Networking 101 with Alexandra Waite, Jennifer Tacheff, and Joel Camargo

Hey everyone, next up, I'd like to welcome Jennifer Tacheff, 0:04 Alex Waite, and Joel Camargo from Onramp. 0:08 Jennifer, Alex, and Joel will discuss how to network in this brief, 0:11 how to session sponsored by Onramp. 0:15 Onramp is the technical workforce solution company offering custom built talent 0:17 pipelines for 0:22 corporate partners with candidates from non-traditional backgrounds. 0:23 Joel is an Android software engineer in the Atlanta area. 0:27 Alex is a software engineer in the Bay Area. 0:30 And Jennifer is an award winning strategist who has experiencing launching 0:33 and scaling global experiences such as Google, Nike, Capital One, 0:38 Twitter, Sony Girls Inc, Women Who Code, and more. 0:42 So excited you all are here. 0:46 >> [LAUGH] Hi, thank you. 0:47 That was quite an introduction. 0:50 >> [LAUGH] >> [INAUDIBLE] Fill out the wild bees, 0:51 right, so you know we could do a bio 101 next. 0:55 So I'm so excited to be here with Joel and Alex, 0:57 this is Networking 101. 1:02 So we are just gonna dig in right now. 1:05 Yay, team. 1:07 Can everybody hear? 1:08 We're good? 1:09 >> I can hear you guys, yep. 1:10 >> Yeah, it's great. 1:12 >> [INAUDIBLE] I got this morning, so I was pretty excited about. 1:13 All right, so I'd love to start off, again, maybe your name and your title, 1:16 and a little bit about your journey. 1:21 Alex, if you wanna start, how did you get into tech? 1:23 And how did networking play a role in that? 1:26 >> Sure. 1:28 So start off my name's Alex Waite. 1:30 I'm a software engineer at Pandora and I have been here for 1:32 a little over a year and a half now. 1:36 I was actually born in Denver, but 1:38 adopted and later moved to the East Bay Area. 1:42 So I've lived here since currently in Oakland. 1:47 So how I gone to tech, I actually studied journalism in college. 1:49 But during that time, unfortunately, both my parents passed away and 1:55 I sort of was pushed into a situation where I had to struggle 2:01 both like grieving and working full time, and going to school. 2:06 And it just felt like I needed a break. 2:11 So I ended up taking some time off and that been a few years. 2:14 And I worked various retail service, industry jobs, and 2:19 was just trying to figure out what I thought could be a fulfilling career. 2:23 So I realized I wasn't actually passionate about journalism. 2:29 And during that time, my best friends shared the possibility of getting into 2:32 web development without a college degree, which I found like super fascinating. 2:37 [LAUGH] So just started digging into online resources. 2:44 I took a few programming classes and 2:47 then made the jump to a year long coding boot camp here in Oakland. 2:50 And so after that, after six months, 2:56 I got into Pandora's first apprenticeship program. 2:59 And so, that was my entrance in but 3:04 networking definitely played a huge role in all of that. 3:07 While I was at bootcamp, I started seeking out other Native Americans 3:11 in tech who I could connect with and start to develop a network there. 3:16 I would reach out and get referrals for different jobs I applied to. 3:21 I made connections with engineers in the industry, just to reach out to and 3:28 ask for advice and also develop some mentorships there. 3:35 And coding bootcamp also was huge in that. 3:41 The staffs there helped me with resume and interview preparation. 3:43 And I really feel like without that network supporting me, 3:49 I wouldn't be where I am today. 3:53 So, yeah. 3:56 >> Thank you. 3:57 Thank you for sharing. 3:58 Joel, you wanna jump in and tell us a little bit about your journey as well? 3:59 >> Yeah, absolutely. 4:00 So I'm Joel Camargo, I'm currently an Android developer at Pandora. 4:07 I was born and raised in Jersey. 4:12 But I moved to Atlanta in 2019, 4:13 in the summer of 2019 to work for Pandora. 4:18 It was a career move. 4:23 A little scary, but I knew I needed to spread my wings and 4:25 start this software career. 4:29 I don't have a college degree and I didn't attend to bootcamp. 4:31 I've worked in a ton of fields in my adult life. 4:36 I was a waiter, bartender for a few chain restaurants. 4:40 I joined the military. 4:44 I did six years in the Army Reserves. 4:45 I was a delivery boy, I was in mortgage lending. 4:48 And then I ended up that retail also right before 4:52 also getting apprenticeship at a Pandora. 4:56 How I started into learning software, I got to the retail job. 5:01 I had turned 30 and I got into this new retail job. 5:07 And I just told myself like, 5:11 I'm just done with all these like stepping stone kind of jobs. 5:13 I gotta learn some tools. 5:17 I gotta learn something whether it's taking out loans for college or 5:19 trade school, I got to do something. 5:23 And that led me on this path of like Googling vaguely just jobs in tech. 5:25 And I searched all kinds of different things. 5:34 And I gravitated toward Android and just started 5:36 YouTubing how to videos, Android how to stuff. 5:41 And then started just learning on my own for like a year, and eventually I got 5:46 a grow with Google scholarship that was partnered with Udacity at the time. 5:52 And I did their online program, online course for the Android Nano degree. 5:58 And after that, after I completing the program, 6:03 I just like hit the floor running and just dove right into networking. 6:07 I started attending as many meetup groups as I could find in my local area and 6:11 even within anything within like an hour driving distance. 6:16 I was just like, I gotta go, I gotta go. 6:19 Like it's my time, like I got to make connections, got to talk to people. 6:21 Got to get out of my comfort zone. 6:25 I just dove right in. 6:27 And that definitely helped me, like I said, 6:29 expand my comfort zone, get used to sharpening my social skills. 6:33 That was definitely important and definitely helps me on the job now. 6:38 When I was growing up actually, 6:42 I was never one of those people that kinda knew what I wanted to do. 6:44 My immigrant parents never really pushed me, pushed college on me. 6:49 I felt like they were more concerned with if I was gonna help pay 6:54 the bills after high school or not, which I don't think is uncommon for 6:58 immigrant parents depending on the financial situation. 7:01 I never thought I could work in tech also, 7:05 I always thought it was out of reach that it was just meant for 7:07 like geniuses that were coding since they were like five or math whizzes. 7:11 And I just wanna be clear that I'm in no way shape or form a genius and 7:17 anybody could do this, and as long as you like have the dedication and 7:21 passion for it, you could definitely do it. 7:25 >> I love that. 7:28 And I love actually how all three of us have non-traditional backgrounds. 7:30 I also didn't start in tech, right? 7:35 I was in nonprofit and there was a lot of like, fake it till you make it, right, and 7:36 climbing right in. 7:40 [LAUGH] And Alex, you mentioned something around strategically reaching out, right? 7:41 What advice would you give to someone in terms, and 7:49 Joel to this is kind of along the lines of stepping outside of your 7:53 comfort zone, but how do you reach out to someone? 7:58 Would you encourage people to reach out blindly if they don't know, 8:02 like what does that look like? 8:05 I'd love to hear a little bit more about that, 8:07 cuz I think you mentioned you had reached out to mentors and you had reached 8:09 out to folks to hear more about their experience and I'd love to hear. 8:13 >> Yeah, totally. 8:16 So for me, like I said for my initial reach outs, 8:17 it was definitely more in the affinity group area. 8:21 [LAUGH] So finding people who I felt like had a shared identity and 8:26 where I could sort of align- >> Yeah. 8:30 >> Yeah with like their backgrounds. 8:32 But even so, it was still like a cold blind to reach out. 8:35 And I guess my advice would be just not being afraid to really share your stories, 8:40 struggles and all, like everything that got you where you are today. 8:47 Because I definitely received a lot of positive feedback from that and 8:53 like quick replies just because like, I feel like people felt like they could 8:57 instantly know like, I know who's reaching out to me, like, 9:02 I get an idea of who she is and like wants to help. 9:06 I think that helps a lot just sort of, just sharing everything, 9:09 [LAUGH] at the beginning from the get go. 9:14 But also doing research into where they're at and playing, no, I was 9:16 interested in hearing more about their story as well and what they currently do. 9:21 >> Nice, Joel do you have anything to add to that? 9:27 >> Yeah, Alexander that was a great tip. 9:31 Just to build off what Alexander said. 9:34 Definitely being genuine, and when you reach out with the intent 9:36 of just learning about somebody else >> Not going into it for 9:41 a referral specifically, because people will feel that out. 9:45 People have this knack of just kind of like getting this feel if 9:50 you're genuine or not. 9:53 So go into every interaction with somebody genuine, curious, 9:54 learn about that person and you'll make a lasting impression and 9:59 you'll make a lasting connection, and it will end up being worth it 100%. 10:04 Go ahead. 10:10 >> Yeah, good. 10:10 [LAUGH] I just wanted to say that, well, number one, I love that and 10:11 I think that's even more true and kind of post COVID world, right? 10:16 I mean, it's just to show up authentically, Gonna respond, right? 10:21 But making sure that it's not transactional, and 10:28 also people love to talk about themselves, right? 10:32 So finding out more information about them and hearing about their story, 10:35 and then there's a bit of enlistment, right? 10:41 Like all of a sudden, they're enlisted in your journey with you. 10:44 So yeah, I think that's great. 10:47 Did you wanna add something else? 10:49 >> Yeah, you mentioned about this COVID era, and can we just, 10:52 I don't wanna, you can't deny that it's changed things a bunch, right? 10:56 So I wanna say that, like networking is awkward, 11:00 difficult, it induces anxiety, 11:04 even without a pandemic for everybody without a pandemic. 11:07 And it's still always stinks even now. 11:13 >> Yeah. 11:15 >> So even if you're gonna do it remotely, all those feelings are still there. 11:16 They're not going to go away. 11:20 If you only wait that they go away is with practice and repetition, 11:22 just to dive in and just do it. 11:26 It's like, exactly. 11:27 >> So it's like a muscle, right? 11:35 You just have to keep trying. 11:37 And to your point, you said it in the beginning when it's gonna help you 11:38 like throughout your career. 11:42 I mean, we're always right, like wherever you are in your career constantly 11:43 connecting with folks, constantly finding the sparks and arcane. 11:47 So it's great. 11:50 >> [LAUGH] >> What would you say your 11:53 top, [INAUDIBLE]? 11:56 >> I think we touched on some already, cuz for 11:57 me I feel like the most important was just being authentic. 11:59 And yeah, exactly. 12:01 [LAUGH] And as Joel said, also- >> [INAUDIBLE] 12:05 >> Just really focusing on getting to know 12:10 the person and forging that long term bond versus like a short term, 12:14 like just asking about a job or a company. 12:20 But I feel like what was most important for 12:24 me in terms of like building this network was finding affinity groups. 12:27 So any group around a shared identity or interest, so like for 12:32 me that was like Native American and tech groups, 12:37 Latin x and tech groups, women in tech groups. 12:41 But even like for independent learning or bootcamp, grads, there's code buddies or 12:45 bootcamps. 12:50 And these are all like online slack communities where you can join and 12:51 meet up with people virtually one on one, or 12:57 be able to find job postings or even apprenticeship postings. 13:00 And I found those like super valuable, highly recommend. 13:05 [LAUGH] Yeah. 13:10 >> Yeah, so what helped me networking was kind of gamifying. 13:15 >> Go ahead Joe. 13:18 >> Like the scenario like so to get over some mental obstacles and the awkwardness, 13:21 sometimes I tell myself reach out to x amount of people this week, 13:27 start x amount of conversations. 13:31 And then you're just kind of just tracking through, like getting to your goal. 13:33 So when you set yourself some goals and you write them down, 13:38 visualize it, and then it helps you with getting through, 13:43 getting over those mental hurdles with networking and getting out there. 13:47 [LAUGH] >> All right, be brave, 14:04 develop the muscle, right operationalize it. 14:06 And you could even like, right, to reach out to folks. 14:09 I mean, there's a lot you can do even to automate as much as you can. 14:12 But authentically, so authentic engagement and 14:15 then also affinity groups, right, like Onramp and Treehouse. 14:18 And really digging into those community groups in terms of how you're 14:23 able to break into certain industries and roles, and communities. 14:28 Okay, so now everyone, thank you, all of us. 14:34 >> [LAUGH] >> [LAUGH] 14:37 >> You're amazing. 14:38 I say all of u, because this is a trifecta of goodness. 14:39 >> [LAUGH] Although everyone in this festival now has 14:41 the opportunity to network. 14:45 So you are going to actually click on the networking tab to the left here, 14:48 the icon, and you're gonna have three minutes. 14:54 So we encourage you to actualize all these amazing tips from both Alex and Joel. 14:58 And yeah, just show up as your best self, try it out, and 15:03 we can't wait to see you in our community. 15:07 >> Thank you. 15:09 Take care. 15:10 >> Yeah, thank you so much. 15:10 >> Bye. 15:12