Industry Panel

One of the highlights of our program consists of an industry panel Q&A over dinner. This event gives students the chance to hear from and network with female-identifying CEOs, new grads, and leaders in fields related to computer science.

Where do I find Panelists?:

Our recommendation is to first reach out to any friends and family that you know who would be a good fit, as well as a new grad who was an alumni of your school or cs kickstart program (if you have been running for a couple of years). Additionally, asking professors for recommendations is a good idea because many professors stay in contact with past students and may be able to find a good fit. Linkedin is also a good place to message industry leaders and ask if they are interested in the program. You will find that many people are extremely willing to help and want to share their stories. We recommend having 4-5 panelists, as too many panelists can get repetitive and have less value for the students.

What do I ask?

Some of the questions that we have asked in the past are listed below:

1. How did you get to where you are today (did you major in CS, Applied Math, etc)?

2. What type of college classes helped you the most to get to where you are today?

3. What advice would you have for your college freshman self?

4. Why did you decide to work in tech, in your specific field, in your company, etc?

5. What/when was your first internship and what was the most important lesson you took away from that experience? (include events that helped led up to your internship — i.e. projects/club/research that you did, classes you took, considerations that you made, etc.)

6. What do you do, and what does your day-to-day consist of?

7. What has been the most rewarding part of your career?

8. Have you ever faced any challenges being a woman and/or minority in tech?

9. What is an example of adversity you faced in school or the workplace, and how did you rise above it?

10. What is the work, family, and friend life balance like?

Where is this held?

While the industry panel could easily be done in an auditorium or classroom, we have had a catered dinner in the past. This gives students the chance to talk to the panelists over dinner after the panel to network and get to know them on a more personal level. It is also an incentive for panelists to come if there is food available.

One suggestion for both the industry panel and field trip session is to hold a professionalism workshop prior to these events. Many students have never networked or talked to people in industry before, and it is a great opportunity for them to practice this skill. Some students might immediately ask these panelists/industry panelists for internships, which is unprofessional and uncomfortable for the industry professional. Teaching proper etiquette and networking skills is a great way to help students get the most out of the experience.