Blossoming Technologist Marisa Hoenig

How do you get an internship at a top tech company? Once you secure the internship, how do you make the most of that experience?


Meet Alexandra Foote, a product manager at Microsoft and career coach helping students secure internships. During her time studying computer science at Georgia Tech, Alexandra interned at Google, Microsoft, and Bank of America. With her internship experience, she began coaching hundreds of students to land job offers at top tech companies. Now, she continues to coach students through her course "Tech Internship Toolkit" and free masterclass "How to Land an Internship at a Top Tech Company."


In this episode, we dive into how to get internships and why they're so important. We talk about common mistakes students make, how to make the most of your internship experience, and how to prepare for technical interviews.


Mentioned in This Episode:

Tech Internship Toolkit Course: techjobshop.com
How to Land an Internship at a Top Tech Company Masterclass: alexandrafoote.com/blossoming-technologist
LinkedIn Learning: linkedin.com/learning

Connect with Alexandra:

Website: alexandrafoote.com
LinkedIn: /footealexandra
Instagram: @fancyfootework
Facebook: @fancyfootework

Follow Blossoming Technologist:

Instagram: @blossoming_tech
Twitter: @blossoming_tech
LinkedIn: /blossoming-technologist

Connect with Marisa:


Twitter @marisahoenig
LinkedIn /marisahoenig


Credits:

Podcast Production by Marisa Hoenig
Social Media Marketing & Episode Cover Art by Lucy Zheng
Podcast Logo by Kendal Goodell @goodelldesigns

What does a career in security look like? Why is security crucial for everyone to understand? Meet Sara Diaz, the Information Security Lead for ThoughtWorks North America. After starting her career as a quality analyst, she moved into information security and has been at ThoughtWorks for 5 years. Sara is passionate about making security accessible and easy to understand; you shouldn't need to be an expert to protect your digital life.


In our conversation, we talk all things security: what it means, different career paths, what a day-to-day looks like, resources, skills, and more.


Mentioned in This Episode:

CIA Security Triad: bit.ly/3c5zF0i (f5.com)
GDPR: bit.ly/3qKwgIh (wiki)
SANS: www.sans.org
Axios: www.axios.com
Password Managers: 1Password, DashLane, KeePass, LastPass

Follow Blossoming Technologist:

Instagram: @blossoming_tech
Twitter: @blossoming_tech
LinkedIn: /blossoming-technologist

Connect with Marisa:


Twitter @marisahoenig
LinkedIn /marisahoenig


Credits:

Podcast Production by Marisa Hoenig
Social Media Marketing & Episode Cover Art by Lucy Zheng
Podcast Logo by Kendal Goodell @goodelldesigns

What’s it really like to get a master’s degree? How does the workload compare to a bachelor’s degree?


Learn from Stephen Sam, a Cloud and LexMobile Solutions Software Developer at LexMark. Stephen recently graduated from the University of Connecticut with a Masters in Computer Science & Engineering. During his master's program, he was a GEM-Full Fellow and active member of his local National Society of Black Engineers chapter. Stephen is also a co-host to the podcast, After Dinner Conversations, discussing challenges in adulthood.


In this episode, we talk about everything grad school: when to get your master’s, your advisor’s role, the experience of taking the GRE, the workload, the experience of doing research, and how a fellowship can help.


Mentioned in This Episode:

GEM Fellowship: gemfellowship.org
Lexmark: lexmark.com
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP): nsfgrfp.org
After Dinner Conversations Podcast: linktr.ee/AfterDinnerConversations
Pass the Aux Vol. 1 (Spotify): spoti.fi/3FpcAkq

Connect with Stephen:

LinkedIn: bit.ly/30DAhaa
Instagram: @ReigningBoss
After Dinner Conversations Instagram: @adconvos

Follow Blossoming Technologist:


Instagram @blossoming_tech
Twitter @blossoming_tech
LinkedIn /blossoming-technologist


Connect with Marisa:


Twitter @marisahoenig
LinkedIn /marisahoenig


Credits:

Podcast Production by Marisa Hoenig
Social Media Marketing & Episode Cover Art by Lucy Zheng
Podcast Logo by Kendal Goodell @goodelldesigns

How do you shape a career you love? Why should you pursue software engineering especially if you don't want to sit behind a computer all day?


Meet Victoria Kirst, an incoming software engineer at The Browser Company, former software engineer at Google for 8 years, former lecturer at Stanford, and most recently the Director of Platform and then VP of Engineering at a startup, Glitch. Victoria is passionate about software engineering and education, and in our conversation, she shares insights about her career journey to help others succeed in software engineering.


In this episode, Victoria discusses what she loves about software engineering, what stops people from choosing software engineering, how to shape your career, choosing the right career, when to leave a job, how to define a startup, differences between working at a big company versus a startup, and the responsibilities of a VP of Engineering. We also talk about her new project that you can get involved in to stay on track with your learning goals: Everybody Study Club.


Mentioned in This Episode:

Code In Place Call for Teachers: codeinplace.stanford.edu/teach
Ashley C. Ford Quote (Twitter): bit.ly/2OnJeOM
"Somebody's Daughter: A Memoir" by Ashley C. Ford (preorder): amzn.to/2OmLaHg
"What the Hell is a Startup Anyway" Techcrunch Article: tcrn.ch/3tkHJ2j
"The Manager's Path" by Camille Fournier: bit.ly/2OxpRm9

Connect with Victoria:

Twitter: @heyvrk
LinkedIn: /victoriakirst
Everybody Study Club: everybodystudy.club

Follow Blossoming Technologist:

Instagram: @blossoming_tech
Twitter: @blossoming_tech
LinkedIn: /blossoming-technologist

Connect with Marisa:


Twitter @marisahoenig
LinkedIn /marisahoenig


Credits:

Podcast Production by Marisa Hoenig
Social Media Marketing & Episode Cover Art by Lucy Zheng
Podcast Logo by Kendal Goodell @goodelldesigns

How can your job impact your mental health? What can you do to make your mental health a priority? Today's episode features Mahmoud Khedr, the Co-Founder and CEO of FloraMind, an organization that develops tools to guide young people toward positive mental health.


Mahmoud is a proud Egyptian immigrant passionate about empowering underserved communities through mental health education. His career began in tech, with companies like Facebook and Google, which led to his focus on entrepreneurship and mental health. We discuss his experience working in tech and starting companies, with lessons on entrepreneurship and how to prioritize your well-being. We also dive into the inspiration behind FloraMind, stories from teaching mental health workshops to kids, and why toxic positivity is a problem. Get ready to be inspired!


Mentioned in This Episode:

FloraMind: https://www.floramind.com
Mahmoud’s Toxic Positivity TED Talk: https://bit.ly/2LaYw7v
Virtual Enterprises International: https://veinternational.org
Crisis Text Line: https://www.crisistextline.org or Text HOME to 741741
Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
NYC Well: 1-888-NYC-WELL or text WELL to 65173M

Connect with Mahmoud:

Instagram: @mahmoudkhedrnyc
LinkedIn: /mahmkhedr
Twitter: @MoodyKhedr
Website: http://mahmoudkhedr.com

Follow Blossoming Technologist:

Instagram: @blossoming_tech
Twitter: @blossoming_tech
LinkedIn: /blossoming-technologist

Connect with Marisa:


Twitter @marisahoenig
LinkedIn /marisahoenig


Credits:

Podcast Production by Marisa Hoenig
Social Media Marketing & Episode Cover Art by Lucy Zheng
Podcast Logo by Kendal Goodell @goodelldesigns

Why is it important to take breaks?


In this short solo episode, Marisa talks about the benefits of taking a break. This will also be the last new episode before a short break where we'll be replaying some favorite episodes from seasons one and two. We'll be back soon to continue season three!


Mentioned in This Episode:

Todoist
Your Brain at Work book

Connect with Marisa:


Twitter @marisahoenig
LinkedIn /marisahoenig


Follow Blossoming Technologist:


Instagram @blossoming_tech
Twitter @blossoming_tech
LinkedIn /blossoming-technologist
YouTube channel


Credits:

Podcast Production by Marisa Hoenig
Social Media Marketing & Episode Cover Art by Lucy Zheng
Podcast Logo by Kendal Goodell @goodelldesigns