In the second installment of our three-part series on the Cisco Sales Associates Program, Alain Chung shares advice for about-to-graduate Canadian students. To read the first blog in this series, click here.
University was fun, but now what?
After I graduated from Concordia University, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do or where I wanted to work. People always stress how important your first few jobs are for your career path, so it was a little intimidating to make that huge decision. As a computer engineer, I saw how many options were out there. There are many interesting industries, but who what kind of career
opportunities would they bring? And where will they lead me in my career?
Like me, these are probably some of the questions you hear often from friends and family:
“What is your plan?”
“What do you want to do?”
“What are you good at?”
I was asked these questions…really often. It’s in your best interest to rehearse your answer.
It’s crucial to remember that the job hunting process is not only important for you, the future employee, but is equally important for the employer. Bill Joy, co-founder of Sun Microsystems said “No matter who you are, most of the smartest people work for someone else”. This means that employers will pay big bucks to recruit talent to contribute to their workforce and, believe it or not, they need you more desperately than you need them. Don’t underestimate your value and always market yourself.
When I was job hunting, Cisco was on a long list of company names. But, after going through the interview process for the Cisco Sales Associates Program, I quickly discovered how serious they are about investing in their young talent. I entered the program as an Associate Systems Engineer in 2011, and I haven’t looked back since!
Now that I’m a System Engineer with Cisco Canada, here is my advice to new graduates about to start their careers: Ask yourself, where do you want to be in five years (career, personal life) and will this job help me get there? A year into my career, I can honestly say that I made the right choice with Cisco.
If you are interested in the Cisco Sales Associates Program, learn more and apply before the October 12, 2012 deadline here.
Alain Chung is a Systems Engineer at Cisco Canada specialized in Collaboration, with a special interest in video technologies. He joined the Cisco Sales Organization shortly after graduating from Concordia University with a Bachelor’s in Computer Engineering. Alain is based in beautiful Montreal, Canada.
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