Make your own door: How first-gen can break into tech

Peter Garcia always knew he would graduate from high school. But for his Mexican immigrant parents, who didn’t have the same opportunity, his graduation day was a dream come true.?

“It was kind of weird because I didn’t have any doubts about that,” Garcia says. “And then when I got to college, it was like, ‘What do I do now?’”

Garcia studied chemical and biomolecular engineering at New York University, but after completing a few internships in the industry, he didn’t feel like it was the right fit. He began to attend events held by Techqueria, NYU’s student organization for Latinx students interested in tech. It was there that he began to meet recruiters and get connected to potential internship and job opportunities. As it turns out, skills he picked up in his chemical engineering courses, like coding in MATLAB and Python, would be useful in a tech role.?

Even with the right skill set, first-generation students like Garcia can easily feel lost or intimidated when trying to break into tech, especially during the recruiting process. This week on The Starting Line, we spoke with Garcia on how he found success and his best advice for other first-gen.

Keep your skills sharp

As Garcia began to dip his toe into the tech industry, he realized that he wanted to acquire more technical skills beyond what he learned at school. After working at a startup post-graduation, Garcia enrolled in a boot camp to learn more about data science, a field he was curious about. The course equipped him with knowledge and additional confidence to advocate for himself in the job market. Garcia says the boot camp helped him land his current position as a data analytics consultant.

Working in tech doesn’t necessarily mean technical skills are a prerequisite. The number one skill that those looking to break into tech should prioritize? Communication, says recruiter Stephanie Yu , who has worked in tech for over five years.

“If someone is a good storyteller and is able to articulate certain ideas, concisely as well as with detail, that’s such a great skill,” she says.?

Recruiters are on your side?

While it may seem like recruiters are looking for a reason to drop candidates, the opposite is often the case, Yu says.?

“I think a lot of times people don’t realize that recruiters are actually on their side, because their goals are aligned,” Yu says. “Recruiters are measured on their number of quality hires, and so of course, if we want to advocate for the candidate, we need to make sure it’s the right candidate for the team.”

Finding that fit can mean connecting applicants to employees at the company who may have a shared identity, like being first-gen. Garcia recalls speaking with Latinx and first-generation employees while undergoing the recruiting process for his first job after college. Knowing that the company valued others like him, and being given the opportunity to ask candid questions, helped him feel more at ease during the process.?

“It’s important to have that mentor of some sort,” Yu says. “Someone at a company who can give you more insight into what they do and how the company operates.?

Have patience, for yourself and others

After sending in dozens of applications with no success, first-gen students may feel like giving up, Garcia says. He advises discouraged students to take it slow, spend time networking and building relationships, and try again.

“If the door’s not opening, make your own door,” he says, paraphrasing a Spanish saying he hears often from his parents.?

Tech recruiters today are doing more to bring in diverse candidates, according to Yu. The recruiting and hiring process is becoming more holistic, with recruiters seeing candidates beyond their resumes. A first-gen student who doesn't have a certain GPA or didn’t participate in specific extracurriculars can still have other lived experiences that bring value to a certain role, Yu emphasizes. She hopes that as hiring teams work to break down their biases, leaders in tech can encourage similar behavior from the top down.?

“When we bring in people with these diverse backgrounds, we just have a lot more innovation,” Yu says. “I think it’s really important that if you say you do prioritize diversity, to actually take action.”