Since our members are always striving for personal and professional growth, we asked one of our MISA alumni, Ali Nour, about any extra projects or skills he worked on to improve professionally. Here’s what Ali had to say: 📈 Having a growth mindset is essential to me; I follow two principles regarding personal and professional growth, "Continuous Learning - learning does not stop after college" and "The Marathon Continues." 📊 Extracurricular projects will help you learn more quicker by turning theoretical concepts into practical knowledge. For example, working on a simple data visualization project on Tableau or utilizing business knowledge in MISA’s consulting program. One of Ali’s favorite recent projects was consolidating marketing services for a small business into an easy-to-use Saas application. 🎖 Certify in skills you would like to gain to become a subject matter expert. Take additional training to help leverage your knowledge and skills. Use your Summer and Winter wisely by upgrading your skills by using these platforms: LinkedIn Learning (free for SJSU students) Udemy Coursera Juniper Training Google Analytics Certifications (Grow with Google) Another project Ali worked on this year that has helped him grow professionally is when he began working on a peer-to-peer community-based lending platform that has allowed him to manage an overseas DevOps team that builds the fintech application. This project is primarily responsible for passing his Certified Scrum Master certification. Way to go Ali! Ali’s takeaway was to put effort into projects and certifications that you’re interested in as it is the best way to help you to grow personally and professionally. Thank you so much for providing us with these amazing tips and for encouraging us to continue striving for success ✏️ Please comment with your favorite tip and any project ideas you have!

Happy Halloween MISA Alumni! Hope you all are having a great week! 🎃 Our third MISA Alumni Spotlight of the month is Vansh Gupta who graduated from SJSU in May 2022. Vansh currently works as a Customer Growth Executive at Crown Worldwide Group. Upper-division courses can seem difficult, but it is important to be proactive in your classes to succeed academically and professionally. Use these tips from Vansh Gupta, a former MISA alum to make the most of your university courses. Take hard courses! I believe the hardest courses are the most impactful in the SJSU MIS program. Bear with me on this one. BUS 119B and BUS119A/H tend to be work-intensive but they prepare you well for the real world. Since there is no set rubric and the classes are mostly project-based, it sets you up for what the corporate world actually looks like. Key pillars of success in major SJSU MIS courses: 📈Business presentations 📝 Reports 🆘 Critical feedback 🪐 Being comfortable with the unknown I would say to make the most of these classes it is important to retain the information and actively apply it in your daily projects and work. Following along in class, grasping key concepts, and applying the learning in real work will help one realize results and be thankful for the education they receive in these courses.

Our second MISA Alumni Spotlight of the month is Christopher James Manalili who was the previous VP of Corporate Relations at MISA. James currently works at EY as a Technology Consultant. Recruiting season can be a stressful time but it is important to be strategic about landing and preparing for the interview. Use these tips from Christopher James Manalili, former MISA alum to plan out this recruiting season. Good luck! Here’s a summary of the tips that James has provided: Landing the interview: 📝 Cater your resume separately for each role. When applying, use keywords in the job description to demonstrate your interest. 🔍 Apply to specific roles. During the application process, make sure to choose jobs that you are excited about! 📈 Attend recruiting events and network! Use your school organizations (like MISA!) to see what companies are holding information sessions or events. The Interview: 🔬 Do your research! Take the time to research the company and the role you are interviewing for. Check their core values, mission statements, and the type of skills required for the role. ⭐️ Use the STAR method. Situation, Task, Action, Result. ❓ Prepare questions to ask the interviewer. Remember that you are also interviewing them. Ask relevant questions about the role that you are genuinely curious about. Comment what your favorite interview tip was! Check out the wonderful article that James has written: https://lnkd.in/g3nYzWmb

Alan: As a recent MIS graduate, do you have any plans for the next five years? Kishu: I want to continue my studies right after obtaining a degree in Business MIS. Ever since working at VISA, I already have a goal in mind on where I want to go in my career, which is pursuing an MBA at SJSU or any university around the Bay Area. Alan: Can you tell us what it’s like working at VISA and also explain the culture? Kishu: When I started working for VISA right after my graduation last year, I would describe my time working at the company as an absolute pleasure. VISA has exemplified what its culture is by focusing on work-life balance, collaboration, and innovation. Everyone I have interacted with on my team and my fellow colleagues, in general, have expressed how they have enjoyed working for the company. Alan: What are you looking forward to in the future of the IT field? Kishu: The IT field is constantly evolving, and it’s no surprise that things are changing rapidly. There’s a lot already going on within the technology field as we see new technologies and processes being introduced each and every day. The one I’m looking forward to the most is the continued emergence of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, blockchain, and especially the most important part of the next digital revolution: the Metaverse. Sagar: What is your role in Visa and what do you enjoy the most about Visa? Kishu: Visa has been a wonderful company to work for so far. Currently, I am an IT Service Manager in Visa’s Corporate IT organization. My role is to support the success of our technology and business partners and ensure that they’re able to maximize the value of IT. What I enjoy most about Visa is having the ability to choose and work in specific areas that interests me most. This gives me the flexibility to learn and master new technologies and job roles. I believe that other companies should also allow their employees to have such flexibility. Sagar: How does Visa stand out to you when compared to other companies? Kishu: Visa stands out compared to other companies because of the impact it’s already had and will continue to have in people’s lives. Being the leading global payments technology company and having VisaNet connecting millions of people over 200+ countries/territories, Visa is the best way to pay and get paid for all. Money is evolving daily and the way we spend is also changing with digital currencies becoming increasingly popular. Visa needed to adapt and did so with a crypto-linked card that hit $2.5B in the first quarter of usage this year. The potential is endless and the past proves that Visa will continue to find ways to lead in the payment technology space. Sagar: What are some benefits that Visa provides to their employees? Kishu: Aside from the great health, savings/retirement, and time-off benefits, Visa also focuses on overall well-being and giving back to the community. Employees can sign up for guided mindfulness sessions, 1:1 wellness coaching, & therapy sessions. Visa also provides employees with time off to volunteer and receive up to $10k in matching dollars for contributions to charity. For example, Visa’s Austin Campus provides onsite fitness centers, gaming /resting lounges, and great food! Sagar: Are you a part of any programs that Visa provides? Kishu: Visa provides plenty of programs for its employees to grow key skills and become stronger leaders. So far while working for Visa, I’ve taken the initiative of being part of Visa’s Young Professional Network. I have also represented Visa University Recruiting at the 2022 Center & Internship Fairs at UC Berkeley, Stanford, Carnegie Mellon, and more. Summary: Having Kishu to be interviewed for this month’s alumni spotlight was truly a privilege to have, especially as a former MISA E-Board officer. Kishu provides his first-hand experience of knowing what it’s like to work in the MIS field by offering a glimpse of what will happen in the next five years. Overall, Kishu enjoys working for Visa and he strongly suggests to members to never be afraid of taking on new challenges or roles in college, as this can benefit one’s future job position. This article was brought to you by Alan Nguyen and Sagar Kumar, members of the SJSU Alumni Committee. Alumni Committee

Jennifer: Can you tell us more about your role at ThreatMatrix? Brendan: “So I actually just got promoted to my role recently and it’s been pretty good. For my role, I lead a team with Scrum and we basically monitor our production team and how they’re doing. When the team runs into any problems, we get called in to help them solve their problems.” Jaspreet: How do you feel SJSU has prepared you for your role? Brendan: “Honestly, I thought that all of the business and general education classes were very helpful for my job. But one class that I really wished I paid attention to was BUS4 111 (Networking and Data Communications). No one in my class took it seriously, I didn’t even take it seriously, but that class pretty much covers how networks are put together, network ranges, IP addresses, and these were all things that came up in my job a lot. If I just paid more attention to that class, I wouldn’t be asking so many simple questions.” “…one class that I really wished I paid attention to was BUS4 111…” Jennifer: Since you brought up classes, what are some other classes that proved really helpful in your career? Brendan: “For members looking at an entry level role or internships, I’d say to really pay attention to the basic MIS courses since you’ll refer to what you learned from there a lot. Any classes that are technology-based are also good if you’re looking to work with smaller companies. The best class other than the networking one I talked about is Professor Sessions’ capstone project (BUS4 119B). It’s a hard class, but it really teaches you how to break down larger projects that you’ll see a lot in this field.” “…really pay attention to the basic MIS courses since you’ll refer to what you learned from there a lot…” Jaspreet: What are some projects that you suggest students should highlight on their resumes? Brendan: “So first off, I’d say that any project that you do for a class should be highlighted on your resume since a lot of classes have really good projects. If you took the Big Data class (BUS4 118D), definitely highlight it! Even if you didn’t exactly write the code, just say you participated in it. It’s honestly fine to express uncertainty because it shows that you’re willing to be honest about your skills.” “…any project that you do for a class should be highlighted on your resume…” Jennifer: One last thing, how can students get themselves referred to a company? Brendan: “I’d say just don’t be afraid to do some cold calling. Some of the things I did was that I messaged someone at Twitch and asked them what they were doing in their role. I also wanted to talk to someone about their experience in Microsoft, and asked my brother to connect me with him; we ended up chatting for 30 minutes about what he does. I’d say just definitely put yourself out there and don’t be afraid to ask other people what their jobs are like. You never know what’ll come out of it!” “…just don’t be afraid to do some cold calling…” Summary: As members prepare to apply for their dream companies, they may feel nervous about their resume because they might not have enough experience for the job. However, Brendan’s journey through SJSU shows that the classes you take now will have an impact on your career, whether you realize it or not. Furthermore, Brendan encourages members to really highlight their class projects on their resumes. Even though these projects may have been done for a grade, they are still valuable experiences that demonstrate your knowledge of business and technology. This article was brought to you by Jennifer Gili and Jaspreet Kaur, members of the SJSU Alumni Committee.

When Nhat transferred from Mission College to SJSU, he was always fascinated by what it was like working at a tech company in the Bay Area. Nhat continues to build his experience working as an intern for a startup company called Stealth Mode and Affine Finance while being a club officer for Hoplite SJSU. His professional experience allows him to secure a position at the company he enjoys working on a daily basis. Alan: Can you tell us what it is like working at Cisco? Nhat: “I have to say, working at Cisco is an amazing place to work for, especially within Silicon Valley. The people there are accommodating, and they’re always ready for feedback to make improvements to help serve customers better. I usually work with a team of eight to nine people, and everything is fast-paced, but my projects do not have harsh deadlines. We cater to various customers, ranging from small, medium, and large companies. Cisco is also very generous in offering time off or holiday breaks for their employees because they understand the importance of our mental health and well-being. At Cisco, I explored different kinds of business activities, work culture, and. Accepting this position allowed me to explore my career options and work with different clients. Overall, I really enjoy working for the company, and I have high expectations for Cisco to have a bright future!” “People are very helpful and they’re always ready for feedback to make improvements” Sagar: What is your opinion on the hybrid/online or in-person workspace? Do you think companies should place more emphasis on that work environment or the traditional in-person work setting? Nhat: “I prefer the online workspace instead of going in person for work. This is simply because working from home helps reduce the spread of COVID in the company offices, which ensures every employee’s safety. Working from home can save the time spent on commuting. The time spent on commuting can now be used to focus on work or doing outside activities to destress from stressful conditions. A hybrid workspace is also a good option because there’s a lot of flexibility to go to the office. Working in person a few days throughout the week can help boost productivity and remove any feeling of laziness because of the online workspace. For some topics, it’s important to have in-person meetings. Companies should aim to create more possibilities for long term online or hybrid workspaces because a lot of the work, especially for engineers, can be done online, and communication is not a problem.” “Working from home helps reduce the spread of COVID in the company offices” Alan: What was the hardest part of working as a software engineer? Nhat: “The hardest part of working as a software engineer was being able to think quickly on your feet to optimize a solution. You are always working in a very fast-paced environment, so it is no surprise everything you do is on a set deadline and tight work schedule. “Easy solutions can turn into hard ones depending on your projects” Easy solutions can turn into hard ones depending on your projects. Your work will affect customer users or your very own team. An example is working for a small app development for your team versus implementing an app with thousands of users, fellow employees, or customers. One little mistake can be costly for our stakeholders, so it is essential to consider our decisions when taking on a project assignment. You would need to have a strong background in hard skills with programming languages and the necessary soft skills.” Sagar: What is it about Cisco that stands out to you from other companies in the same field? Nhat: “Cisco stands out to me because it cares more about their employees than other companies in the same field do. Working at Cisco has shown me that this company is very engaging towards its employees. The culture is extremely positive, making employees feel proud to work and work harder. One of the best reasons why Cisco stands out to me is because it emphasizes work-life balance and how to manage this concept. For example, there will always be a calming sight on tasks, and there will be no panic if there are any issues. Cisco works towards giving their employees a reminder of the importance of work-life balance, which ultimately strengthens the employee & company relationship. Lastly, Cisco also gives many more days off work than other companies do. In general, there’s a lot more flexibility in Cisco than in other companies. ” “Cisco emphasizes the importance of work-life balance for an employee” Summary: The beauty of working in MIS is a field full of opportunities for anyone to choose from, whether you want to pursue the field’s technical or non-technical side. Nhat was able to take full advantage of developing a solid background experience when working as a club officer at Hoplite SJSU and as an intern for a startup, which ultimately allowed him to land the job at Cisco. This article was brought to you by Alan Nguyen and Sagar Kumar, members of the SJSU Alumni Committee. Alumni Committee

My colleague and I took the opportunity to sit down with one of our own MISA members and graduating senior for this fall semester Jorge Pineda. Jorge has a strong passion for the technical side of MIS, specifically he enjoys learning about cybersecurity. Outside of class, Jorge is currently working as a sales professional at a car dealer in San Jose, while previously working as an intern for Year Up. Upon graduation, Jorge hopes to land a job in the tech industry in the near future as an IT Manager, Quality Assurance Engineer, Business Analyst, or role that is related to cybersecurity. As an active member in MISA and LBSA (Latino Business Student Association), Jorge stresses how important it is for students to plan ahead accordingly on their time at college. Alan Nguyen: “How can MISA members understand the importance of networking?” Jorge Pineda: “I will give you an analogy on how important it is to network with people. Networking is like your credit score: you have to discipline yourself by reaching out to as many individuals as you can without going desperate. In today’s world, it’s who you know and who you can make connections with. Many clubs on campus like LBSA and MISA also do networking events and even taking the time to visit the career center can be effective in meeting new people, specifically the college recruiters. The MISA officers I’ve met throughout my time at SJSU will always give you a helping hand, especially when you don’t know where to start. It goes back to the credit score analogy by discipline to put yourself out there. By networking with the people around you, you will be able to find the position you’re passionate about in a specific job role or company you want to work for.” “Networking is like a credit score.” Alan Nguyen: “Is it a good idea for students to apply to a job/internship position even though they don’t have the necessary skills & what should they do about it?” Jorge Pineda: “Yes, it’s always a good idea to apply for job roles that do require the necessary skills, but there is a catch to it. It’s true that some of my fellow students weren’t able to find an internship or full-time job role because of the fact that everything is competitive in the job market. I believe that students shouldn’t just focus on classes alone: they should always go above and beyond to take up leadership roles, case competitions, externships, certifications, and even Linkedin Learning. These are important skills to add to your resume, and it shows that you’ve acquired the necessary skills for the job position you’ve been wanting to apply for. I was fortunate to take MISA’s Externship Program over the summer to build new skills in project management and to tackle a business case solution. So it all comes down to taking the initiative to learn the new skills on your own and be able to present it once you land that interview. ” “It all comes down to taking the initiative to learn new skills.” Alan Nguyen: “What are some of the steps that will guarantee you to land an interview & a job offer?” Jorge Pineda: “Landing that interview for the role you wanted can be difficult if you don’t know what to do. It goes back to the importance of networking and getting a referral from a friend or family member. You need to tweak your resume to match what the job position requires since you could be applying for a cybersecurity or project management role and they’re all different in terms of qualifications. You should also take the team to learn about the company beforehand such as the company’s work culture, their mission statement, and how that aligns with your career goals. When you finally get to the interview, you need to articulate your key strengths and weaknesses and find your core competencies. Practicing is key because more repetition during a mock interview can help you prepare for what is coming in a real interview. Bring up some of the new skills you’ve learned like class projects, certifications, leadership roles, etc.” “Practicing is key!” Sagar Kumar : “What is the biggest advice you can give to our MIS members?” Jorge Pineda: “I can give you three valuable pieces of advice for students who are still pursuing an MIS degree. The earlier students recognize what they want to follow in a technical or business role later in life, the more time they can prepare for future careers like project management or systems analyst. The second piece of advice is don’t compare yourself to a CS or engineer degree. They are two different things. Please don’t do a job that you are uncomfortable with even though they look similar to one another. Also, don’t be too worried about rejection! It happens to everyone in life, so you have to make the most out of it when it comes to professional development.” “Don’t be too worried about rejection!” Sagar Kumar : “What has been the biggest shift from you being a student in college to you now working professionally?” Jorge Pineda : “Let me get started with this, college and professional work are somewhat intertwined and very similar. Both require similar habits and what you do in college will represent how quickly you adapt to the workplace and how well you perform. College is a blueprint for you to take responsibility into your hands and also further progress your knowledge for the future. Your performance in college and your discipline towards the consistency of your good habits play a big role in professional work. Take me for example, I’ve worked in car dealerships for the past 6 years while also handling college classes. I’ve been working hands-on for tasks and in college finding what I’m passionate about as well as managing classes. The habits you make in college will translate to the habits you will make in professional work. It’s important to always create good circles and talk about success and positive life goals to push yourself to be better. I would recommend every member to create a more professional friend circle as well as join new clubs as they are what give you a small exposure to how life is during professional work. Finally, I want to say that the professional setting made me have to pay more attention to standing up for myself and what I want as well as stepping out of my comfort zone. I would advise that each member take initiative and step out of their comfort zone as well because it is one of the core shifts from college to professional work.” “Step out of your comfort zone!” Summary: One of the best things about going into an MIS field is that students can take on a wide variety of different career paths. Jorge explains it very well in that it is up to students to find what they are passionate about, whether it is going into the technical or business aspects of MIS. It is also worth mentioning that they should also reach out to anyone in MISA by networking with them to learn more on how to become a successful student and eventually an employee for a company. This article was brought to you by Alan Nguyen and Sagar Kumar, members of the SJSU MISA Alumni Committee. #MISA #graduation #sjsumisaalumni #MIS

My colleague and I had the chance to sit down with SJSU alumni, Ali Nour, who is currently working at Accenture as a Business and Technology Integration Architect Senior Analyst. Going to a college in Silicon Valley changes your perspective for technology and innovation. Someone coming from a family of doctors and expected to follow the family path can never think of switching to a whole different major. When Ali joined SJSU and started to live in the Bay Area, it switched his perspective towards his career path. Ali continues to discuss this experience at SJSU, joining Accenture, his experience at the company, the different roles he got to work as, and the expansion of his skillset till now. Jennifer: What made you realize you had a passion for technology, and how did that lead to your position at Accenture? Ali: “I lived in San Diego first, and I had a family background for science. All of my siblings were doctors, so I knew that I wanted to be a dentist before I went to SJSU. When I came to SJSU, riding the light rail, you realize that you’re surrounded by all these technology companies like eBay, so I began to imagine myself as an employee at one of them. Since I found chemistry to be boring, I switched to MIS and realized that being an end user is a totally different thing than understanding the role that these kinds of technologies provide. It also opened up an umbrella of opportunities and different things to explore. “… you’re surrounded by all these technology companies like eBay….” I began attending a lot of career fairs, and I just kept sending in resumes. I met with a lot of companies, but I ended up at Accenture because I realized that I wanted to be a business consultant. At Accenture, I was able to explore different kinds of companies, roles, and workplace cultures. Accepting this position allowed me to explore my career options, skills, and work with different types of clients. It also lets me play different roles at each project.” Jaspreet: What are some skills you had to use at Accenture? Ali: “I joined Accenture less than two years ago and worked on many different projects. I played a different role for each project which allowed me to expand my skill set. Some of the projects I worked on were related to Covid and capturing its metrics on businesses. In these projects, I had to put my findings in reports and pivot tables on Excel. I also had to express ideas on LucidChart. I began to make a habit out of sharing information, allowing me to improve on my communication skills with my team and upper management. I also tried to implement my Excel skills on Tableau because I knew I could make more impactful reports to present to upper management, my team, and clients. “I began to make a habit out of sharing information…” Thanks to these skills, I was promoted to a senior analyst role. I never stopped learning and thinking about how I can make each step of the project more productive. I was always exploring different types of tools that can be used on projects as developments of software technology occur everyday. This attitude allowed me to also shift into being a scrum master at Accenture which allowed me to organize and manage other team members and communicate their progress to upper management.” Jennifer: Can you tell us about any exciting projects that you’re currently involved in? Ali: “Since I have joined Accenture, some of the most exciting projects I have done are short-term contract projects. The first one was working with Silicon Valley Bank as they were overwhelmed with the amount of applications for PPP by their customers. One of the biggest challenges was that I had no financial experience or background; it was a big learning curve, but I was able to quickly learn on the job. “…I had no financial experience or background…” The second project I worked on was a COVID relief project that lasted for 6 weeks. I worked closely with the reporting analytics team. I knew I wanted a project where I could continuously learn. Thanks to the Big Data class I took at SJSU, I realized how powerful data is and how companies often don’t know what to do with it. Under this new project with the reporting analytics team, I was able to learn new tools such as Salesforce and other CRM tools.” Jaspreet: Can you tell us about how Accenture celebrates diversity and inclusion in their workplace? Ali: “Like every other company, Accenture talks a lot about diversity and culture. However, one thing that Accenture does differently from other companies is that it provides measurable and achievable goals. One example of this is making the workplace 50% women by a specific time and date. Another way Accenture celebrated diversity and inclusion was by expanding its recruiting towards a mixture of skill sets and educational backgrounds. Summary: MIS is a field full of opportunities for anyone who is willing to challenge themselves to keep learning. Ali takes full advantage of the broad nature of MIS by taking on many different projects while also asking himself how he can keep growing as a professional. Thanks to his enthusiasm for learning and technology, Ali is able to expand his skillset and understanding of the diverse nature of MIS. This article was brought to you by Jaspreet Kaur and Jennifer June Gili, members of the SJSU Alumni Committee.