Attending the Citi Developers Panel
I am typing this blog shortly after attending the Citi Developers Panel led by Duy Nguyen and Mica Kohl. I am a recent software engineering graduate from Flatiron School’s coding bootcamp, and I was recommended this program through Ivo Radoslavov from Flatiron school, a resource who is always helping students find awesome opportunities through his hard work. The developers were going to be discussing their journeys from graduates to developers and as I embark on my own journey in that respect, hearing from others who have already forged the path is always a priceless opportunity. In this post, I’d like to reflect on the biggest takeaways I got from the event, and encourage anyone who is interested in the tech field to attend similar events and learn from those who have valuable insights on the field.
Takeaway #1: Be yourself
I know this sounds cheesy, I felt a little cheesy writing it but I think this phrase is repeated so often because human beings need to hear it often. Be honest in your interviews. When you’re about to start the job hunt, there is so much information out there that will coach you to act a certain way in the interview process. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. A lot of those tips are valuable and you should conduct yourself in a professional manner. However, it is important to emphasize there is a difference between being a professional version of yourself that is still authentic, and putting on a different persona that really isn’t you.
Don’t do that. In this panel, developer Kalada William-Jumbo discussed how he emphasized how diversity is important to him in his interview process, and how that aligned with Citi’s values and led to him finding a home in a workplace culture he truly enjoyed. I found this so inspiring because I know in the past, I’ve been a little hesitant to ask employers about cultural values such as LGBTQIA+ and cultural diversity. These topics matter a lot to me, but I wasn’t sure if that was something I should broach with employers. However, in this panel, I learned that asking those kinds of questions about employee culture, especially if they matter a lot to you personally, is an important thing to do. You should be looking for these answers and seeking a workplace that aligns with your values so you can be truly happy being a part of that organization every day.
Takeaway #2: It’s okay to not be technical ALL the time
Mica Kohl discusses that in interviews, sometimes she can see someone’s eyes light up with an answer to a question they’re excited about, and then they toss that to the side and try to answer with a tech story for which they clearly don’t have the same enthusiasm. Her response to this was that she wanted to hear that first story! The one that made the developer’s eyes light up. I loved this anecdote because the moment she mentioned it, I knew I had done that in interviews. I have 100% been the person who had an exciting story about something in my background, but I decided to tell a different story I hoped would be more relevant.
Knowing that the recruiters don’t mind when you stray away from tech topics to be honest about your passions and the experience that makes you who you are is a liberating bit of knowledge. Before attending Flatiron, I worked in the entertainment industry for 8+ years working on Grammy-winning teams and in historic venues. My stories from those experiences are not coding centric, so I’m hesitant to discuss them sometimes in interviews. However, now I think I’m going to make an effort to not censor myself from discussing experiences I think are relevant to a full authentic picture of myself. A story about how I was always willing to work from load-in (sometimes 4:00 AM) to loud-out (after the show was over) to make sure that the thousands of fans attending a concert I was working had a great experience may not be coding relevant, but it’s honest about my work ethic and the kind of person I am. It shows how I care about the guest experience and even though not even a single bit of Javascript isn’t in this story, honesty is important and we should all strive to be honest about ourselves as the developers who presented are.
Takeaway #3: Show passion about your projects
Passion about your personal projects directly translates into the passion you will bring towards the projects you are assigned in the future. If coding is going to be your career, you should be excited about it and what you’re doing! When discussing one of your projects in an interview, you shouldn’t be discussing it like you just created something because your coding bootcamp told you that you had to make a project so you did. You should be discussing a problem you solved or something awesome you’re excited you made to serve a purpose!
Duy Nguyen and Josi Reis-West talked about how when Duy interviewed Josi, she spent a good deal of the interview talking about satellites because she was very passionate about them, and that left a really positive impression on him. It’s brave to talk about what you feel strongly about as she did, you don’t want to be someone who is one dimensional and unexcitable. That is not a personality that is going to energize a workplace. Duy emphasized that employers want real, passionate people. Don’t be afraid to talk about your passions and the parts of coding that excite you. It can actually make you stand out if you dedicate yourself to creating projects you’re genuinely thrilled about, and make a point to discuss them in your interviews.
The question I posed to developers during the panel was related to this topic. I asked “Should we be creating projects that are only technical themed to show to employers, or can we show more casual projects as well? Will they also value a Harry Potter themed app or a fun game a developer made, or do they only want the programs that are commerce websites, streaming websites, banking themed programs etc.” Ian Hall answered my question with an awesome answer, discussing how the theme of a project is less important than relaying the code behind it and the journey creating it. Be ready to discuss the problems you solved with your code as you worked and what purposes you are serving with your components. This is helpful advice in relation to being passionate about your projects. Don’t feel you have to present a banking themed app to a company like Citi, you can also present other applications you’re excited about if you can explain your journey in creating it. Your experience building it with clever code and troubleshooting skill can provide value in any project.
Takeaway #4: There is a light at the end of the tunnel, persevere
It might feel tough at times, it’s a part of being human to have some bad interviews and some road blocks. However as Duy and Mica emphasized many times, you need to persevere through the job hunt. If you persevere, you’re going to get to that moment where you pick up the phone and on the other end is your dream job.
Daniel Dawson shared a story about how he was in the back of a coffee shop when he found out he got the Citi job, and his genuine excitement about finally getting that call that would pivot his career trajectory was so inspiring. It was a good reminder of the best part of this process that every bootcamp graduate is working towards, and how possible it is to get there. His story was a reminder that though we all come from different backgrounds, through hard work alike to that he and all of his coworkers displayed, all of us can achieve a career in tech we’re aspiring to have.
Why you should go to a panel like this:
I resonated so much with this panel because it felt like they were being so authentic and real. None of their answers felt rehearsed, they just were discussing their honest journeys, and being kind enough to share them with others. Duy relayed that these kinds of panels were organized once a quarter, so I fully recommend any bootcamp graduate to seek out his future discussions, because if it is anything like this one, you’re going to be treated to some really genuine advice.
Duy and Mica are clearly fostering a really authentic culture where people can be themselves and love the culture they’re contributing to at their workplace. That starts with their hiring practices, how they prioritize honesty from the beginning of the interview process, so everyone hired truly meshes with their culture. Their process provided many good lessons about how we should all strive to be genuine and passionate in the job hunt process so we can find our best career fit. I’m incredibly grateful for the advice that Ian, Daniel, Josi, and Kalada contributed — each of them with completely different and valuable perspectives. Each one provided a lesson that bootcamp grads can benefit from, and I’m grateful they took time to share their stories and thoughts and recommend their speaking engagements to any young dev looking for advice.
As a Flatiron graduate, I’m still personally so hyped up hours later hearing about how these other Flatiron and DevMountain grads found their home at Citi and love what they do. These events can inspire you and inform you in how you’re approaching your own job hunt, so other graduates — take an hour out of your day to attend one! You’d be surprised, sometimes it takes just one piece of advice to change your life and how you’re approaching something critical in your career path, so seek out advice from those who have proven themselves in your field. Thank you Ivo for the recommendation to a really great panel, and thank you to every one of the panelists for sharing their thoughts.
