The Women in Technology Hollywood (WiTH) Community Engagement Committee and CodeTalk will hold the fourth and last entry in their “Jump-Start” education series after getting strong feedback from those who participated in the first three virtual classes.
The events are designed to help female students prepare for tech careers, according to WiTH and CodeTalk, a digital web technology job training program for low income, underemployed and underserved women that aims to transform their income potential by promoting financial stability through training for employment in a technology field.
The fourth event, in February, will be “Navigating and Onboarding in a Remote Landscape” and highlight the challenges and considerations of a remote work environment, particularly for new roles/companies.
The CodeTalk classes have been “kept small,” April Schneider, chairwoman of WiTH Community Service, said, noting each of the first three events had less than 15 participants. “The benefit for our WiTH group was the opportunity to personally connect and see that our efforts made a difference,” she said.
The education series “has been so fantastic and the students appreciate all the knowledge and resources,” according to Dawn Allen, program manager at CodeTalk.
Allen pointed to several positive comments from students to underscore that. For example, one student noted that she enjoyed the third lecture on technology trends, “Micro service system design & Cloud concepts,” held Dec. 11.
Although “some of what the speaker,” Chaitanya K. Rudrabhatla, senior solutions architect at Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE), discussed was “really advanced,” the student said she believed “he managed to make a lot of the material as digestible as possible, especially given the short amount of time he had to explain it.” When the session was over, the student had a “general understanding of the cloud and how it works,” she said.
Another student said she found the WiTH series lectures “beneficial and useful,” adding the speakers “maintained our attention on the employment process and would appreciate to participate if there are further lectures.”
Although another student was unable to actually participate in the live virtual class, “I appreciated that I could rewatch the presentation,” she said, adding she “found the presentation helpful regarding having different job sites to visit, resume and tips” on interviews.
She was referring to the second session, “Communication & Interview Prep,” held Dec. 8, in which Schneider, entertainment industry consultant Miriam Sharman and Joeslyn Rescober (senior business analyst, TV Distribution, at SPE) discussed communication best practices and how students can best prepare for the big interview day. Among other things, they provided tips on written communication and outreach.
In the first session, “Job Seeking and Resume Tips,” Dec. 3, Schneider, senior project strategist Rosemary Ampuero Jacobs and communications specialist Priya Shivaani Chauhan covered key elements of locating roles, understanding the application process and gave resume tips.
Students were told they should refine their job searches, making sure to figure out if they are only looking for full-time jobs or may be open to contracting jobs also. They were also told to figure out: if they are willing to relocate for the right job and open to travel, need a flexible work schedule, expect to work remotely, and whether they prefer a relaxed working environment or one in which they are constantly challenged. The importance of networking was also stressed.
“We look forward to our continued collaborations and appreciate the ongoing support,” Allen said.