Technology

The Big Picture

Top 10 Trending Technologies 

We should all just agree that the only constant is change. Check out these top tending technologies.

• 5G Technology
• Internet of Behaviors (IoB)
• DevSecOps
• Intelligent Process Automation (IPA)
• Tactile VR
• Big Data Analytics
• Human Augmentation
• Everything-as-a-Service (XaaS)
• Cybersecurity
• Artificial Intelligence (AI)

What You Can Expect

Notwithstanding a robust job market for careers in the technology field, securing an internship or full-time position is a very competitive undertaking which will require commitment on your part:  commitment of time in your busy schedule, as well as, quality of effort. 

There are many paths to a rewarding career in technology. Some graduates will pursue a career with a large enterprise or a start-up, while others may prefer small community-based employment. Still others will elect to become educators. 

A few careers in technology require post-graduate schooling, e.g., a PhD to become a Data Scientist. It’s not uncommon for students to work in their prospective field for a couple of years before entering graduate school, testing their interests and learning valuable skills. Language skills can be immensely useful and represent a distinguishing characteristic in your candidacy for internship and first destination career roles. 

The best ways to affirm your career interests are to speak with others who have experience with the career roles you are exploring (family members, friends, alumni) and by doing internships involving the knowledge and skill sets generally required in those career roles. 

Areas of Focus

• Software Development/Engineering 

• Data Science and Data Analytics 

• AI and Machine learning 

• Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality 

• Robotics 

• All non-technical career roles within the tech industry, e.g., product management, program management, project management, digital marketing and advertising, finance 

Top Resources

In addition to the resource access you have through Handshake, check out a number of events, programs, and resources to help you navigate along your career exploration and development path through this CCI website. 

CSCI to Career Primer 

Career pathways are an individually determined journey. This document is intended to delineate several of the traditional career pathways for students majoring in computer science (CSCI) within a liberal arts academic environment as a helpful tool for students to determine and design their first destination strategies and tactics. Contained in CSCI to Career Primer are: 

• Middlebury College’s Learning Goals for Computer Science Majors; 

• Typical Career Roles and Pathways that may be relevant to CSCI majors/disciplines; 

• Three Stages in the Campus to Career Pathway; 

• Resources for Students during their career exploration process; and 

• CCI Career Exploration Modules. 

Resources for Those Interested in non-Technical Roles

e.g., product manager, program manager, technical writer, data analyst… 

The 10 Most Important Product Manager Interview Questions 

The types of questions you can expect to be asked in a Product Management interview are pretty vast and varied. But in general, you’ll probably be asked some of the following: 

1. What do you see as a Product Manager’s main role within product development? 

2. How do you stay user-focused? 

3. What main changes would you make to [our product]? 

4. How do you see your career developing in the next 5 years? 

5. Tell us about a time you used data to influence an important stakeholder. 

6. Tell us about a time you faced failure and how you bounced back. 

7. How would you improve your favorite product? 

8. What’s your approach to prioritizing tasks? 

9. Why do you want to work at [our company]? 

10. Why do you want to be/what do you love about being a Product Manager? 

Questions will vary depending on the role, the company, and the industry, and the types of questions you’ll be asked will change as you move through the interview process. 

Check out the The Ultimate List of Product Manager Interview Questions article from Product School to help you better prepare for the interview. 

Cracking the PM Interview is a great guide that students can take a look at for prepping for Product Manager Interviews  https://github.com/drew-mn/Books/blob/master/Cracking%20the%20PM%20Interview.pdf  

A Few Non-technical Career Roles 

More Non-technical Career Roles 

• This is a list / guide for all the non-technical Summer Internships that is currently maintained by a few practitioners. Really great resource: https://github.com/leestanley/pm-openings2022  

Great Book for understanding how Tech Things work for Non-Technical People https://howtospeaktech.com/ 

Guide to Computer Science Degree Programs

http://www.computerscienceonline.org/degree-programs/

Technology Industry Trade Association

The Computing Technology Industry Association is an American non-profit trade association, issuing professional certifications for the information technology industry. It is considered one of the IT industry’s top trade associations. https://www.comptia.org/home

MiddMentors

Looking for a dedicated (but informal) mentor to help you explore longer-term goals, develop professional competencies, or explore what it means to navigate life at Middlebury?

Then join MiddMentors! With MiddMentors, you get to build a connection with an alumni mentor matched to your goals and objectives. 

Our volunteer alumni mentors come from all over the globe, and represent an incredible diversity of experiences and backgrounds. Select from Cirque du Soleil aerialists, startup founders, volcanologists, corporate executives, award-winning writers, surgeons and psychologists, educators, human rights attorneys, coders, athletes, bankers and traders, veterinarians, Zen practitioners, to name a few…  

After you’re paired with your mentor, you’ll embark on monthly conversations, guided by a flexible curriculum. Along the way, we support you with CCI advising appointments, resource pages, and email consults. 

This is a developmental experience–not an evaluative one. In exchange for a small amount of prep, you get access to stellar advice and viewpoints from an alum who has already walked the path you’re hoping to take. 

Stories from the Field

To learn more about potential career roles, see the following resources in which alums share their career experiences.

futureforward

futureforward features several alumni and parents who are leaders in a variety of career fields, discussing their industry’s current environment, their perspective on the future outlook for that career field, and action steps students can take now to position themselves for entry into those career fields.

MIDDVantage

MIDDVantage is a virtual career exploration program that offers Middlebury students and alumni—through the perspective of Middlebury alumni and guests—exposure to fields of interest.

Live from DC

Live From D.C. is a live webinar designed to engage guest speakers in a number of career fields in discussions about topics of interest driven by current events, frequently having policy implications and an array of career opportunity dynamics.