High Tech Employment

Craig Galbraith

Cameron School of Business

High Tech Employment-Personal Assessment

• Are you an “outcome” person or “process” person

• Will you feel comfortable in a casual, innovative and fluid job environment

• As a business major, you will be a “second” class citizen to engineers, scientists and programmers.

• You must feel comfortable with no real job description

• You must “love” technology

High Tech Employment-Personal Assessment

• There is great potential for $$$, rapid advancement and lateral movement

• The work environment will always be fast paced, exciting, stimulating, and risky.

• The work environment will be clean and attractive.

• Fellow employees will be highly educated.

High Tech Employment-Personal Preparation

• Take elective courses in technical fields (or accounting/bookkeeping).

• Study the trade journals, web sites, and articles about technology and industry

• Learn computer skills– data base, power point, excel– web page– communications– other areas (3-D, animation)– future directions

High Tech Employment- The Search

• Pick geographical area (do research about geographical specialties)

• Visit and knock on doors; there are literally 1000s of firms in some areas

• Make resume and personal presentation as technical as possible

• Be willing to trade immediate salary for future benefit (salary, bonuses, stock options, etc.)

High Tech Employment- The Centers

• California– San Jose (Silicon Valley); San

Francisco; Southern California (San Diego/Orange County)

• Seattle (software)• Boston• RDU

• Texas (Austin, Dallas)• Colorado (Boulder, Colorado Springs,

Denver)• Minneapolis/St. Paul (medical)• Portland (chips)• Atlanta• Florida (Jacksonville)• Traditional cities (Chicago, Indianapolis,

New York, Washington DC)