Joung Memorandum PDF

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Memorandum Date: To: From: Subject:

March 30th, 2017 Dr. Ann Ritter and BCOM 3950 classmates Esther Joung Informational Interview: Past, Present, and Future of a Limitless Industry and Individual

Growth, evolution, and the concept of tomorrow are some of the ideas one should keep in mind in order to become and remain successful in today’s workplace. However, during my face-to-face interview with Mr. Avinash Sharma, I learned these ideas are instead absolute requirements to stay relevant in the corporate and IT world. This memo strives to guide current college students as we prepare to consider career options upon graduation. As a recent college graduate himself, Mr. Sharma’s personal story and professional insights prove to be highly valuable, and most importantly, relatable. His words help reevaluate what we should be prioritizing in school as students and uncover what he wished he knew before beginning his IT career. I formatted the interview in a way I could learn more about Mr. Sharma’s background, his current role as a Business Intelligence and Data Analytics Developer at General Motors, and future aspirations. Where have you been? Ever since I was little, I was always interested in automobiles. I also held intense interest in the business aspects of the automobile industry. Which company sold the most units of cars this year? Which automobile giant was most innovative regarding its products? Most importantly, which brand proves that it continues to maintain a promising future? With these questions often on my mind, a friend of mine introduced me to Mr. Sharma. Born and raised in Nepal, Mr. Sharma was adopted by a Nepali-American couple at the age of 17. I immediately related to him because I am an immigrant myself. Not only does Mr. Sharma hold a position in a multinational automobile company, he was the perfect candidate for me to interview since I am studying Computer Information Systems. He pursued a major closely relating to mine in Computer Science at our school—Georgia State University. This reassured me that what he had to say was highly relevant and useful. Mr. Sharma realized he wanted to purse his study in Computer Science at the end of his freshman year after being intrigued by Introduction to Programming. Looking back, I asked him if GSU’s Computer Science program properly prepared him for his first job as an Operation Analyst at GM. And if not, what could be improved. For him, the program only planted his technical interest in the IT field and he had to push himself in order to discover more about the industry in general. He wishes classes were more handson and all labs to be required. He also highly emphasized the importance of having a strong foundation in all lower-level courses. They should enforce proactive, hands-on training using more programs and should make sure that students fully understand the material. I was impressed by his resume when I read he landed his first job at GM. Before graduating, Mr. Sharma applied to almost 20 different companies and tells me he worked arduously to appear as a competent and compelling applicant. As a business student highly interested in the company, I wanted to know what GM

mainly looks for in its entry-level applicants. I found out that most companies value technical backgrounds in computer science and related studies—both in academic courses and external experiences such as internships. He also advised me to utilize GSU’s career development centers to its fullest and to find companies that will allow me to improve. When I heard this, I realized how fortunate I was to be a student at the Robinson College of Business where each program certainly prepares its students to be ready for the business world. Realizing this, I am now more grateful for all the resources the RCB offers its students whereas other schools such as the College of Education (where Computer Science program is held), does not. Where are you now? “General Motors is innovative, cultured, and… big” was Mr. Sharma’s response when I asked him to describe his company in three words. The company culture at GM is agile, fast-paced, and especially innovative at the moment because it is in-sourcing many of its operations. Most projects are short-term— usually quarterly and yearly at maximum. When he first began working, he was mostly surprised by the way corporate world is and how different it seems as an outsider looking in. He expressed his frustration of the inevitable bureaucracy in a large corporation. On the other hand, he was impressed by how being thrown into a large organization polished the business side of him in addition to the growth of his business communication skills—which he tells me is a critical skill to hone. Again, I was reminded to appreciate all core business classes us RCB students are required to take prior to joining the workforce. Mr. Sharma opened my eyes on what Business Intelligence truly is. BI is considered a new role in the job market—only about five years old at GM. This results the position to always be in high demand. Compared to his previous role as an Operation Analyst, he tells me it is much more lenient since he does not create the data—he only deals with the end product. Consumers come after BI, so it is at the end of the process pipeline. It requires both technical and business skills whereas Data Analytics depend entirely on technical knowledge to play with data to create his reports. Overall, it boils down to not only his technical side, but his business communication skills as well. When I asked him if he could share other advices regarding his career path in IT, without hesitation Mr. Sharma said, “Stay passionate, but don’t force yourself. Stay evolving.” IT is an enormous industry with limitless amounts of opportunities within segments. He emphasized on finding a company that strive for growth and progress rather than perfection. In addition, applying to more than 20 different companies is critical because it allows you to gain interview skills and knowledge of various companies. Lastly, he suggested to always stay professional and was shocked to find out how important ‘looking good’ and maintaining a neat and tidy appearance are in the business world. Where will you go? “Any business that is out there will inevitably transform into to an IT company… Everything is going to be very technical. IT is going to grow infinitely, guaranteed.” I asked Mr. Sharma if he could see himself at GM in five years and he told me no because IT is growing day by day. We simply cannot stick with one tool. As a young, entry-level professional, we have to gather as much knowledge as possible and try different tools and language. Most importantly, we have to think about tomorrow, not just today. For example, HTML1 turned into HTML5 in less than a year, which is at an insane speed. Everything grows

so fast in IT and every aspect of the industry constantly needs to be updated or it becomes outdated. Best way to grow in IT and how anyone would earn more money is to evolve. Where am I headed? Conducting an in-person interview with Mr. Sharma regarding his career path in IT was both inspiring and motivating. Not only was I able to relate to Mr. Sharma from this interview, I developed respect for him and his aspirations to succeed in an ever-growing industry where anything can happen tomorrow. Having the opportunity to seek his insight reminded me to dig deep and find my niche that I feel strongly about. I received a lot of personalized career advices from Mr. Sharma that will be invaluable in my journey through my professional career. With all this learning that I have gained via this informational interview, I hope to go a long way towards achieving my career goals....