Career

July 23, 2023

How to break into tech for complete beginners

with Chinonyelum Mbanefo

Transcript

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About This Event

Learn how to break into tech by studying Chinonyelum Mbanefo's story.

Chinonyelum took 6 EntryLevel courses: PM 1 and 2, UX 1 and 2, Growth Marketing, and Venture Capital.

He landed a job using all the skills he learned in EntryLevel's courses, and at this event you'll learn exactly how he did it as well as his advice for you.

About us

EntryLevel helps you learn and get experience so you can get hired. Our 6-week programs are taught by world-class mentors, so you can learn and build a portfolio of work.

You'll learn with a cohort of driven peers, and each lesson is unlocked after a set time so you stay accountable and finish the program.

Event notes

Resources

TECH0723 for 20% off an EntryLevel course

Get project experience and find people to work with: https://www.democracylab.org/

LinkedIn tips: https://www.entrylevel.net/events/using-linkedin-for-your-job-search

Turn on LinkedIn job alerts: https://www.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/answer/a511279/job-alerts-on-linkedin?lang=en

Resume tips: https://www.entrylevel.net/events/build-a-standout-resume-tips-from-a-recruiter

Remote tech job boards: https://blog.entrylevel.net/p/find-remote-tech-jobs

Subscribe to a weekly career newsletter: https://blog.entrylevel.net/

Free mentorship: https://adplist.org?ref=ADP-EN-BYM20

Tell us your story - what was your learning journey like?

September 2022 - took a course on Business Analysis

“Thank god I found EntryLevel”

Took Product Management Level 1 with EntryLevel

Design thinking process - UX course

Develop process - track performance with Growth Marketing

Worked with startup which helped

Did courses at the same time

  • It was busy, but the hunger kept
  • Studied from 12am - 6am
  • Don’t recommend

“It paid off bc it helped me speak the language of tech guys”

Started a project

Thank you to EntryLevel

What barriers did you face?

EntryLevel is good ROI, easy to navigate

Discord team join hard

Same platform to organize project

How did you find ppl to do project with?

Democracy Lab platform

https://www.democracylab.org/

Jumped on Venture Capital course - it helped and familiarized with expectation and language - business, position yourself

How did you decide which career to pursue?

Joined a particular company to train, and felt lost

Loved creating something

“Ideology - as a leader, you should know the average of what your team knows, so you can demand performance”

Time management tips? (Parents, working other jobs, student)

Understand when you’re most productive

You have to focus on a particular career and ensure you have the right skill and experience

A way to get experience is to join a team, seek mentorship

EntryLevel is within budget and can get mentor

  • You can have access to that knowledge for lifetime

What did you do after EntryLevel?

Polish LinkedIn: https://www.entrylevel.net/events/using-linkedin-for-your-job-search

Get experience, apply, engage with people in tech

If you’re not getting a job, you need to optimize and improve - skill gap or knowledge gap

If you get a job - startups might be easier to land a career

  • Opportunity to test skills
  • Demand for multiple skillsets
  • Get challenge, engage skills and knowledge

What if they reject you without feedback? How do you know what to improve?

You need to request feedback - write email

You need mentorship

How to find mentors?

LinkedIn

Where worked, experience

ADPList

How to break into tech? What did you wish you knew?

Took growth marketing course - look for where there is demand

How do you know which career path to take?

Understand history, preference, circumstances

Can read through career path for courses on EntryLevel

Mentor helped

Template to reach out to people?

Engage with mentor on posts, make comments

Compliment is a strategy

How to get experience?

Not satisfied with a current approach at a current project, found way to improve

You can meet lots of amazing people through networking, volunteering (can find mentors this way too)

Democracy Lab: https://www.democracylab.org/

Go through training first, then volunteer

  • Might mess up the project

Job search and networking tips?

https://www.entrylevel.net/events/build-a-standout-resume-tips-from-a-recruiter

https://blog.entrylevel.net/p/find-remote-tech-jobs

https://www.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/answer/a511279/job-alerts-on-linkedin?lang=en

Portfolio tips

Showing, not telling

EntryLevel’s portfolio makes it easy - guidance

What advice do you have for other students?

Try to research the current job demands

Use it to analyze yourself - can I do this or that

Analyze skill or knowledge gap - close it

Optimize CV, LinkedIn

If you subscribe to Level Up, all information is there

  • Not being paid, sharing my experience

Sign up for EntryLevel, see steps and strategies

Take time to study

Can you take more than 1 course?

Wouldn’t recommend

Internalize it

Digest it and really take time to understand - it’s what’ll help you most in your job search

Presenters

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What is EntryLevel?
EntryLevel helps you learn and get experience so you can get hired in tech. Beginner-friendly 6 week programs guide you to create a portfolio you can show off to employers.
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