Dan McCurdy is a Senior Director of Technical Program Management (in AR/VR) at Facebook. Dan graduated from Oakland University in 1991 with a degree in Finance, and shortly after joined Ameritech (which is now AT&T). Over the years he has held director positions in technical program management, spanning software and hardware engineering at both Motorola and Amazon, before joining Facebook in 2019 as a director.

In this episode, Dan tell us about lessons from his career path, how to stand out as an employee early in your career, and what it’s like to work on “Version 0” and “Version 1” projects.

Get a limited edition GrizzTech Talks sticker here: https://forms.gle/VLzNuwFzoycig2KZA

Jacklyn Biggin is a Senior Developer at the Royal Bank of Canada. Jacklyn studied Digital Media at the University of Leeds in the UK, and in March of 2020 at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic she founded and was the lead organizer of Hack Quarantine, a 3-week online hackathon with thousands of participants. Today, in addition to working at RBC she is everyone’s favorite hackathon coach and creates awesome content for Major League Hacking. 

Shownotes: Follow Jacklyn on Twitter (https://twitter.com/JackBiggin), connect with her on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackbiggin/) and subscribe to her YouTube channel (http://dontforgettolikeandsubscribe.com/) 

Get your limited edition GrizzTech Talks sticker at https://forms.gle/fPzYAZkUmqud8HzB6.

Tom Shea graduated from Oakland University in 1991 with degrees in Accounting and Finance, and he brought his business acumen with him as he transitioned into the world of software and technology. Tom’s work and the products he built pioneered a whole new space of Financial Data Quality. He sold his first company in 2006, and a few years later he founded OneStream Software which is a company based in Rochester, Michigan currently valued at over a billion dollars. Tom Shea is the founder and CEO of OneStream Software.

In this episode, listen to Tom talk about his journey as an entrepreneur, from his time studying at Oakland University to founding OneStream. Tom talks about the innovation happening at OneStream Software and shares his best career advice along the way.

Shownotes:
Learn more about OneStream Software at https://www.onestreamsoftware.com/ and view their job openings at https://www.onestreamsoftware.com/about/careers.

Minn graduated from Villanova University with a degree in Economics and Psychology. She is a former New Yorker turned San Francisco-based investor at Bloomberg Beta, an early-stage venture capital firm investing in the future of work. At Bloomberg Beta, she focuses on automation, productivity tools for knowledge workers, and robots. 

In this episode, Minn tells us about working in venture capital, talks about Bloomberg Beta and the future of work, and gives her best career advice for students and recent grads.  

Shownotes: Connect and follow Minn on her Twitter (https://twitter.com/minney_cat) and website (https://minnkim.com/). Learn more about Bloomberg Beta on their website (https://www.bloombergbeta.com/).

Amanda Fischer is an early career professional at Ford Motor Company. She graduated from Oakland University in 2016 with a degree in IT and entered the rotational program at Ford. During the rotational program, Amanda chose a variety of roles including project manager and software engineer on three separate products. Her current role as a Location Based Services Product Manager brings her close to some of the company's most coveted upcoming vehicles as she works with her team to deliver drive assist vehicle features. Outside of her daily job, she is a passionate advocate for women in tech, STEM outreach, and meeting exceptional candidates as a recruiter. 

In this exciting season kick-off episode, Amanda talks to us about STEM outreach, her work in tech, and shares helpful early career advice. Along the way, she also shares her industry insider’s perspective on the current state and future of autonomous vehicles, and what has to happen to alleviate any doubts on the future of autonomy. 

Shownotes: 

Connect with Amanda on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/amandacfischer/) and learn more about Ford at https://www.ford.com/. 

Andrea Koenigsknecht is a graduate of Oakland University and currently works as a cybersecurity analyst in the Michigan Healthcare Security Operations Center (MI|HSOC) at CyberForce|Q. Her team works to provide specialized cybersecurity operations for the healthcare sector. During her time at OU, Andrea maintained an impressive track and field record, as well as participating in cybersecurity research, all leading to the success she enjoys today.

In today's episode, Andrea discusses how phishing attacks are masquerading as COVID-19 vaccine information, how to keep yourself safe online, and how a research program at Oakland University sparked her interests in cybersecurity. 

Show Notes

• Cyberforce|Q’s Mi|HSOC page: https://www.cyberforceq.com/mi-hsoc
• CompTIA’s Security+ certification course: https://www.comptia.org/certifications/security - An excellent entry-level cert for individuals seeking a career in cybersecurity. Successful completion of the certification offers an overall baseline of skills necessary to perform core security functions.
• Cybrary: https://www.cybrary.it/ - A community where people, companies and training come together to give everyone the ability to collaborate in an open source way that advances the cybersecurity educational experience.
• Andrea's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-koenigsknecht-0903021ab
• UnCoRe: http://cse-reu.secs.oakland.edu/index.php - The research program Andrea participated in at Oakland University

Music by Clockwork Passerine

Cassidy is a Principal Developer Experience Engineer at Netlify. She's worked for several other places, including CodePen, Amazon, and Venmo, and she's had the honor of working with various non-profits, including cKeys and Hacker Fund as their Director of Outreach. She's active in the developer community, and one of Glamour Magazine's 35 Women Under 35 Changing the Tech Industry and LinkedIn's Top Professionals 35 & Under. As an avid speaker, Cassidy has participated in several events including the Grace Hopper Celebration for Women in Computing, TEDx, the United Nations, and dozens of other technical events. She wants to inspire generations of STEM students to be the best they can be, and her favorite quote is from Helen Keller: "One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar." She loves mechanical keyboards and karaoke.

In this episode, listen to Cassidy talk about finding mentorship and how to stand out as an engineer. Cassidy also reflects on her favorite projects from her time at Venmo, Clarifai, CodePen and Netlify.

Shownotes: Connect with Cassidy on her Twitter (https://twitter.com/cassidoo) or GitHub (https://github.com/cassidoo). Subscribe to Cassidy's weekly web dev newsletter (https://cassidoo.co/newsletter/) and check out her course on Building Reusable React (https://scrimba.com/learn/reusablereact).

Benjamin Maxim is the Assistant Vice President of Digital Strategy and Innovation at MSU Federal Credit Union. Ben graduated with a Bachelors of Arts in Telecommunications at Michigan State University in 2007. Now, he has spent over 13 years working at the Credit Union working his way through many positions on his way there.

In this week's episode, Ben talks about how banks are finding ways to connect with local communities in a digital age, new technology programs at MSUFCU, and how events like GrizzHacks allow the company to empower students. 

Music by Clockwork Passerine

Tony Hamama is the R&D People Operations Lead for the Detroit Lab at Dynatrace. He helps Dynatrace with building the best engineering teams and culture to drive innovation for the leader in software intelligence. He is an alum from Oakland University and has a passion for technology and helping others.

In this week's episode, Tony discusses his path into technology, the effects of COVID-19 on the modern workforce, and his valuable industry insight as a recruiter for building the right skills early in your career and how to build an attractive resume. Along the way, he also shares his thoughts on the role of hackathons and internships in an aspiring young professional's career. 

Connect with Tony on LinkedIn and learn more about Dynatrace on their website.

Music by Clockwork Passerine