Philadelphia GM Advocates For Self-Learning And Instruction
As general manager of Dell Boomi, Chris McNabb supervises operations and strategic direction. He has over 20 years experience in software development. Dell Boomi works with businesses worldwide and is the first integration solution built-in the cloud which makes full use of the cloud. Dell Boomi helps to quickly connect any combination of cloud and on-premises applications.
What sort of education is needed to successfully do your job?
"Having a technical foundation is important—a foundation that includes basics in programming, software architecture, systems design and all of the software engineering processes that go with it. Knowing how to increase the efficiency of a software engineering process, using agile methodology and lean engineering methods are things I've learned during my career."
"I've continued to read and absorb what the best minds have to say about project management, software engineering, business strategies and product management. I've also learned from my involvement in industry groups like IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers), ACM (Association for Computing Machinery) and PACT (the Greater Philadelphia Alliance for Capital and Technologies), as well as the Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce."
What is the most relevant aspect of your education that applies to your day-to-day job?
"Throughout my career, I've taken sideways steps and backward steps. But if I had I relied solely on the education from college – that was nowhere near enough to get to where I am today. It highlights the importance of continuing to grow and build a variety of skills and expose yourself to a lot of different areas of the business. My education taught me to be a self-sufficient and life-long learner. You learn to acquire new knowledge without being instructed directly."
What is the most fun aspect of your job?
"As GM of Dell Boomi, the most fun part of my job is being a part of a winning team, having the chance to be a part of a team that is focused on achieving their goal, growing as a team, as the organization grows. Being able to be a contributor on that kind of team is a lot of fun to me."
What advice would you give someone just starting out in the field of technology?
"For anyone just starting out in the field of technology, I'd tell them three things:
First, it's very important to learn the fundamentals. Understand what's been done before, understand the background of computer science.
Second, bring a level of energy and creativity and innovation to everything that you do. You have new perspectives that the people at the organizations you'll be joining don't have. Push for what's right, believe in yourself, understand that you can build it, you can create technology solutions that provide answers for folks in a very meaningful way.
Third, expect a career of lifelong learning.The industry will continue to evolve and change, and you have to evolve and grow with it – and that starts with a philosophy of lifelong learning."
Christina Thompson is a freelance writer living in Philadelphia. She reports on various topics such as: Social Media, Local Events, Entertainment, Food and Drink and more. Her work can be found at http://firstsendmedia.com/
