets, and offer unique perspectives on technology providers, vendors and buyers. They share their findings through webinars, reports, white papers, and other means accessible to the consumer.

Examples of tech industry analysts are Gartner, Forrester, IDC, 451 Research, HFS Research and Independent Analysts.

Tech developers are professionals who code, design, test, debug, and maintain software apps, websites and other digital systems. They are also called software developers or programmers and work with other developers, designers, stakeholders and product managers to meet project goals.

These tech influencers are emerging and building their influence in the tech community because they have overload of information and are searching for tech specialists who have a desire for accessible knowledge to build a community with.

The Potential Benefits of Following Tech Influencers for Your Career

It is important to follow tech thought leaders as they help to define the direction of technology and its impact on society. They are visionary leaders whose aim is to motivate others to pursue their own innovative ideas.

Following them will open your mind up to pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in technology, which can be great for your career.

If you wish to make an informed buying decision, a tech industry analyst will help you understand your options before a purchase. They also help vendors improve their products and market positioning, and connect buyers to vendors that meet their needs.

They also create awareness of cybersecurity vendors and their products through proper research and detailed reports.

Most tech influencers share valuable learning resources, tutorials and recommendations that tech specialists can take advantage of to learn courses and earn certifications. Following them exposes you to different view points that challenges your own assumptions and gives to various approaches to solving problems.

To choose the right tech influencer, define your career goals, assess the influencer’s credibility and expertise, look out for value and actionable insights, engage and observe for a while before making your final decision.