Transitioning to Tech: Career-Shift Conversations with Ben Parisot

Our Engineering Manager, Ben Parisot, just wrapped up a 5-part webinar series with Anna Miller, Founder of Second Careers. Ben’s perspective on transitioning into tech is invaluable for any early-career developer. He’s passionate about supporting emerging tech talent, and he actively mentors budding engineers in his role here.

In this series, you’ll learn about the sometimes unspoken criteria that hiring managers look for in a candidate, ways you can ace a technical interview without slogging through algorithm exercises, and the best ways to showcase your experience and knowledge online.

Even though the series is over, these talks were all recorded, so you can catch the replays — each link is posted below.

Whether you're moving into tech from a different field or looking for tips on leveling up your existing skills, this series is your starting point to finding, landing, and succeeding in your next engineering job.

Part 1: Beyond LeetCode: Alternative Paths to Acing Your Technical Interview

This talk will highlight ways to transform technical interview preparation from daunting to delightful. You’ll explore the exciting landscape of open-source projects, learn which hackathons to join and which to avoid, and discover how to choose personal projects that showcase and grow your technical skills.

This talk is more than just about acing interviews; it's about enjoying the journey of skill-building. Get ready to unleash your creativity, innovate, and make your mark in the tech world!

Part 2: Pick Your Slice, Not Your Stack: Think Like a Software Developer

Reframe how you think about software development. People focus on their “stack” a lot, which oftentimes mentally pigeonholes them into a certain type of dev path.

Instead, think of becoming proficient in a “slice” 🍰— that is, everything it takes to build, test, and deploy a feature or an app — of whatever language you prefer. This makes you think more like a software developer and less like an "XYZ language" developer.

Part 3: Technical Collaboration Must-Haves: Best Ways to Demonstrate Collaboration

Engineering Managers don’t hire in a vacuum. When they evaluate a candidate, a big part of what they look for is how well the candidate has demonstrated their experience collaborating on a technical challenge with other developers.

In this session, Ben will dive into the specific collaboration skills he looks for in a candidate and the best ways to demonstrate those skills on an application or in an interview.

Part 4: Alternative Forms of Networking: Find Your Own Networking Style

Networking means different things to different people, and it all boils down to what you’re looking for and who you are.

Pushing yourself to network in ways that just don't feel right can do more harm than good. So, why not find a way to make networking work for you?

In this session, Ben and Anna discuss how to adapt your networking efforts to fit your goals and personality. This will ensure that your efforts are not only effective but also comfortable and authentic.

Part 5: How Dev-Adjacent Roles Can Get Your Foot in the Software Development Engineer Door

Many successful software developers began their journey in roles closely related to development, such as Quality Assurance, Technical Project Management, or Technical Support. If securing your initial Software Development Engineer role is proving challenging, redirecting your focus to a different role within the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) might be the key.

In this final talk, Ben and Anna discuss:

• How to spot dev-adjacent positions that align with your aspirations.

• Strategies to stand out to engineering managers while in these positions.

• Actionable steps to seamlessly transition into a development role when the opportunity arises.

Curious to know more about transitioning into tech? Here's some practical advice from someone who did it.