Decoding Your STEM Career

Peter J. Devenyi

Description

A must-read for STEM graduates who aspire to be the technical leaders and executives of our next generation.

This book is also for mid-level technical managers who seek to move up the corporate ladder but are not sure how to differentiate themselves from their peers. Pete Devenyi highlights ten capabilities that technology leaders must develop and nurture in order to achieve their full potential. He shares learnings and techniques through a collection of compelling, real-world stories from his own 37-year technology journey.

He discusses the importance of a never-ending commitment to technical education but recognizes that it can only propel a leader so far. It is critical to develop many additional skills as well, such as the ability to maintain composure in high-pressure situations. Technologists who commit to acquiring all the capabilities outlined in the book are far more likely to rise to senior executive levels in major corporations.

Sujets

• Stem
• CTO
• Emotional intelligence
• Soft skills
• Critical Skills

Informations

• Publié par: Business Expert Press
• Date de parution: 22 mars 2022
• Nombre de lectures: 4
• EAN13: 9781637422267
• Langue: English

Extrait

Decoding Your STEM Career
Decoding Your STEM Career
How to Exceed Your Expectations
Peter J. Devenyi
Decoding Your STEM Career: How to Exceed Your Expectations
Copyright Business Expert Press, LLC, 2022.
Cover design by semnitz
Interior design by Exeter Premedia Services Private Ltd., Chennai, India
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means-electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other except for brief quotations, not to exceed 400 words, without the prior permission of the publisher.
First published in 2022 by
Business Expert Press, LLC
222 East 46th Street, New York, NY 10017
www.businessexpertpress.com
ISBN-13: 978-1-63742-225-0 (paperback)
ISBN-13: 978-1-63742-226-7 (e-book)
Business Expert Press Business Career Development Collection
First edition: 2022
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
To my father, Dr. Paul Devenyi, a brilliant physician and aspiring author.
He taught me the importance of continual learning and to put family above all else.
Description
Decoding Your STEM Career is a must-read for STEM graduates who aspire to be the technical leaders and executives of our next generation. It is also for mid-level technical managers who seek to move up the corporate ladder but don t know how to differentiate themselves from their peers. The real-world, practical advice yields several lightbulb moments that you are unlikely to forget. Pete Devenyi highlights 10 capabilities that technology leaders should develop and nurture in order to achieve their full potential. He discusses his learnings and techniques through a collection of relatable, real-world stories selected from his own 37-year technology journey.
He shares the importance of a never-ending commitment to technical education but recognizes that it can only propel a leader so far. It is critical to develop many additional skills as well, such the ability to communicate effectively in a wide variety of settings, to maintain composure in high-pressure situations, and to learn to listen with a genuine intent to understand. Technologists who commit to acquiring the skills outlined in the book are far more likely to rise to senior levels in major corporations.
Keywords
STEM; technology leadership; career advancement; leadership qualities; critical skills; CTO; career advice; soft skills; engineering executive; managing difficult people; leading remote teams; emotional intelligence; corporate ladder
Contents
Testimonials
Acknowledgments
Foreword
Introduction
My Journey
Chapter 1 Establish a Solid Base of Technical Skills and Never Stop Learning
Chapter 2 Build Competence in All Facets of Communications
Chapter 3 Be Outgoing Whenever the Situation Calls for It
Chapter 4 If You Say You Will Do Something, Do It
Chapter 5 Be a Great Team Player
Chapter 6 Listen With the Intent to Understand
Chapter 7 Build a Reputation for Truth and Integrity
Chapter 8 Every Now and Then, Take a Chance on Something New
Chapter 9 Be Tough When Necessary, but Maintain Your Composure
Chapter 10 Be Kind and Go out of Your Way to Help Others Succeed
Summary
About the Author
Index
Testimonials
This book, with its first-person tone and abundance of candor, fills a big gap in the professional development literature. There are plenty of books about iconic figures in management and technology, but they offer little insight on how executive leaders are formed, or how they experience growth from successful engineers to leaders. Pete s insights and radical candor is a resource that will pay dividends through multiple reads, and well worth coming back to when career challenges or decisions present themselves. It should be a permanent nightstand book for technology professionals who are finding their way into positions of increasing responsibility. - Dr. Miguel Pinilla, Senior Technical Fellow, Flexport
I wish I had been able to read this book when I first transitioned to being a manager. Pete provides succinct and important lessons across the many dimensions of a manager s responsibility and supports his lessons with real-life examples from his decades of experience. - David Yach, Director of Engineering, Google Cloud, Google
Clear and practical wisdom-made real through engaging personal stories that will benefit any professional, especially those early in their careers. Pete generously shares practical lessons from an exceptional 37-year career. There is a wealth of ideas here that will help technical professionals develop their own successful careers. - Scott Wahl, Vice President, Product Operations, PointClickCare
When you develop a career in technology, you can be assured to find yourself in a fast-paced environment where it s easy to get lost. This book outlines practical ideas and experiences in a clear fashion to maximize your success in whatever area of technology you chose. You will pick up valuable and practical ideas to help you flourish as a technical leader or as a technical executive. Even after my 36-year career, there are things that I learned in this book that I could apply to make myself better. As Pete says, Success is determined by a much broader combination of skills and personal attributes. Enjoy this practical and insightful book, and good luck in your careers. - Robert LeBlanc, Former Senior Vice President, IBM Cloud, IBM
Pete offers great wisdom to professionals with technical aptitude striving to be successful leaders; wisdom that propelled his own successful leadership journey to the top of great organizations. Many talented technical leaders stall in their careers due to reasons beyond their technical aptitude. In this book, Pete offers very practical advice on how to develop those non-technical skills that are needed and valued by high-performing organizations. Mastering these skills is a sure way to propel a successful career. - Jim Stollberg, President, Gemini Global Advisors
Acknowledgments
This book turned out to be much harder to write than I thought it would be, and I would not have been able to complete it without the help and encouragement of so many people.
The team at Business Expert Press was a pleasure to work with. I appreciate the faith they showed in me from the very beginning of this project. Scott Isenberg was helpful and encouraging from the moment I submitted my proposal, and Vilma Barr offered expert edits and feedback during the pre-production phase. Charlene Kronstedt and her team contributed many improvements through the various stages of the production process.
I am thankful to Scott Wahl, an outstanding technology leader and colleague who I admire tremendously. Scott was the first person I contacted to provide feedback on early drafts of this book. I also appreciate the input of Merelle Rodrigo and Jack Garramone. They volunteered their time and talents and provided numerous insights and recommendations, which made the book better.
I would like to thank Dr. Emily Moore, the Director of the Troost Institute for Leadership Education in Engineering at the University of Toronto. Her professional accomplishments are truly impressive, and I can t thank her enough for reviewing my manuscript and for agreeing to write the foreword. I would also like to express my gratitude to Miguel Pinilla, Jim Stollberg, David Yach, and Robert LeBlanc for their feedback and words of encouragement. I have immense respect for their collective achievements in the fields of engineering and computer science.
My mom and dad were always my biggest supporters. No one was prouder than they were the day I graduated from the engineering program at the University of Toronto. Over the years, they instilled a sense of confidence in me, which enabled me to be the best that I could be. I would not have been able to achieve any level of success without their love, support, and guidance. I only wish my father was with us today to read this book. I know he would be proud.
My two brothers, Rob and Tom, are my two greatest role models. Rob is a retina surgeon in Toronto, and he taught me from a very early age to shoot for the stars. I have always looked up to him, and there is no one I admire more. My younger brother Tom has Down syndrome. From Tom, I learned about basic humanity, how to show genuine kindness without judgment, and to appreciate the simpler things in life. I believe we can all learn a lot from the Down syndrome community.
My kids, Brittany, Josh, and Cassie, have been a source of encouragement throughout my career. I learn from them every day. Whatever success I achieved was done with them in mind. As time passed, I began to realize that I was learning more from them than they were from me. I don t know exactly when that changed, but I know it means we must have done something right. No father could be prouder of their kids than me. They also offered very valuable input and edits as I was writing this book, for which I am so grateful.
Finally, there is my wife, Sue. She has been my partner in life for 40 years and has been by my side through all the good times and bad. She is the one I share my triumphs and failures with first. I am thankful for her encouragement, for being the rock of our family, and for going on this journey together with me. No one offered more honest feedback to make this book better than she did. She is an extremely talented author of children s books, and through her own work, she inspired me to write this book.
My hope is that I succeeded in conveying a number of important lessons to engineers and technologists as they navigate their own careers. I feel fortunate to have met so many incredible people throughout my journey. I am thankful for their talent, kindness, and generosity.
-Pete Devenyi
Foreword
When I began my own engineering career over 30 years ago, I thought that I was starting a climb up a ladder. Grad school was my first step, then my second was t