Careers in BIT Panel

I had the privilege today to be a panelist for the Pamplin College of Business "Careers in Business Information Technology Night" at Virginia Tech. Anytime I have the opportunity to meet students at Virginia Tech I take it, but honestly, I know nothing about "Careers in BIT", haha. But I'm glad Pat hooked me up with the opportunity because I enjoy going on campus and meeting new people. Gary Kinder is the Director of Undergraduate Career Services and he did a great job of moderating the event. Here were some of the questions and my answers:

1. What was the one thing that "sold you" on the field of information technology?

I knew going into college that computer science was the major for me because of the excellent computer related classes I took in high school. Our high school was small, but I had the opportunity to learn how to program from a really good teacher and I had no doubts this was what I wanted to do as a profession.

2. What's the two or three most helpful classes you had in college and why?

Any CS class was very helpful, but outside of CS I really enjoyed my two economics classes. Getting an "A" in econ was really exciting for me because there were a lot of business majors in my class who struggled. I guess I liked proving that I could handle more than programming.

3. When looking at applicants for positions within your company, what are the skill sets you find to be best suited for the positions?

I look for people who have two basic characteristics; they are smart and can get things done.

4. What types of things do you read, as far as professional journals, trade papers, industry material, etc.?

I follow the blogs of individuals from my industry that I believe are smart, on the cutting edge technology, and have similar jobs / goals as I do.


There were many other questions but those are the ones that stand out in my memory. A general theme of the night was how to decide on a career path. My advice was to do as much research as possible as early as possible. Co-op, intern, get a part-time job, talk to employers at career fairs, talk to graduating seniors, get a feel for the types of jobs that are available and how they line up with your interests.

The best part of the night was receiving a VT coffee mug as a gift for being on the panel!

Thanks again to Gary and Pat for the opportunity to participate! Gary, if you need help with the "Careers in Marketing" panel on Thursday just let me know. ;)