We are continuing to share the stories of young people who found summer internships through the Silicon Halton Tech Under 20 (TU20) program. This week we will cover Celine Lee,
how she got involved in the TU20 program and landed a job for the summer. You can find the introductory article here.
Celine Lee tells her story through a Q & A
Q: What motivated you to attend and participate in the TU20 Learn2GetHired event?
Currently, I’m a computer science co-op student at the University of Waterloo, and while I was in the process of finding a co-op job for this summer, my friend told me to check it out. I looked more into it, and thought it was the perfect opportunity to learn how to effectively market myself, network, and get to know more about the tech scene in Halton.
Q: What did you learn from the workshop portion?
From the workshop portion, I learned how to effectively pitch myself, and how to update my resume so that it stands out to recruiters. The workshop night was a fantastic way to learn the essential pitching skills that I needed in order to market myself effectively. I used the skills that I learned at the pitch night to make my elevator pitch that I now have ready in my back pocket. I also had the opportunity to get my resume critiqued by more employers, from which I learned how to optimize my resume for a tech career. It also gave me a head-start for the pitch night as there were mentors at each table that we could talk to and learn from. All in all, I learned many valuable career-related skills that weren’t taught in school.
Q: What was your experience like on the pitch night?
The pitch night was quite an experience. The TU20 pitch night was my first networking experience, so I definitely learned a lot from it. At first, it was intimidating, but I found that I adjusted pretty quickly. By the end of the night, I was comfortable talking with anyone and everyone! During the pitch night, I had the opportunity to speak with many different people, and learned a lot about different career paths and opportunities in the local tech scene.
I learned many valuable career-related skills that weren’t taught in school.
Q: Where are you working and what is your position? What are some of your day-to-day tasks?
From the TU20 pitch night, I got noticed by the Halton Industry Education Council (HIEC), and was invited for an interview. The interview eventually led to a job offer and i was happy to say I worked as a media assistant for the summer. I am currently working on various multimedia pieces for HIEC, including video, graphic design pieces, and web design.
The TU20 Learn2GetHired event connected me to a job where I could learn new skills and improve upon my existing ones. It has taught me pitching, job-searching and other career-related skills; it has also taught me the importance of building my network. I would recommend it to everyone!
Silicon Halton TU20s Summer Internships stories:
Thank you for sharing your story Celine Lee! Look for our upcoming story next Monday!
Silicon Halton TU20
Since it’s founding in 2009, Silicon Halton has brought together over 1400+ members, hosting 90+ events. Cofounded by Chris Herbert, Rick Stomphorst and Reema Duggal, Silicon Halton is going strong 8 years later.
In 2015, Silicon Halton had its first TU20 event called: “Developing Talent, Discovering Opportunities”. Since then, TU20 have hosted a number of programs and in school activities, for more information you can visit our website.