Written by: Henry Hsiao
As a recent graduate entering the workforce, I was facing the daunting prospect of finding gainful employment without prior professional experience. Without the real industry experience that most employers were asking for – even in entry level positions – I felt my chances of being recruited were very slim. ZE PowerGroup really caught my attention because I had heard they were hiring many students and new graduates with the help of funding programs, specifically ICTC’s CareerConnect project for young professionals in the IT field.
ICTC was also invaluable in tracking my progress and professional development. My ICTC representative, with my manager and HR department, created a development plan to ensure I get the most enriching experience possible in my first couple months. They even helped ensure I was meeting my milestones by reviewing my performance through periodic progress reports. In the time that I started working at ZE, I have improved on languages and API’s such as Java, SQL, liquibase, JDBC, regex, and many more. My teamwork and collaborative skills have sharpened, and I’ve learned so much about understanding client needs, communicating effectively, managing workflow, and troubleshooting effectively.
At ZE, I have the opportunity to work in a great environment with a warm culture, getting to know my diverse coworkers and even getting involved in training junior employees. I work with a supportive team who are full of knowledge and so helpful to me. I am taking advantage of all the opportunities at ZE, which includes learning from different departments, increasing my understanding of the energy and data sectors, and fully immersing myself in all the operations of a large software company. I am so thankful that I was able to enter the workforce with ICTC’s assistance.
