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 Mohammed Eseifan and how he got involved in the TU20 program and landed a job for the summer. You can find the introductory article here.
Mohammed Eseifan tells his story
Landing a high-tech summer job is usually the dream for students pursuing a career in technology. However, most students quickly learn that an education isn't the only prerequisite required to landing that job. There are more steps involved that are usually unintuitive or at least, not apparent. Unfortunately, students are unaware of these additional steps until they are sitting at their computer, waiting for interviews or offers that will not come, wondering where they went wrong. Or, in other words, until it’s too late. At this point, most will opt for a ‘filler’ job to save up some cash and proceed to spend the next four months of summer trading their time for money without achieving any personal or professional growth. There must be a better way.
Tech Under Twenty is aiming to be that better way and I would like to share the story of how I got involved. Just as a bit of background, my name is Mohammed Eseifan and I am entering my third year of computer engineering at Queen’s University this fall.
Let me set the scene, it’s July of 2016, I am half way through my work term at a local technology company, VL, and I am looking for further growth opportunities after work ends. I had a hard time finding my current summer internship, so I was looking for an activity that would potentially make my next job hunt go more smoothly. A friend of mine, Denys Linkov, mentioned that he was involved in this exciting new organization called TU20. He also mentioned that they were looking to form a team of students to help them develop an application (ComDS). I saw this as a great opportunity to meet new people as well as develop new professional skills that I could apply in the future. So I joined.
This is where the real learning began, I was introduced to many new members of the community, all with varying backgrounds and varying objectives, but all had the same passion for technology and innovation as I did. Through my conversations with other members, I gained valuable insight into the technology sector and the job market. I learned that networking is one of the most important aspects of finding a job. I also found people who were open to and enthusiastic about giving students an opportunity to gain experience. Lastly, I found a community of like-minded students who I could connect with so that we could grow together.
I learned that networking is one of the most important aspects of finding a job.
After joining TU20, I was introduced to the rest of the team and we were given an outline for what ComDS would entail. Everyone on the team was a student and we were collectively nervous and excited to take on our first project from beginning to end. I took part in conversations regarding the implementation of features, security, software architecture, and much more. It is very rare for a student to be involved in a project to this extent. It gave me a lot of perspective on what goes into a tech project. Furthermore, I got to develop various new technical skills which are also incredibly valuable.
Several months after ComDS ended, I was beginning the job hunt for summer of 2017. I came across GEOTAB, a telematics company located in Oakville, which had a job posting for an embedded systems engineer intern position that I was very interested in. After some LinkedIn sleuthing, I discovered that I had a mutual connection with the CEO of the company, Neil Cawse. The mutual connection was Chris Herbert, one of the people in charge of running Silicon Halton and TU20. Chris had overseen our work on ComDS, so I felt he had a good idea of what I was capable of. I asked him for an introduction. Within a week, I had received an email from Geotab’s HR department asking me when I am available to meet. After two meetings, I was presented with an offer which I accepted. I am currently three months into my internship and I am really enjoying it. I have learned so many new skills and connected with some brilliant minds. This is exactly the type of job I had in mind when I began studying computer engineering and I was fortunate enough to get this experience before I had even finished university.
It is very rare for a student to be involved in a project to this extent, it gave me a lot of perspective on what goes into a tech project.
I am very happy with my personal growth over the past year and TU20 was a large contributing factor. It gave me the experience and tools I needed to further develop myself for the future. Perhaps most importantly, it gave me several valuable connections that helped my land a high-tech for the summer. Sadly, I just turned twenty so I don’t have much time left however I would strongly urge any young grasshoppers out there to join. It has had a significant positive impact on my life.
Silicon Halton TU20s Summer Internships stories:
Thank you for sharing your story Mohammed Eseifan! 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.