Week 5 Industry Expert Interview

For my Industry Expert Review I chose to interview my older brother. He is someone I look up to and has a great career path to follow. Although he is my brother, we never really talked about computer science or our education because I was a mathematics major when he graduated. So now that my brother, Ryan Zambie, has become a Software Development Engineer with CVS Pharmacy, I have become eager to know how he has got to where he is and all about his education in this field to see if I can follow in his footsteps. 

He lives across the world so we had a phone call interview as our way of communication. He went to Lafayette College in Pennsylvania and graduated in 3 years, and in that 3rd year he also applied to dozens of internships and got accepted by CVS Pharmacy in that summer. After that summer internship he went back to school to get his masters degree in cybersecurity. Once he finished his masters, CVS offered him a full time position as a Software Development Engineer, and that is where he has been since. He says one of the most challenging things about the industry is that the industry is always evolving. What was status quo a year ago, could be different today so it is important to keep up with the trends of the industry as it is always evolving. Being able to adapt to these trends and learn from them is crucial. The hottest trend in the industry today is Artificial Intelligence, he believes. Being able to use AI to your advantage and boost your work to become more efficient is beneficial to you. His company and many others are becoming accustomed to AI and are implementing it into their work. The skills needed to succeed in the Computer Science field, besides the obvious technical programming skills that we learn in school, is being able to communicate and collaborate with a team. Lots of projects he does are with a group of people and being able to communicate efficiently is something all CS professionals need to be able to do. His advice to people in the industry is to do your best to network and connect with as many people as you can. These connections you make will help you land an internship which is the most important thing he says. Once you get into an internship, you can then wow the employer with your skills and hard work. The hard part is getting in that door, so network to be able to land internships.

After talking to my brother and learning about his experience, it has changed my outlook on my career. I used to think being a hard worker and getting good grades would immediately land mw a job, but like he said an internship is the most important part. Now I will network and connect with as many people in my field as I can to increase my chances and opportunities at an internship. Once I am in, I know I can succeed. Not only that, but I also need to improve my use of AI skills. If he uses AI in his work like he claims, it is important I find a way to use it effectively for my work just like he does as that is where technology is going. 

I can apply my knowledge to my academic and professional journey by starting to do it right now. For example, he says being able to work in a group is a huge advantage. In this course we do a lot of group work, and will do a lot more in future courses, so it is imperative I learn to work well with others and improve those social skills as my future will benefit by being able to work in a group. Along with that I will continue to improve my programming skills and learn new trends to stay ready for the professional industry.