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 will cover Kenneth Tjie,
how he got involved in the TU20 program and landed a job for the summer. You can find the introductory article here.
Kenneth Tjie tells his story through a Q & A
Q: What motivated you to attend and participate in the TU20 Learn2GetHired event?
Waterloo’s Co-op Program is highly competitive, especially since I’m studying Computer Science. There are lots of people with different skills and backgrounds, and I had to find a co-op job competing alongside them for the upcoming summer. Without prior job experience, it was difficult for me to find a position. I had no luck securing a position with Waterloo. When I heard about this event from Celine, I thought it was a perfect opportunity to network for the first time and to try and land a position. The event being focused on tech really motivated to keep working to find a job in my field.
Q: What did you learn from the workshop portion?
I learned a lot of little tips and tricks attending this event ranging from interviews, resumes, and networking. I had the chance to get some mentors to revise my resume and make it stand out from the rest and make a lasting impression. The best thing I learned from the event would be how to make an effective pitch and why a pitch is important to have with you at all times. This event is where I created my first pitch and hopefully will carry on using the tips I got from the workshop night. The night focused a lot on networking which helped me become a little more confident with talking to new people.
Q: What was your experience like on the pitch night?
Pitch night was very nerve-wracking, at the beginning at least. After I talked with the first few employers, it got easier to talk and connect with them and I even improved my pitch along the way. I made a few connections that night and did not regret stepping out of my comfort zone to connect with other people. I can take this experience going forward to apply the skills I’ve learned to improve my networking skills and become more confident in attending future events.
I thought it was a perfect opportunity to network for the first time and to try and land a position.
Q: Where are you working and what is your position? What are some of your day-to-day tasks?
After the pitch night, I was contacted by HIEC (Halton Industry Education Council) for an interview. I managed to land a job there working as a Website Designer/IT Support Assistant. I help with the re-creation of their current website as a Website Designer and I also help do some troubleshooting and tech inventory management in the office as the IT Support Assistant. Working here has been an amazing experience! I learned so many different things about tech itself and I even got to explore the world of design, something I haven’t tried before.
I think that TU20 is a great experience for first time job seekers, especially for getting comfortable with networking. I learned so many job tips that were not taught in school that I can apply to my daily life. I learned that networking is a very powerful tool and would definitely recommend others to attend when they have the opportunity.
Silicon Halton TU20s Summer Internships stories:
Thank you for sharing your story Kenneth Tjie! 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.