It is easy to get caught up in the stress of assignments and exams while in school. While academics are important, they only represent one aspect of building a career.
Looking back on my previous years in university, one of my regrets is not fully taking advantage of the opportunities given to us as students. While I am back in school to make a career change into tech, I decided to prioritize welcoming and seeking these opportunities. What I have learned is that the effort you put into your college experience directly impacts what you get out of it.
The foolproof way I decided to approach this was by joining a club. I became a member of the BCIT Women in Computing Club, and it far exceeded my expectations. It opened up amazing opportunities such as touring the workspaces of industry giants like EA Games, HCL, and SAP. These tours gave me a firsthand look at what it’s like working at these companies and helped me envision how I might fit in there one day. They were a great way to build professional relationships more authentically than sending cold emails or LinkedIn requests. Having received a lot of value as a member of WIC, I wanted to contribute to creating these events. I applied for a position in the executive team and was later accepted as the VP of Outreach.
I had no prior experience as VP of Outreach. In fact, I didn’t even know that the position existed before this. Essentially, my responsibilities include reaching out to companies, individuals, and other third parties to find potential collaborations for events such as company tours, interview panels, and other events. While I didn’t have any experience in organizing and hosting events, I was determined to make the most of my time here and do something worthwhile that could provide value to others.
Eventually, one of my outreaches resulted in an organized event: a guest speaker session featuring Shamez Meghji, an Amazon Software Engineer. I actually met him through the CMDF hackathon, where they assigned him to me as my mentor. During our conversations, I learned that he had an interest in teaching and hosting workshops. Having just joined the executive team, I was eager to make things happen, as I saw a valuable opportunity for our students to gain insights into what it’s like to work at Amazon, a major tech company, and for Shamez to connect with an audience. I set out to organize this event.
It was a daunting task. I had never led an in-person club event before. I didn’t know how the turnout was going to be, and I didn’t want to disappoint the guest speaker. However, rather than letting myself ruminate on these thoughts, I focused on delivering the message and giving value to the audience. With the support of the amazing WIC executive team, it turned out to be a success. Shamez’s presentation was incredibly informative and engaging, and I had the opportunity to learn about his experiences as a software engineer while getting to know him and other club members more personally. Seeing how an outreach could manifest into something tangible that could benefit other people was a rewarding experience. This position turned out to be an amazing way to network because it gave me a reason to reach out to other people and organizations. Clubs help make these connections more mutually beneficial, as the other party can engage with a target audience while the students gain valuable learning opportunities.
Being part of a club has been one of the most valuable experiences at BCIT. It allowed me to gain insight into my industry, develop leadership skills, and network in ways that grades alone never could.
So, I encourage you to not take these years as a student for granted and actively pursue making experiences yourself. Put yourself out there and join a club today!
