|
Max Mautner '10 recounts the Third Annual Silicon Valley Information Technology Advisory Board Networking Trip, an excursion that delivered just over a dozen CMCers to the doorsteps of Apple, Applied Materials, Google, Infosys, Microsoft, Sun Microsystems, Weston Presidio, and Yahoo!
The number of academic and social opportunities available to CMCers is pretty astounding, but many of us have no way of knowing whether the same number—and quality—of possibilities exist outside the college bubble.
Enter the Third Annual Silicon Valley Information Technology Advisory Board Networking Trip, an overwhelmingly reassuring expedition in the ways of post-bubble life. The trip was held Jan. 6-12. Fifteen of us—CMCers like myself who are interested in pursuing careers in technology—toured the giants of the Bay Area's high-tech hub over five business days: Apple, Applied Materials, Google, Infosys, Microsoft, Sun Microsystems, Weston Presidio, and Yahoo! With us were four chaperones: CMC Chief Technology Officer Cynthia Humes, her assistant Linda Tuthill, CMC Trustee and ITAB chair Bart Evans '70, and Steve Siegel '87, director of institute relations at the College.
What this trip afforded was an opportunity to interact with CMC alumni who've developed senior executive roles in the technology sector, and also better understand the structure and growth of their companies. One such company was Applied Materials, where the silicon-based manufacturers explained to us their recent decision to take steps into the market for developing and manufacturing solar power technology.
Trip participants also saw the software side of the Valley at Google and Yahoo! What launched as a premier Internet search engine service would emerge a powerful gateway to global marketing when Google added advertising as the foundation of its business. Visiting Yahoo! and Google on the same day was a lesson in the fierce competitiveness and legal issues developing in personalized advertising.
Aside from visiting such established behemoths, we glimpsed into the world of startups at the venture capital firm Weston Presidio Capital Management. There, CMC Trustee and host James McElwee '74 summarized the role that venture capital plays in Silicon Valley.
"It was so interesting to learn about the different companies Weston Presidio has invested in over the years," Marcelo Andrade '10 said. "To have had the opportunity to hear how venture capital firms have a hand in startups' development was a real treat."
One evening of the trip was devoted to a reception at the San Jose Fairmont where participants and CMC alumni listened to Ashwin Navin '99, co-founder and president of BitTorrent Inc., give a presentation on his company and the evolution of a startup.
Beyond the educational value, students had the opportunity to meet Jonathan Rosenberg '83 (senior vice president of product management, Google), Todd Teresi '94 (senior vice president, Yahoo! Publisher Network), Bill MacGowan '79 and Jonathan Schwartz (chief human resources officer, and CEO, respectively, Sun Microsystems), and Joe Pon '89 and George S. Davis '80, (vice president of corporate affairs, and senior vice president and CFO, respectively, Applied Materials).
Over dinner, students also had the opportunity to meet with CMC's Information Technology Advisory Board members and thank them personally for their generosity in sponsoring the event. (IT members are: Bart Evans '70, chair, Daniel Freeman '96, Noah Messel '83, Gianluca Ratazzi P'09, John Sprouse '88, John D. Volk '70 P'11.)
Students on the trip found a better sense of what jobs and internships lie in Silicon Valley, and how successful government and economics majors from CMC can be in the technology sector.
For more information about this event, or about ITAB, visit: http://www.cmc.edu/itab.
Back to Inside CMC
|
|
