We love catching up with our alumni, to talk about life after BCIT, their careers and what tips they might have for prospective and current students. In this Q&A, meet Computing grad Andrew Maledy.
Interested in learning more about our full-time and part-time Computing programs? Join us during Big Info – our largest program expo and information session at BCIT – on October 11!
What led you to BCIT?
Technology was an area I was interested in, and the two-year full-time CIT Diploma program provided continuing education options, making it appealing. I did end up completing the CST degree part-time, so the available flexibility turned out to be highly beneficial.
How have you benefited from CIT?
I loved how dynamic the program was. It covered many areas and gave me general exposure to the industry. CIT taught me how to code, provided critical computer networking skills, and exposed me to software design and computer virtualization technologies that were cutting-edge at the time. The skills I learned at BCIT ten years ago are still relevant today.
What was a highlight during the program?
My time at BCIT was fantastic. The best part about the CIT program was working with many passionate people. The workload was challenging, but working through it with my classmates was terrific.
I didn’t realize how much teamwork was involved, but working in groups is one of the most remarkable skills I developed at BCIT. To this day, I still meet with some of my classmates.
What are you doing now?
I work at Procore, a global organization with over 3,000 employees. I manage an infrastructure team responsible for keeping Procore’s cloud technology running smoothly and highly available for our customers. It’s exciting because we work on cutting-edge technologies in a fast-paced environment. The compensation is fantastic too – it’s an excellent industry for that.
Ultimately, I would like to be at a director level, either managing production IT teams or business technology teams. People are my passion, and building high-performing teams is what drives me.
What kind of advice would you give prospective students?
Be curious, and don’t be afraid to go deep. It’s a fantastic opportunity to learn such a wide range of concepts. Find the ones that interest you and go deeper in those areas. Get to the point where you can explain the concepts you’re learning to someone else.
Focus on relationships. At the end of the day, how you work with others is as important as what you know. Be open, build trust with people, and always operate from a place of humility. As a people manager, I would 100% of the time rather work with someone less technical but trustworthy and humble.
Do you have any tips for students landing their first Computing-related job?
Don’t worry if what you’re doing doesn’t apply everything you’re learning. Explore and take the time to get exposure to different experiences. Keep learning through the lens of curiosity and humility. Don’t come out with guns-blazing confidence and expect everyone to immediately take everything you’ve learned as law – things are always different when you enter industry. Keep learning and keep having fun!
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