My name is Faheemah Shaikh from San Francisco. I am a third year computer science student at San Francisco State. I am also heavily involved in the Muslim Student Association on campus. My current role is President and I’ve done many other roles such as the marketing coordinator, treasurer, vice president, etc.
Describe your typical routine at Dev/Mission and why it’s important in your life?
I am the social media intern so I create, film, and edit Reels and TikToks, post stories promoting Dev/Mission, analyze the data from Dev/Missions social media accounts, etc. This is important to me because I want to work for a social media company as a marketing director and Dev/Mission is helping me prepare for that.
What personal goals has Dev/Mission helped you accomplish (or are you pursuing)?
Practice and refresh my coding skills.
Network with people in the tech industry.
Visit multiple tech companies to learn what it’s like to work there.
Come up with creative and unique ideas to market.
Prepare for job interviews.
How has Dev/Mission staff supported you?
Kimon who was an alumni from Dev/Mission referred me to the Social Media Intern position and supported me in obtaining that position.
What three words would you use to describe Dev/Mission if you were trying to convince a friend to get involved?
1- Free
2- Opportunities
3- Community
Has Dev/Mission positively impacted you/your family? If so, how?
Dev/Mission has provided a place for me to grow intellectually. As a third year computer science major, I learned and understood more during Dev/Missions Pre-Apprenticeship program, then I did at school.
How Dev/Mission has helped you to pursue post-secondary or employment pathways?
They provided resources to find internships/jobs and helped me build my confidence! Because of this, I landed an internship at Dev/Mission as their social media intern.
What are you doing now since you Graduated from Dev/Mission?
I am now a third year computer science major at San Francisco State University and the current social media intern for Dev/Mission.
What do you think makes DevMission different from other organizations?
Dev/Mission aims to support the community, no matter their gender, ethnicity, sexuality etc. They offer free tech related programs that young adults can gain various types of knowledge in. They also have educational and exciting in person visits to big tech companies in the bay area.
Volunteer Success Story: Isa Jimenez
What were you doing before joining Dev/Mission as a volunteer? Just my regular full-time job as a Software Engineer at Google.
How long have you been a Dev/Mission volunteer? I’ve been a volunteer for 2 cohorts (~ 6 months)
Describe your typical volunteer routine at Dev/Mission and why it’s important in your life? I volunteer for the Monday IOT class. I try to get in 15 minutes early to help if there’s any setup needed. Then, I’m either teaching the class or a TA that day. If I’m teaching, I spend most of the time presenting about the topic for the day and directing the tasks everyone should be working on. If I’m just TA-ing, then I’ll help organize, pass out circuit materials and then help students with any questions they have as they’re working.
How has the Dev/Mission staff supported you? They’ve made me feel really included in the Dev/Mission family! On top of that, they ensure that we have all the materials we need for our lessons and that the classroom is set up for us to present. They set the volunteers up to succeed as teachers to the students.
What three words would you use to describe Dev/Mission if you were trying to convince a friend/peer to get involved as a volunteer?
1- Rewarding
2- Interesting (I keep learning new things!)
3- A community
Has Dev/Mission positively impacted? If so, how? Yes! I’ve really enjoyed meeting all the students and seeing each one of their own passions and reasons for wanting to lean into the tech industry. Specifically in the IOT class, seeing every student’s project ideas has opened up my creativity to the things that can be done with just arduino computers. Lastly, It makes me really excited and motivated to see the students get excited about tech and consider moving into the space.
What do you think makes Dev/Mission different from other organizations? Dev/Mission creates an opportunity for students to branch into the tech space by not only teaching tech skills, but by also teaching other vital workplace “soft skills” like leadership or communication. These can often be neglected when thinking about how to prepare students for the tech industry (or workplace in general).
What would you say to other volunteers that are planning to join our volunteer program? Having more volunteer voices in the room helps introduce students to new people and hear about different paths into tech (everyone has their own path!). Teaching/TAing can be so rewarding because you’re able to share your skills and experience to help others reach their own goals.
Success Story: Kimon Monokandilos
My name is Kimon and I graduated from Cohort #13 in summer of 2021. I am currently pursuing my Bachelor’s of Science degree in Computer Science at San Francisco State University.
How has/what areas do you think Dev/Mission Prepared you for your career in tech?
Dev/Mission has prepared me for my career in tech by supporting me in developing my soft skills in the workplace. Their Pre-Apprenticeship program has 4 sections: hardware essentials, web development, IoT, and critical career skills. The critical career skills section of the program taught me all about things like elevator pitches, emotional intelligence, resolving conflicts in the workplace, and building beneficial relationships in the workplace. With these soft skills along with all of the internships that I was able to complete with the help of Dev/Mission, I now feel ready to enter the tech industry with the knowledge that I have the skills to succeed.
What career opportunities were you able to apply for after graduating from the program?
After graduating from the program, I was able to intern as a Community Technology Associate intern, IT Technician intern, and Social Media intern, and be a part of a fellowship in partnership with Uber.
What goals did you have before joining the program at Dev/mission?
Before joining the program at Dev/Mission, my goal was to get hands-on experience in the tech industry.
How did Dev/Mission help you to achieve your goals? If so, how?
Dev/Mission helped me achieve my goals by exposing me to industry professionals, along with a mentoring program where I got to ask any question I had about the tech industry to a professional with work experience at Waymo and Google. This allowed me to get the hands-on experience that I was looking for, and continue on to my next goal.
How has Dev/Mission impacted your life?
Dev/Mission has impacted my life in a very positive way. Working with Dev/Mission has shown me that soft skills are just as important, if not more important than technical skills in the workplace. I learned how to work in a team, and met some of the most impactful friends that I have ever had with them. I also learned that I really do belong in the tech industry, even if my technical skills aren’t as well developed as my soft skills.
What have been some barriers you’ve faced in trying to break into the tech industry?
Some barriers that I’ve faced in trying to break into the tech industry, is that in university, the only perspective that students are shown is “study, get a good grade, then cold apply to a big company and hope you get in”. Obviously, this is not the most efficient approach to breaking into the tech industry, especially if one struggles with technical skills, like me, and many other people I’ve met in this field.
What is the most memorable thing to you from your time at Dev/Mission?
The most memorable thing to me from my time at Dev/Mission is all of the amazing people I’ve met as a part of the program, including Leo Sosa, the staff, and all of the fellow interns I worked with.
If there were one thing you would want people to know about Dev/Mission what would it be?
One thing I would want people to know about Dev/Mission is that if you are someone who wants to break into tech, but isn’t sure whether you have what it takes, but wants to succeed, it’s the perfect place for you.
After completing the program, what will be next for you?
After completing the program, I am actively searching and applying to internships at tech companies I find interesting. My goal is to secure a full-time internship for the Summer of 2023.
When the program was over, how did you feel—excited or scared, etc.? and why?
When the program was over, I felt driven. I felt like I had gotten a taste of what it was like to work in the tech industry, and I wanted more. The reason behind this is I wanted to surpass my limits and my goals and do the best that I can.
Did any of the advice you received during Dev/Mission stick with you? If so, what was the advice?
There has been lots of amazing advice, which makes it hard to choose one piece of advice that stuck with me the most. But, if I had to choose one, I would say: “Put an emphasis on your soft skills (ex. Communication, teamwork, social skills), instead of only focusing on your technical skills, if you want to succeed in the tech industry.”
Hispanic Heritage Month Alumni Highlight – Eduardo Ramirez
#hispanicheritagemonth
New Blog! Read our latest blog for Hispanic Heritage Month about alumni Eduardo Ramirez. Read about his story and his journey through Tech Career. From working security at PG&E to IT Logistics Specialist @udacity
How has Dev/Mission prepared for your career in tech?
Dev/Mission gave me the background I needed to get my foot in the door.
What career opportunities were you able to apply for after graduating from the program?
I got an internship at Dev/Mission as an IT Specialist which then gave me the background needed to obtain an apprenticeship at Postmates for 6 months.
What goals did you have before joining the program at Dev/Mission?
My goal was to work in the IT department at PG&E since that was the only place I knew a few people that worked in IT back then.
Did Dev/Mission help you to achieve your goals? If so how?
Absolutely. I didn’t necessarily get a job at PG&E as I planned, but I was able to obtain an apprenticeship which then became a full time employment position.
What 3 words would you use to describe your overall experience at Dev/Mission?
Welcoming, Opportunity, and Genuine
What is the most memorable thing to you from your time at Dev/Mission?
The time that we all spent together during class and off site visits, all reminded me of the good old days when I was in High School.
Any advice for someone who wants to get into tech but doesn’t know where to start?
I’d say don’t overthink things. Programs like Dev/Mission are definitely a good start because most of them are quick, free, and they introduce you to the many things you can potentially focus on when you’re in the tech field.
If there was one thing you would want people to know about Dev/Mission what would it be?
I don’t think every alumni knows that if you’re serious about your future, Dev/Mission will go out of their way to help you get your foot on the door, if not getting you a full time position in a tech company.
Hispanic Heritage Month Alumni Highlight – Stephany Pescador
#hispanicheritagemonth
For #Hispanicheritagemonth we’ll be highlighting alumni throughout the month. To kick off meet Stephany, she graduated from our 2018 Spring Cohort in the Bayview District. She has been a CTA Intern, STEM Hub intern, and now our STEM Hub Coordinator. Read more about her Story.
How has Dev/Mission Prepared you for your career in tech?
Dev/Mission has given me opportunities to explore different careers in the Tech industry. I have been given the opportunity to Intern and be an apprentice through the efforts that Dev/Mission has taken so that I was able to work with some big name tech companies.
What career opportunities were you able to apply for after graduating from the program?
In the beginning, I was an intern for a long time, completing the apprenticeship opened up many doors for me to explore. I worked as an Intern in our very own STEAM Hub, became a Community Technology Associate, interned at Postmates and AppDynamics, and finally have made my back in becoming the STEAM Hub Coordinator for my site.
What goals did you have before joining the program at Dev/Mission?
Realistically, I didn’t really have any goals before joining Dev/Mission, I was very lost when it came to things like that. After joining the programs and seeing all of the opportunities that were offered to me, I created goals for myself and for my future career. My first real goal since then has been to graduate college with an associate’s degree in Cybersecurity. And the second would be to build my very own computer!
Did Dev/Mission help you to achieve your goals? If so, how?
A lot of what I learned while doing the pre apprenticeship has actually come back and helped me during the classes that I am taking! Before joining Dev/Mission, I had never taken apart a computer let alone put one together, I recently put my skills to the test and upgraded my gaming computer, all by myself! Granted It was frustrating at times but I was extremely proud of what I was able to learn and put into practice.
What 3 words would you use to describe your overall experience at Dev/Mission?
1) Rewarding 2) Encouraging 3) Life Changing
What is the most memorable thing to you from your time at Dev/Mission?
The most memorable thing from my time at Dev/Mission would be graduating at City Hall with the rest of my classmates, everyone was so proud of what they were able to accomplish and that’s when my career in tech began because it was also announced that I would be a Community Technology Associate for the 1030 Oakdale site.
Any advice for someone who wants to get into tech but doesn’t know
where to start?
My advice would be to just start, no matter how scary it may seem! Sometimes all it takes is a leap of faith and your whole life could quite literally, be changed forever.
If there was one thing you would want people to know about Dev/Mission
what would it be?
One thing I would want people to know is that no matter where your background lies in, there is always a place for you to flourish and shine at Dev/Mission.