Tips and insights for job seekers interested in high-tech careers
Five “New Collar” IBMers share advice on career
success. These IBM
employees work in some of the technology industry’s fastest growing fields
and acquired their high-tech skills through a mix
of non-traditional routes such as coding camps, community
colleges and 21st century vocational training.
These employees work in strategic areas of IBM’s business;
from cybersecurity and cloud computing to digital design of products and
services. Their guidance to anyone considering a technology career includes:
- “Start
by just getting involved, and explore your
options. There are so many events new coders can attend to learn and meet others
already in the industry. If you’re looking to get involved, start going to
local meet-ups, there are typically ones for specific programming
languages, and many will have beginner tracks.”
– Savannah Worth, Software Designer, San Francisco, CA.
- “Use
your natural curiosity. If you find that you’re
always asking “why?” and absolutely must have that answer, and if you’re a
creative, innovative personality, I’d say a Cybersecurity Architect role
could be satisfying for you.”
– Griff Griffin, Cybersecurity Architect, Dubuque, IA.
- “Break
out of your comfort zone: Pick up the phone and send those
emails. If you’re looking to break into cybersecurity, reach out to your
local community college or call a university to see what type of programs
they offer."
–
Cecelia Schartiger, Cybersecurity Compliance Expert.
- “Build
a network of like-minded people, whether it is a
digital community or an in-person one. Establishing your network and
growing your connections is vital to becoming a new collar worker.”
– Randy Tolentino, Software Developer, Austin, TX.
- “Get
to know your specialty, and get comfortable talking about yourself. Tailor
your portfolio to showcase your specialty. If you’re looking for a job in
user experience design, you should be showing UX Design work. Make sure
the problems you are looking to solve are clearly identified and show the
process of iteration in your designs to help solve those problems.”
-Ty Tyner, Designer, Austin, TX.
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