Best jobs after BCA that don’t require programming skills

Coding and programming are requirements generally associated when starting in the field of Computer Science. However, there are tons of opportunities and job roles that do not require extensive coding. The technology industry needs people skilled in design, analysis, testing, network, system management, project and program management, and many other areas.

Individuals with these skills can land some of the most attractive and well-paying non-coding jobs in the IT sector.

You can also check out 10 reasons you should enroll for an online BCA degree course.

What are the non-coding jobs after BCA?

Pursuing a BCA degree opens up a hoard of career opportunities. For those looking at non-programming IT jobs that require knowledge but do not only rely on programming, here are a few interesting job roles:

• UX designer: UX stands for User Experience. It is also sometimes referred to as User Interface (UI) Development. People in this job role mainly focus on the interaction of humans and technology. Tech could be in the form of an app, program, website, or any other interface. Involving research into user needs and preferences, work may include the development of user interfaces from scratch or modifying existing ones. 

The primary goal of an individual in this specialized role is to ensure efficient communication between the user and the digital medium. Websites are a great example. Here the goal would be to create visually appealing web pages that are intuitive and easy to navigate. HTML and CSS are some of the skills that will prove to be useful for starting in related jobs.

Salary details of UX Designer in India: 

Average of INR 6.06 L per annum

Salary range: INR2.52L to 20L per annum

• Technical writer: Nearly all products and services need some form of documentation. A technical writer or technical communicator is typically required to create clear, concise, and useful write-ups and visuals to serve the need on hand. Instruction manuals for users or developers, technical reports, research proposals, grants, and the preparation of technical specification documents are just a few examples. Each comes with a different target audience. 

Along with a good command of the language and knowledge of style guides, tech writers are expected to be good at working across teams. They should be able to gather information from subject matter experts through interviews and or use other relevant sources to complete a requirement. This presents the perfect way to apply technological learning without coding. Employment opportunities could be full-time, part-time, or on a contract or freelance basis. 

Salary details of a Technical Writer in India: 

Average of INR5.12 L per annum

Salary range: INR 2.41 L to INR10 L per annum

• Graphic designer: This job role focuses on the look and feel of a product or service. This makes it an attractive option for artistic, imaginative, and techno-savvy individuals. Product and packaging design for companies that manufacture consumer goods is an example. It may extend to the design of adverts and websites and the creation of a brand image. Although anyone in the tech field can benefit from fundamental coding skills, there are several opportunities for designers to function in a supporting role for other tech jobs, minus the need to code. 

Salary details of a Graphic Designer in India*: 

Average of nearly INR 3.01 L per annum 

Salary range: INR 1.43 L to 6.36 L per annum

• Data analyst: A Data Analyst uses tools to gather, clean, and interpret groups of information to glean insights and aid informed decision-making in an organization. There is a wide range of requirements that a Data Analyst can help address- ranging from deciding the target audience for the next ad, understanding the vulnerability of people in a particular age group to a disease, to the behavioral patterns related to financial frauds. Business, science, finance, and more- people in this role work in several industries in both public and private sector organizations.   

Salary details of a Data Analyst in India*: 

Average of INR 4.75 per annum 

Salary range: INR 2.11 L to INR 10 L per annum

• Business analyst: The development of software goes beyond meeting customer wishes regarding what a product or software should be able to do. Its success lies in having a sound technical model. A business analyst gains a thorough understanding of customer expectations and brings clarity regarding their feasibility or the lack of it. With a good understanding of technical fundamentals, a person in this role needs to be able to work out a middle path while catering to the customer’s requirements in keeping with constraints like time, effort, and technical limitations, if any. They often work with a focus on recommending the best solution to address the business need on hand. 

Salary details of an Business Analyst in India*:  

Average: INR 6.20 L per annum

Salary range: INR 2.72 L to 10 L per annum

• Digital marketer: Marketing involves promoting a business or brand via numerous channels. A digital marketer measures the performance across digital communication channels such as the internet. The role requires using appropriate channels to generate leads while also building and improving brand awareness. Social media presence, email, and web-based advertising are some of the digital channels that are popularly used for this purpose. While smaller organizations may employ a generalist in charge of all digital marketing, larger ones may have teams of specialists-each with a focus on one or two such channels. 

Salary details of a Digital Marketing Manager in India*:  

Average of INR 5.55 L per annum 

Salary range: INR 2.23 L to 10 L per annum

• Network Administrator: A Network administrator oversees the functioning of groups of computers within an organization. Among other responsibilities, this admin is in charge of their maintenance, security, and troubleshooting.  Common tasks may include installation, configuration, and maintenance of network hardware and software, set up and maintenance of virtual private networks, and network protection from unauthorized access. 

Salary details of a Network Administrator in India*:  

Average of INR 3.88 L per annum 

Salary range: INR 1.85 L to INR 9.79 L per annum

• SEO Specialist: An SEO specialist develops and implements search engine optimization strategies for an organization.  The job requires identifying and using keywords or tags that hold relevance and their implementation across popular platforms used for search. The focus is to improve online visibility for organizations. Although the role does not require coding, the individual will need to understand how to use tools for gleaning keyword information and implementing changes. 

Salary details of a Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Specialist in India*:  

Average of INR 2.91 L per annum 

Salary range: INR 1.28 L to INR 5.17 L per annum

• Software Quality Tester: A software quality tester ensures that software applications function correctly. They develop scenarios for the software, identify and mitigate risks, and document all issues. Although they do not write code, programming languages form an important aspect of their work. Working closely with programmers, they ensure that the source code is efficient, effective, and secure. 

Salary details of a Software Tester in India*:

Average of INR 3.11 L per annum 

Salary range: INR 1.75 to INR 6.85 L per annum

• Project Manager: People in this role oversee specific projects, manage cross-functional teams, and ensure they work in unison and complete successfully. Among others, people accountable to a project manager may include analysts, designers, developers, and software testers. Requiring a greater depth of domain and business knowledge, having a good hold on basic programming can bring out the best in development teams. They typically need to work on budgets, timelines, and project resources while ensuring seamless communication between all the teams involved.

Salary details of a Project Manager in India:

Average of INR 20 L per annum 

Salary range: INR5.87 L to INR30 L per annum

• Scrum Master: Scrum is a popular option for complex projects with a short turnaround time. A Scrum master specializes in the implementation of ‘Agile’ project management principles, which work with a focus on collaborative work.  Although originally associated with the IT industry, Scrum masters find opportunities in several other industries globally. 

Salary details of a Scrum Master in India:

Average of INR 10 L per annum 

Although these do not require heavy coding, organizations prefer people with sound foundational knowledge. They also bring with them opportunities aplenty to learn new skills while on the job.

You can also check out How can BCA graduates increase their earning potential?

Is coding necessary for BCA students?

As described in the previous section, there are numerous opportunities in the IT field for individuals with a Bachelor’s degree, like BCA, with little or no experience. So, coding skills need not form the crux of all IT jobs. Witnessing steady growth over the last decade, the Info-tech and Business Process Management (BPM) industry in India is estimated to have employed over 4.8 million people in 2022. Supporting both direct and indirect employment, the industry was accountable for more than 30% of the global outsourced BPM market. 

Knowledge of coding and programming languages aside, the sector will also need people for non-coding IT jobs with varied and additional skills like design, quality analysis, SEO tools, market analysis, data visualization, and many more.  With constant advancements in technology, showing aptitude for the chosen job role is also essential. Consistent up-skilling and enthusiasm can further aid growth in this billion-dollar industry over time.   

Top tech skills that don’t need coding

Following are just a few of the skills that do not necessarily require coding:

• Data analysis: Requiring critical thinking, number crunching, and the ability to solve complex problems. Common tools used for this include Microsoft Excel, SQL, R, Python, and many more.  

• Software testing: Requiring knowledge of software testing methodologies, this may use manual or automated tools to ensure that applications are defect-free. The intent could also be to understand where a web page or specific app element can be optimized for performance.  There are several popular testing tools, including Selenium, TMT, and Jira. 

• Agile: Agile Project management will require skills different from those required for Agile App Development. Although knowledge of Scrum, Kanban, and Customer stories are some which may overlap, other certified skills are specific to the Agile job role. Regardless, the individual must display an aptitude for adapting to changes quickly. 

• UX designing: This involves user research, building wireframes and prototypes, interface and interaction design, and so much more using designing tools. While an excellent foundational knowledge of markup languages, including HTML and CSS, is essential, knowledge of scripting languages and more are good-to-have as they can help solve minor glitches and improve on-job efficiency. 

• Digital marketing: With a focus on internet-based channels like websites, social media, and mobile devices, people in this job role require marketing knowledge as well as the ability to come up with channel-specific strategies to build and promote products and services. This may involve SEO, content marketing, marketing analytics, and advertising know-how. 

• Web design: Focusing on responsive design, easy navigation, and other website-specific design elements, this requires an understanding of user personas and skills in the development of web layouts, user flows, and more aspects of front-end development using design software. Closely associated with UX designing, knowledge of tools such as Sketch and Adobe Suite are desirable. 

• Technical writing: This relies on good communicative skills and documentation abilities.  Popular software used includes Microsoft Word and Adobe RoboHelp.  Other than proficiency in authoring tools, publishing tools, knowledge of how to edit images, capture screenshots, and more, skills in interviewing SMEs, understanding target users, defining personas, and organizational abilities can prove to be invaluable. 

• Business intelligence: Involving collecting, integrating, analyzing, and presenting business information, proficiency in related tools such as Tableau and Power BI insights can aid in providing significant insights for organizations.

It is important to note that the development of every skill is associated with its own learning curve- at times steep and not so steep.  A tech-related Bachelor’s degree ensures that you build on the essentials for a career related to Information Technology. Although they need little or no prior experience, most entry-level jobs in the sector mandatorily require an undergraduate degree and good technical aptitude. 

Get a UGC-entitled online BCA degree from Manipal University Jaipur

Manipal University Jaipur offers the Bachelor of Computer Applications course online. Spread over 6 semesters, the course is designed for self-paced learning. It aims to do away with the questions like “Is Information Technology hard?” and “Does an IT career need a 4-year degree?” Requiring as little as 15 to 20 hours a week, this course opens up easy ways of learning technology-related concepts for a larger group of aspirants. With the intent of reaching even remote locations, the coursework can be accessed via even low-bandwidth internet connectivity. 

The digital platform can work on a smartphone, desktop, or laptop with no compromise on quality. Created for an unparalleled learning experience, the content is immersive and easy to absorb. With a comprehensive online teaching methodology in place, students are encouraged to put their learning to the test through quizzes and practice exams. Students can also connect with peers and faculty and participate in discussions via forums. All these go to ensure interactivity throughout the course. Students can attend live lectures to learn core concepts and access recorded videos to strengthen basic knowledge, participate in discussions and engage with staff and fellow students using the university’s exclusive learning management platform, utilize the extensive e-libraries, and much more.

You can also read Is an online BCA course equivalent to a regular BCA?

The UGC-approved online course blends the latest in technology as well as teaching to build a sound foundation for future professionals. The faculty comes with industry exposure as well as experience to enrich learning and aid in the development of skill sets that are required across diverse industries and job roles. Specialists bring with them value addition in the form of practical insights drawing attention to build on individual competence. Working on real-world scenarios, case studies are included to spur critical thinking and develop problem-solving abilities in students. Understanding the need for the ability to articulate thoughts, the students are encouraged to participate proactively and communicate confidently.  

With the “Coursera@ MUJ” program, students of MUJ can gain learner licenses to access exclusive courses through one of the world’s largest learning platforms free of cost. Ranging from beginners to advanced, “Coursera on Campus” encourages further learning across domains with access to over 5000 courses as well as professional certification programs. Thus, the online BCA course at MUJ is designed to open up a host of opportunities to upskill and transform today’s students into sought-after professionals of tomorrow. 

Conclusion

                    

For those interested in pursuing a career in the IT field, pursuing a Bachelor of Computer Applications course online is an attractive alternative to other full-time technical courses. Scoring high on affordability, an online BCA through MUJ can be completed in as little as 36 months. While working with computer systems and digital platforms promising to be the norm across domains, there is also plenty of scope for those who are looking to carve a niche for themselves in IT-related job roles without the need for coding daily. With attractive salaries, incentives, and on-job learning- anyone with the appropriate skills and aptitude can choose some of the best IT jobs without coding and make a career out of it.