Tech is bigger than you think.
Rae Forward exists for anyone who has ever looked at tech and said "that's not for me" — before anyone explained what working in tech actually is.
Learn. Grow. Advance.
WHY WE EXIST
Built for people who are
ready to move forward.
Too many brilliant, capable people rule themselves out of tech before anyone has explained what working in tech actually looks like. Rae Forward exists to change that. Through honest books, practical guidance, and straightforward information, we help you understand where you fit — and how to get there.
"Tech only works because of the people across every part of it — not just the ones writing code."
20+
Years of real-world tech experience behind every word
"The door into tech is wider than you think. You just need someone to show you where it is."
WHO IS IT FOR
For anyone who has ever ruled themselves out.
Everything Rae Forward creates is built on four principles. These are not marketing words — they are the standard everything is held to.
Empowering
Every word should leave you feeling capable, not overwhelmed.
You already have more than you think.
Honest
The real picture of tech — including the parts nobody tells you.
No jargon, no gatekeeping.
Practical
Resources and guidance you can actually use, wherever you are starting from.
No theory, no fluff.
Reflective
Finding your place in tech starts with understanding yourself.
We ask the questions that help you get there.
THE BOOKS
Everything you need to find your place in tech.
Whether you are just starting to explore tech or ready to make your move, there is something here for you.
THE BOOK
Getting into Tech (Without Starting Over)
A practical, honest guide for anyone who has ever thought about moving into tech and talked themselves out of it. Roles, skills, salary, learning pathways, how to position yourself — all of it, explained plainly and without the jargon.
Packed with reflective exercises throughout to help you think as you read.
COMPANION WORKBOOK
Getting Into Tech
(The Companion Workbook)
Want to go deeper? A structured six-part workbook designed to help you do the real work — understanding your strengths, your working style, and building your own personal action plan.
Works perfectly alongside the book, but equally powerful on its own if you want to start from scratch and figure out where you truly fit in tech.
Reflect. Explore. Take Action.
THE PRINT BUNDLE
The Book + The Workbook
Both books in print, posted to you.
The book gives you the knowledge and the context. The workbook gives you the space to apply it. Together they work as a complete programme, from understanding what tech actually is right through to building your own action plan for getting into it.
The perfect pairing if you like to read on paper and write your thinking down by hand.
COMING SOON
Discover what you are naturally wired for.
Rae(l) Strengths is a framework built around 20 real-world strengths that the tech industry — and most industries — genuinely values. Not a personality type. Not a label. A proper, honest look at what you bring.
The full assessment is coming to raeforward.com. Follow on Instagram to be the first to know when it launches.
Rae(l) Strengths
Know what you bring.
Twenty strengths. One honest assessment.
Find out where you truly fit and how to talk about it with confidence.
Curiosity · Integrity · Calm Under Pressure · Collaboration · Initiative · Communication · Empathy · Credibility
The person behind Rae Forward.
Holly Rae CMgr MCMI
Holly Rae has spent over twenty years working across tech — from hands-on roles right through to senior leadership. She has built high-performing teams, made plenty of mistakes along the way, and learned something useful from every single one of them.
She will tell you that too.
Sharing the real stories — the things that went wrong as much as the things that went right — is what she believes actually helps people. Not the polished version. The true one.
Getting Into Tech started with a simple realisation: nobody tells you what working in tech actually looks like. The roles, the reality, the routes in. Tech only works because of the people across every part of it — not just the ones writing code, but the ones managing, communicating, solving problems, leading, and connecting everything together. She wrote the book to say that out loud.
Holly is a Chartered Manager working towards a Master's in Executive Leadership. She knows first-hand how much great leadership matters — and how rarely people are given the support to grow into it.
She is passionate about making sure the door into tech is open for anyone who wants to walk through it.
Rae Forward is proudly independent, but not unsupported. As a member of the Alliance of Independent Authors, We have access to trusted self-publishing guidance, professional resources and a community committed to ethical publishing standards. It is one of the ways Holly makes sure the books are created with care, quality and integrity.
