December 21, 2023
Converting a qualification into a career can be challenging, but a recent graduate of Mission Ready and Genetic Technologies—Pioneer Seeds’ newly-appointed salesforce administrator, George Monro, tells us it’s the quality of education that matters.
George, who has always had a keen interest in the technology industry, undertook a degree a few years ago and, like many Kiwis, soon learnt that getting your foot through the door isn’t always as simple as one thinks.
“My degree wasn’t as helpful in getting a job in the field. I heard about Mission Ready through a job interview at Datacom. Another candidate mentioned their education experience with Mission Ready HQ during my shortlist interview. I didn’t get that job, but I knew where I needed to go next.”
Before joining the industry, George was a coach at Playball New Zealand and would spend his days teaching kindergarten children hand-eye coordination, enjoying a little throw, catch and kick outdoors.
George says that as rewarding as this role was for him, making the shift to the technology industry was something he was drawn to as a kid.
“My Dad was always in the tech industry, so when I was young, if I wasn’t going to school, I remember going to dad’s work and being interested in what was happening. So growing up, I always had an eye on the industry, and when it was time for me to figure out what I wanted to do, Tech was still top of my list.”
Mission Ready offers a range of 12 to 19-week Accelerator Programmes that provide hands-on experience and industry-based training to ensure successful careers in technology.
George recalls, “I enrolled into Mission Ready’s Level 6 Salesforce Development programme in January. I was eager to learn and start my career. During my interview, I was honest about what I wanted to get out of the programme and, luckily enough, our interests aligned.”
Like many who have studied in the last two years, learning has been unprecedented through the COVID-19 restrictions but, for George, the experience, as challenging as it was, prepared him for the industry.
“Online learning in the first seven weeks was new, but as I got used to it, I found that I always had support from the team. I loved every second of the latter half of the programme. It was incredible to witness a business function as it gave me a real-world understanding of my learnings over the weeks, and showed me what to expect as I began my career.”
At Mission Ready, we work in a three-step procedure to provide knowledge through Accelerator Programmes, industry experience through internships, and assist in getting candidates’ job and interview-ready.
For George, a highlight of this Mission Ready experience was his internship at Davanti Consulting in Auckland.
He recalls, “Being part of an agile team and working towards a goal where I could see how my contributions impacted an outcome was a great feeling. In addition, I learned so much from those around me and met some incredible people.”
Following this, George progressed to a full-time career opportunity as a salesforce administrator with Genetic Technologies – Pioneer Seeds.
He says, “I wasn’t always as technical as many others based in technology, and I’ve always liked interacting with others. So Salesforce was an excellent middle ground for letting me explore, build and create while allowing me to connect with users, explore the user experience and be social within my business. It seemed like the perfect fit for me.”
Mission Ready provides a year around intake across all its programmes. So here’s George’s advice to anyone interested in skyrocketing their tech career.
“Be prepared to ask many questions and learn as much as possible. The best thing you can do while going through the course is, ask questions, be open to learning and network with those around you.”