The technology industry is desperate for skilled graduates, yet graduates often find breaking into the corporate tech monoliths challenging. What can recent college graduates do in order to break into the bigger players and, going forwards, to succeed in the tech industry? The answer is more than qualifications and a passing interest.
Discussing the matter with Digital Journal is Clara Angotti, President and Co-Founder at Next Pathway.
Digital Journal: What do new graduates need to break into tech?
Angotti: New graduates should not only come with experience with the latest technology and toolsets, but also they need to have a good foundational knowledge of computing, distributed programming, data structures, math, and computational theory, as examples.
DJ: Is knowledge enough?
Angotti: We can’t expect new graduates to have experience in all the nuances that we encounter when implementing technology; this is a given. So in order for these graduates to be able to adapt and contribute, they need to have a strong foundational understanding of computing and math. This will allow them to extend their learning and apply it to unique implementation-situations.
There are ‘no textbook’ cases when applying technology to real-world scenarios; but having a solid foundation allows graduates to have the confidence and understanding to apply and extend their knowledge.
DJ: Which types of qualifications count?
Angotti: When I see someone with a high-level of education, like a Master’s or PhD, then we consider them very high in our hiring selection process because we know that they have the right technical skills, but more importantly, they have an aptitude to solving difficult problems by applying both creativity and technical skill.
There is a certain level of experience in programming that we expect, but we also look for a deep understanding of the foundations of computing such as functional programming, distributed programming, discrete math and data structures. Once we see both (skills in practical programming plus knowledge in computing foundation), then we know we have a well-rounded skilled applicant.
DJ: What else is necessary to succeed?
Angotti: Outside of the technical skills, we look for individuals with a growth mindset. These are individuals that understand that they are in a constant state of learning and are open to the idea that they will fail along the path, but that it is critical that they take each step-back as a learning opportunity and are able to course-correct and self-motivate themselves to move forward. These are people who in their heart (in every sense of who they are) are able to accept a new challenge, have a positive approach to solving a challenging situation and don’t get discouraged when they fail.
You can always teach someone a technical skill, but having the right attitude is something that you can never teach – someone has it or they don’t and for that reason we will always choose attitude over technical skill every day.”
