Speaking with Tasnuva (or Tas) was a real pleasure and I believe I was able to get a lot of insight on future career paths and a better grasp on the tools I will need for my career further down the road. We talked a lot about Tasnuva’s experiences going through college, her prior career, where she wants her career to proceed, and the values upon which she built her career. We discussed what working in start-ups is like and what to expect from certain companies. I learned that being in the same job for too long could end up boring and it is healthy to have people in and outside the company to help guide your career path. It was interesting to see how her experience and career lined up with what I imagined working in these sectors was like.
As a Communication major, I found this event incredibly interesting. As a technical program manager, she said that her most valuable skill was her ability to communicate with clients. She was interested in learning about my experiences as a communication major in CALS and how a person can learn to better communicate. I also was very interested in learning about what wisdom she could impart about what it is like working within marketing.
I was also at this event and thought her remarks on communication were particularly insightful. Usually when I think of Silicon Valley I think of a cloistered engineer writing code in a cubicle. However, quite the opposite was revealed in this roundatable. I believe the point was that nobody could fashion the code required or the development of any project alone. That, the competitive culture may be relevant to a certain extent but that many of those working in companies were doing so because they were passionate about the work and found that through teamwork they were able to create great products. I think the communication as a necessary component to this was made again and again. I was also impressed by the mentoring she received when deciding where to place her energies. I think this sort of reaching out as it were is especially important in determining a career trajectory.
I wasn’t able to attend this event, but this event sounds very meaningful and helpful as we all have to make plans and decisions for our future career path.