We want you to succeed in completing your application, so we have compiled some resources to help you to do so. It is not necessary to review every resource on this page, but doing so will help to ensure that a meeting will not be disqualified from counting towards the award. The main part of the award criteria is demonstrating that you learned, but another large part of it is being able to communicate information effectively to the practitioners you are meeting with, and to conduct yourself professionally in the meetings. We expect that all applicants review the following.

Quick Links:
Use the links below to navigate to specific resources to help you schedule, prepare for, and run meetings.

What Is a Technology Practitioner? | How Can I Find Someone to Interview? | Email Templates | How Do I Lead a Meeting? | How Do I Introduce Myself?

WHAT IS A TECHNOLOGY PRACTITIONER?

Simply put, a technology practitioner is anyone who works in the technology space. For the purpose of this award, the person must work full time in the technology space and have at least 2 years of related experience. A list of job titles is included below, and while this is not an exhaustive list, it is meant to give you a sense of the types of roles within the technology field.

  • Artificial Intelligence Security Specialist
  • IT Coordinator
  • Back-end Developer
  • IT Director
  • Business Systems Analyst
  • IT Manager
  • Chief Information Officer
  • IT Sales Director
  • Chief Technology Officer
  • IT Sales Executive
  • Cloud Computing Engineer
  • IT Security Analyst
  • Cloud Product Manager
  • Mobile Developer
  • Cloud Systems Engineer
  • Network Administrator
  • Computer Data Scientist
  • Network Reliability Engineer
  • Computer Network Specialist
  • Network Security Engineer
  • Computer Programmer
  • Network Technician
  • Cyber Security Manager
  • Senior Systems Analyst
  • Cyber Security Specialist
  • SEO Manager
  • Data Architect
  • Software Engineer
  • Data Modeler
  • System Designer
  • Data Privacy Officer
  • Systems Administrator
  • Data Scientist
  • Technical Account Manager
  • Database Administrator
  • Technical Lead
  • Database Analyst
  • Technical Specialist
  • Database Developer
  • Technical Support
  • Director of Technology
  • Technology Manager
  • Front-end Developer
  • User Experience (UX) Designer
  • Full-stack Developer
  • User Interface (UI) Designer
  • Information Assurance Analyst
  • Web Designer
  • Information Security Analyst
  • Web Engineer
  • Information Security Engineer

HOW CAN I FIND SOMEONE TO INTERVIEW?

Below are some ideas about how you can find and contact technology practitioners to interview. Keep in mind, it’s up to you to be resourceful. You can complete this application successfully, and creativity and tenacity will help you to do so. You may very well hear a “no” from someone who isn’t able to meet with you, but receiving a “yes” will likely be more common. Don’t be discouraged if you receive a “no,” because the next practitioner you reach out to will most likely say “yes.”

You could reach out to…

  • Any adult who you already know (not a family member)
  • The friend of a parent or guardian
  • A neighbor (to see if they work in the technology field)
  • Someone who you don’t already know but are interested in learning from

Consider…

  • Asking a computer science, engineering, business, or STEM teacher if they know someone who might be willing to speak with you
  • Looking for technology practitioners on company websites and seeing if you can find their email addresses (in order to email them)
  • Finding and contacting practitioners via LinkedIn

Outreach Email to Practitioners

Dear Dr./Ms./Mr. __________,

My name is ______________, and I am a (insert grade) student at (insert school name).  I am working towards earning the Technology Exploration Award, given by Aspirations in Computing, and as a part of that endeavor I am tasked with reaching out to and interviewing technology practitioners to learn about their careers.  I have attached a link below to provide information about the award.

I am interested in learning about your work as (insert practitioner’s title here), your career path, and any life lessons that you might be willing to share with me.  I am wondering if you might have time to do a 45-60 minute interview over (insert digital platform of choice).  I would really appreciate the opportunity to learn from you!

Thank you so much for your consideration!

Sincerely,

Thank You Email to Practitioners

Dear Dr./Ms./Mr. __________,

Thank you so much for taking the time to speak with me! I really enjoyed learning about your career and career path, and especially enjoyed (add examples from the discussion of things you most appreciated learning about).

If it would be okay, I would appreciate the opportunity to stay in touch with you!

Thank you again!

Sincerely,

Reminder:  the following link must be sent to technology practitioners upon first reaching out to them in order to provide more information about the award: View Letter Here

HOW DO I LEAD A MEETING?

There are a few basic steps to leading a meeting, along with some other important guidelines to remember. The goals of these meetings are to learn about new areas and strengthen your skills, and the steps below will help you to do those things to the best of your abilities.

At the beginning of the meeting, be sure to thank the practitioner for their time.

Make the plan for the meeting clear
For example: “I was thinking that I could start by introducing myself. Then it would be great if you could introduce yourself, and share how you got to your current position and what your work entails. I also have some questions that I would like to ask. Does that plan work for you?”

Introduce yourself
This is a very important step. If you don’t introduce yourself, the practitioner you are  interviewing will not know anything about you.

Ask questions
Asking questions is an important way to show that you are engaged. Try not to nask questions that have already been answered as this will make the practitioner nfeel like you weren’t paying attention.

Take thorough notes
It’s hard to remember all of the information that you will learn during the meeting - taking notes will help! Try to mention to the practitioner early on in the meeting that you will be taking  notes so that they know you are paying attention even when looking down.

At the end of the meeting, thank the practitioner for their time and for all that they taught you.

HOW DO I INTRODUCE MYSELF?

Introductions are a very important part of any meeting, as they help others in the room to learn more about you. Until you introduce yourself, the practitioner with whom you are speaking will not know anything about you. Your introduction can consist of anything from your interests and hobbies, to projects you are working on and clubs you are a part of. Any topics that will help the practitioner you are meeting to know more about you are good to include, as long as they maintain the formal tone of the meeting.

Example introductions

Hi!  My name is ___, and I really enjoy playing soccer, reading, coding, doing robotics, and hiking.  I am very interested in computer science, and enjoy learning about artificial intelligence as well.

My name is ___, and I like to participate in my school’s mock trial team, ski, use machine learning to solve problems, and help students to learn math.

My name is ___, and I spend a lot of my time reading.  My favorite subjects are math and science, and I also enjoy computer science.  I am interested in everything related to technology, from hardware to software, and I absolutely love to learn new things.

Adding a sentence which shows you are interested in the practitioner’s work is a good way to show you are excited to learn. Here is an example:

“I am very excited to learn about your work as (insert practitioner’s title here), so thank you again for taking the time to meet with me!”