As part of my Capstone course this semester, I joined the Project Management Institute - South Carolina Midlands Chapter. As a member, I have the opportunity to attend local meetings and ceremonies with fellow project management students and professionals. Last week, I attended a PMI lunch at IT-oLogy and was able to work as a volunteer doing registration. I got to meet the president of the local chapter and sit in on the keynote presentation. After I finish my capstone course, I will have the opportunity to take the CAPM (certified associate in project management) test. It is one of the best certifications for a professional in the IT field right now. I think it's great that I can get this kind of exposure as a student. Everybody knows that professional networking is crucial to a successful career and I am getting more networking opportunities as a student in this degree than most people get in a lifetime. I am looking forward to future networking opportunities as I finish my last semester at USC. I'm excited to start a career after I graduate and I'm sure that the contacts I have made thus far will assist me in my future endeavors.

Carolina Tech Conference 2012

I was able to volunteer at the 2012 Carolina Technology Conference and Expo last week. As a volunteer, I assisted with the registration process of attendees, but I also got a chance to view some of the presentations at the Expo. One of the sessions I attended was speech about identity theft and social engineering by Jim Stickley. I have always been interested in security and I learned a lot from this presentation. Overall, I enjoyed the opportunity to be a part of one of the biggest technology conferences the South East. I leave you with this video clipping of an interview with one of the hosts of the conference, John Davis. 

IBM Information Session

I apologize for my absence on this blog. I have been very busy over the past week and I haven't had time to post. With that being said, its time to catch up......

Last week, I had the opportunity to attend an information session hosted by IBM. I got to meet and talk with  two managers, as well as a few new employees that were recent graduates from the iIT program at USC. This was a great way to learn more about the company and hear first hand how our degree is preparing us for the workforce. The new employees were all very thrilled and excited about working for IBM, and all said that the iIT program prepared them well. I got to interview with one of the managers the next day, and I must say, it was probably one of the best interviews I have ever had. The interview went well over the 45 minute time frame because we had so much to talk about. It was a very relaxed, informal interview so I was comfortable and was able to ask a lot of questions. After going on an interview and doing some research on IBM, I'm confident that I would be a great fit in this organization. I would get to travel half the time to big cities across the United States and get trained as an expert on various technologies. All I can do now is sit back and wait on a response.....