compuTer companIes
In Texas emploY 116,219 people. cREATE a career
PORTfOliO
of 14. “I helped my dad install antivirus, spyware Like Mora, Noe Vasquez entered the Genesys
One valuable tool that can help you get
removal, and operating systems,” Fornet says. Works program. Vasquez, a senior at Chavez
ready for college and beyond is a career
High School in the Houston Independent School
portfolio—a collection of items that
student Competitions District, performed desktop support at Chevron’s
document your achievements both in
Students gain hands-on experience through their pipeline division.
and out of school, assembled in one
participation in student organizations such as “I gained a Microsoft certification that is
convenient package.
Future Business Leaders of America, Business valid around the world, and I met dozens of new
A career portfolio is not simply
Professionals of America, SkillsUSA, and Texas people,” Vasquez says. “When you think about
a resume, although it can certainly
Technology Students Association (TSA) (see getting experience in IT, don’t just think about
include one. So what should go in a
“High-Tech Competitions” below). Each hosts today. Think about tomorrow, months from now,
career portfolio? A variety of things,
competitions that test students’ knowledge years from now. You are pretty much shaping
depending on your own personal
and skills. what you want your life to be in the future.”
experiences. It could include transcripts
and grades; writing samples; letters
of recommendation from teachers,
S P o T L I G H T
mentors, or employers; awards you’ve
received; and items that document
other activities, such as internships and
job shadowing experiences.
HIGH-tECH CoMPEtItIoNS
“You need to be specific—dates, how
TSA and SkillsUSA instill information Technology Skills
many years, any awards, what they
meant, and who you received them
Z
aira garate looks forward to community service in students in skillsusa also have ample opportunities
from,” says Grace Brauchle, who helps
the Texas Technology students association (Tsa) for technical competition. “The opportunity to compete
students put their portfolios together
as much as she does to the annual competitions. gives the students incentive to strive to do better,” says
as the career center coordinator for
“Tsa offers amazing opportunities to participate in ada kranenberg, program director for skills
Lehman High School in Kyle.
national community service projects with the american usa championships.
Brauchle says portfolios come in
cancer society and to compete in dozens of events skillsusa members compete in more than 75
handy when students apply for jobs or
related to technology,” says garate, who is state competitive events, including computer maintenance
admission to college. “First impressions
president of the student organization and a senior at technology, Internetworking, web design, technical
are a very big thing,” she says, “and
porter High school in brownsville. computer applications, and computer programming.
you want to be the one whose papers
Tsa contests vary widely. one of the most popular
get passed around the office. You want
is in autocad, an engineering software program. “In
to be the one where the admissions
one of the events, students are given an engineering
counselors say, ‘Wow, look at this one!’”
or architectural problem and asked to solve it within a
And a portfolio doesn’t have to be
time period,” says Tsa state coordinator curtis green.
simply a collection of papers. Artists
green adds that Tech bowl, which is a technology
and photographers use their portfolios
knowledge quiz, also draws a lot of participation. “each
to provide visual examples of their
team takes a 100-question exam,” he explains. “The
work, and so can you. Do you have
10 top-scoring teams enter a round-robin game show-
photos of someone giving you an
type event where they are given points for answering
award? Put them in. How about a video
questions correctly. Tension builds as teams are
of a performance? Include it on a DVD.
eliminated; the final match determines the winner.”
Do you have experience in web design?
“Tsa gave me the tools to succeed as a leader,”
Make an online portfolio to showcase
says garate. “The support of my fellow members and
what you can do.
advisors made them like a second family to me.”
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