05/27/2026
🌟 STUDENT SUCCESS STORY: From Entertainment to Tech Giant Okta! 🌟
Pivot with purpose! That is exactly what one of our amazing non-traditional students did, proving it’s never too late to rewrite your career script. 🎬➡️💻
After over a decade in the entertainment industry, Guerin returned to school to pursue a career change into IT and cybersecurity. The challenge? Making a creative background translate seamlessly to technical recruiters.
Enter CDCE and our advisor, Heather! 👋
🛠️ The Strategy: Reframe & Reposition
Together, they optimized a resume that highlighted powerful transferable skills without erasing the career already built.
"Heather helped me reframe and reposition that experience... making my resume competitive for IT and cybersecurity internships without erasing the career I had built."
By sharpening his networking skills at campus career fairs the hard work paid off: a competitive summer internship offer from Okta as a Technical Account Manager intern in Chicago! 🌆
💡 Guerin's advice for STEM Majors: Soft Skills Matter!
🔹 Tech skills get you in the door; soft skills define your ceiling. Companies can train you on tools and processes. They cannot easily teach you how to read a room, build rapport, or communicate complex ideas to a non-technical audience.
🔹 Get comfortable talking to people. Practice real, in-person conversations with people you don't know. Career fairs, talking to professors after class, or introducing yourself to event speakers are great low-stakes places to start.
"The students who stand out aren't always the ones with the highest GPA... They are the ones who can walk into a room, hold a conversation, and make the person across the table feel heard and understood."
🚀 Ready to Plot Your Next Move?
Whether you're a first-year student or returning mid-career, your unique story is your biggest asset. Let's build your strategy together.
📅 Book your appointment with a career coach today via Handshake!