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TechWaymark Education · UK first steps

Your future in tech.
More than one way in.

You do not need a job title or your whole future figured out. Start with what interests you, compare ways to learn and choose one next step.

Explore my options Try a small project

Free to explore. No student account, email or CV needed.

Students and a teacher exploring a technology project together

01 · Your options

Start where you are.

These choices organise the guide. They do not assess your grades, eligibility or chances of getting a place.

Where are you exploring?
Which options would you like to see?

Choose two options to compare. There is no best route for everyone.

School or sixth-form study

Keep studying subjects you enjoy while exploring where they could lead.

What to check first: School or sixth-form study

Does a future course require maths or another specific subject? Do not assume Computer Science is always required or always enough.

College and practical study

Develop skills through a structured course with practical assignments.

What to check first: College and practical study

What will you actually build? Is there placement support? Which employers, courses or apprenticeships accept this qualification?

A digital T Level

A two-year technical course with an industry placement, offered in England.

What to check first: A digital T Level

Which specialism is available? Who organises the placement? Does your intended university course or apprenticeship accept it?

An apprenticeship

Apply for a job that includes training and a qualification.

What to check first: An apprenticeship

You need an employer vacancy and must meet its requirements. Who supports you, what training is included, and how much of the job is relevant tech work?

0 of 2 routes selected.

Not ready for one of these routes yet?

Ask a college or careers adviser about introductory courses, additional learning support and qualifications you could build next. Needing another step does not close the door to tech. Availability and requirements vary locally.

Find apprenticeships in England ↗

02 · Explore the work

What would you like to try?

Choose an area that interests you. The free project studio provides fictional materials, practical steps and checks you can try in 25–30 minutes, using paper or a tutor-approved tool.

Open the guided project studio

IT Support

Helping people solve problems

Explain a fault, test a simple cause and help someone get back to work.

Try a beginner project

Write a one-page guide to a common fictional computer problem. Ask someone to follow it and improve the unclear steps.

Keep: The guide, feedback and one change you made.

Be honest about the limit: A practice guide shows your thinking, not experience supporting a live organisation.

Explore this role in Atlas

Software Engineer

Building useful things

Build and test small pieces of software that solve a clear problem.

Try a beginner project

Make a paper prototype or simple web page for a school club. Test whether someone can find the meeting time.

Keep: A sketch or page, your test and an improvement.

Be honest about the limit: A prototype is a learning project, not a production service.

Explore this role in Atlas

Data Analyst

Finding patterns in information

Clean information, compare results and explain what a chart can and cannot tell you.

Try a beginner project

Use a small invented dataset about a club’s attendance. Make one chart and explain a possible misleading conclusion.

Keep: The data, chart and two sentences explaining its limits.

Be honest about the limit: Use invented or openly licensed data, not classmates’ personal details.

Explore this role in Atlas

Junior Network Engineer

Connecting devices and services

Understand how devices connect and work through faults methodically.

Try a beginner project

Draw a fictional small office network. Explain where you would look if one computer could not reach a website.

Keep: Your diagram, checks and reasoning.

Be honest about the limit: A diagram is not evidence of configuring or testing a real network.

Explore this role in Atlas

Junior SOC Analyst

Investigating and protecting

Investigate alerts, collect relevant facts and explain when to ask for help.

Try a beginner project

Create a timeline from five invented login events. Explain two possible explanations and what information is missing.

Keep: The timeline, alternatives and questions.

Be honest about the limit: Do not test real systems or accounts. A fictional investigation does not establish operational experience.

Explore this role in Atlas

Junior Cloud Engineer

Keeping online services running

Help operate online services, investigate problems and check changes with a team.

Try a beginner project

Sketch how a fictional homework website could recover from a failed server. Explain one trade-off without buying cloud services.

Keep: The sketch, recovery steps and a question for a tutor.

Be honest about the limit: A design sketch does not prove you have operated a cloud service.

Explore this role in Atlas

Atlas shows possible career destinations and the experience they involve. Choosing one does not mean you currently hold that role. Qualification choices and job roles are kept separate.

03 · Keep something you can show

A small project.
A story you can explain.

You do not need a long CV to start recording what you learn. Your evidence passport brings together what you tried, your contribution and what you would improve.

  • Keep up to six examples in your own words.
  • Bring a specific question to a teacher or careers adviser.
  • Download your draft and reopen it next time. No account needed.
Start my evidence passport Still choosing? Make a simple next-step plan below ↓

You choose what to share. The passport records your learning; it is not a qualification or a skills score.

MY EVIDENCE
PASSPORTFictional example

01 / A small project

A clearer club page.

My contribution
I rearranged the meeting details so the time and room were easier to find.
What I checked
A partner found both without me pointing. I added a clearer next step after their feedback.
What I learned
A paper sketch helped me test an idea. I have not built or tested a working website.

My next stepTry the revised sketch with another person.

An example of what you could keep. Your passport uses your own words.

Your first decision

One small next step is enough.

Keep your own plan to discuss with a teacher, parent or careers adviser. Your notes stay in this tab and are not submitted or saved automatically. Download before leaving. Avoid names or private details on shared devices.

Downloads and printed copies remain with you. There is no automatic copy for your teacher.

Helping someone choose?

Ask what they enjoy doing, what support they need and what they want to try. Compare real courses or vacancies together. Keep a second option open and check dates with the provider.

  • At an open day: ask about weekly work, teaching, placements, travel and additional support.
  • For an apprenticeship: ask who supervises the learner, how study time works and what tasks they will do.
  • For a first interview: use examples from coursework, clubs or projects and explain their own contribution honestly.
  • Before buying a certification: check whether it is actually requested for the route being considered.
Use the free classroom activities

The first-steps guide is public. The existing cohort-code pilot is for learners aged 16+; a teacher arranges participation. This page does not enrol anyone in it.