Over the course of Winter 2024, Computing for All collaborated with the Bellevue College Computer Science Department to organize the Workshop Series for Career Success. This workshop series offered a variety of virtual and hybrid events designed to help students and job seekers prepare for careers in tech, including How to Navigate a Career Fair, Behavioral Interviews, Technical Interviews, and Finding Your Career Path in Tech. Industry volunteers led these events, sharing their expertise in the field.
How to Navigate a Career Fair
Our first hybrid event was the How to Navigate a Career Fair Workshop on January 25, led by Jess Olson from Brooksource. Jess gave both virtual and in-person attendees advice on how to prepare to talk to employers, answered questions during a great Q&A, and stayed afterward to give one-on-one resume review help.
Behavioral Interviews Workshop
On February 8 we held our first virtual workshop, Behavioral Interviews Workshop, led by Kai Chang of JPMorgan Chase and Angel Ortiz of Bank of America. Kai and Angel shared tips on how to prepare for and answer behavioral questions, did a demo interview, and worked with small groups of students to help them practice.
Technical Interviews Workshop
The Technical Interviews Workshop on February 22 was also led by Kai Chang of JPMorgan Chase. Kai discussed how to prepare for a technical interview, did a demo showing how to talk through a coding problem solution, and worked with small groups of students to help them practice.
Panel: Finding Your Career Path in Tech
Our final event on March 7 was the Finding Your Career Path in Tech Panel. This hybrid panel was a fantastic discussion between Kate Spinney, Eddie Lopez, Shweta Desai, Osman Surkatty, and Swathi Murthi on their career journeys. They talked about how they got where they are now, what makes them feel successful, and how they’ve gotten through challenging times. They also answered questions from the audience during a Q&A and stayed for an extended meet-and-greet afterwards, chatting individually with the students.
Thank you to all the volunteers who participated in the events:
Jess Olson, Kai Chang, Angel Ortiz, Kate Spinney, Eddie Lopez, Swathi Murthi, Osman Surkatty, Shweta Desai
And thank you to the Bellevue College and Computing for All teams who worked to organize and run the events:
Sara Farag, Margo Ikegami, David Bruckner, Ruth Bly, Shannon Ladymon, Cherie Bachman, Gary Larson
Bellevue College Computer Science Department
Bellevue College leads Washington’s community colleges with a four-year Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science, providing personalized support, relevant courses, and career-focused education. Since Winter 2017, new student cohorts join annually, emphasizing math, algorithms, theory, and practical project skills.
Computing for All is constantly working to provide opportunities for students and job seekers to connect with industry mentors, learn in-demand technical and professional skills, and get access to quality tech jobs where they can thrive. Keep an eye out for upcoming events, workshops, and job fairs on our Job Board!