San Francisco Manager Shares Advice For People Interested In A Tech Career
According to a recent story from the Silicon Valley Business Journal, San Jose remains the nation's top city for tech workers. But many positions remain open in the Silicon Valley and take longer to fill despite the current economic boom. With increased competition for tech jobs, college graduates need as much advice as they can get. One of the best Silicon Valley professionals for career advice is Jen Lamorena, head of eBay's Community Learning, University Program. She took a few moments to share a little about her background, in addition to expert advice for job seekers in the tech industry.
What is your background and education?
"I graduated from Santa Clara University in 2000 with a B.S. in commerce."
"Upon graduation, I spent 13 years at Cisco, doing everything from launching their first direct customer online ordering tool, to technology consulting in health care, finance, automotive and CPG verticals, to channel sales program management and HR. During my time at Cisco, I earned my master's certificate in project management from George Washington University in 2003."
"In 2011, I joined eBay Inc. and have been focused on attracting and retaining digital natives. For the past few years, I've worked to develop programs that help drive retention rates up, while ensuring our interns and recent college grads are making an impact across our global offices."
What do you love most about your business?
"From a technology industry perspective, I love the fast pace of innovation. Today, technology is a revolution – not an evolution, which means we have to be innovating at a breakneck pace to stay in the game."
"From a company perspective, I love that I come to work every day with the purpose of enabling a platform that helps millions of people make a livelihood."
What career advice can you offer for people interested in a career in the tech industry?
"eBay Inc.'s CEO John Donahoe once told me, 'you are the CEO of your career and you need to build a strong 'board' to learn from.' People focus on having a 'mentor,' but the truth is, no one person is good at everything. By building a strong 'board' of people, you will have a well-rounded learning experience."
Randy Yagi is a freelance writer covering all things San Francisco. In 2012, he was awarded a Media Fellowship from Stanford University. His work can be found on Examiner.com Examiner.com.
