Work in Tech NOLA: Tech Careers You Don't Have to Code For

Here's something people outside the industry don't hear enough: most jobs at a tech company don't involve writing code. Somebody has to sell the product, keep customers happy, run payroll, plan the launch, hire the next ten people. In New Orleans, a lot of those people came from somewhere else first: restaurants, hospitals, shipping, oil and gas, classrooms.

The tricky part isn't the skills. It's getting in the room with the people doing the hiring. That's what Work in Tech is for.

A happy hour, on purpose

Work in Tech is a casual after-work meetup for people already in New Orleans tech and people who'd like to be. It's been held at NOLA Brewing on Tchoupitoulas, and Greater New Orleans, Inc. (GNO Inc.), the region's economic development group, has run it as a quarterly gathering, according to its July 2025 event listing. The pitch was refreshingly low-key: an event "targeted to those working in tech and those who want to be part of the fun."

The idea has been around for a few years. A November 2022 edition, billed as "Networking for Non-Technical Individuals," was put together with The Idea Village and promoted by Startup Grind New Orleans during Global Entrepreneurship Week. People from RentCheck, Prokeep, Levelset, Align, Torsh, Rasa.io, Blue Cypress and PureSpectrum were there to talk shop. The Idea Village's listings describe the crowd as college seniors, recent grads and career switchers, alongside people who already work in the scene.

No name tags with job titles, no pitch decks. Just beer (for the 21 and up crowd) and conversations that sometimes turn into interviews.

What "non-technical" actually means

If you're wondering whether you'd fit in, think about what a young software company needs besides engineers. Someone to find and close customers. Someone to answer the phone when those customers get stuck, and to make sure they renew. Someone to keep the books, contracts and vendors straight. Someone to tell the company's story online. Someone to recruit and look after the team as it grows.

Those are sales, customer success, operations, marketing and people roles, and they're often the first hires after the founders. Industry experience can be your edge here. Plenty of Louisiana startups sell to energy companies, hospitals, ports and hotels, and someone who already speaks that language is valuable on day one.

A few other doors in

If you're a student, GNO Inc.'s Innovation Internship Program is worth a look. It's an eight-week paid internship at $20 an hour, with tracks that include startups, energy, maritime and venture capital. This year's cohort placed 45 interns with 39 companies, and applications for 2027 open this fall, GNO Inc. said. It's open to students at four-year Louisiana colleges and to permanent residents of the Greater New Orleans area.

The Idea Village has also hosted Pitch2Tech nights, where founders pitch for co-founders and early team members. And if you'd rather network over football, Nexus Louisiana's Tech Tailgates run on game days in Baton Rouge and New Orleans this fall. They're in our fall networking guide.

For a wider view of who's who, our Build in Louisiana directory lists the accelerators and economic development groups that tend to know which companies are hiring.

If you go

Take ten minutes beforehand to look at which companies will be there. Pick two or three whose products you actually understand. Then skip the elevator speech and ask a simple question: what are you hiring for in the next six months? You'll learn more from that answer than from any job board.

When's the next one?

Work in Tech posts its events on LinkedIn. Follow Work in Tech NOLA on LinkedIn for announcements about the next meetup, and we'll add the date to our Krewe Calendar as soon as it's out.

Verify it yourself

Did you move into a New Orleans tech job from another field? We'd love to hear how you made the jump. Send us a note.

You Don't Have to Code: Work in Tech NOLA and Other On-Ramps to a Tech Career