What’s good in the VT hood?
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More than cheese-making and maple syrup.
As Paula Routly wrote in Seven Days, “There’s nothing more uplifting in a down economy than discovering a Vermont company that exports
animatronic figures to Tokyo Disneyland.” In addition to big firms like MyWebGrocer, dealer.com, and IBM, scores of small and relatively unknown
innovators across the state are keeping the Vermont economy thriving, but they need qualified workers in order to continue to do so. Follow the
links in the STEM box on this page to learn more about the science and tech firms making noise in the quiet folds of the Green Mountains.
And while you’re at it, take a look here at just a few of the hundreds of real Vermont tech jobs that were advertised on the Web in May 2012.
Network Administrator
at April Cornell, a Burlington-based designer, manufacturer, and marketer of women’s and
girls’ clothing (and linens for the bedroom and dining room). The company sells around
the globe via the Web, and through retail and wholesale stores in the U.S. and Canada.
What does the job involve?
Network and computer systems administrators are responsible for the day-to-day
operation of an organization’s computer networks. They organize, install, and support
an organization’s computer systems, including local-area networks (LANs), wide-area
networks (WANs), intranets, and other data communication systems.
Learn more about the VT
STEM landscape and jobs
#
Vermont Technology Alliance (vtTA)
www.vermonttechnologyalliance.org
#
Vermont Technology Council
www.vttechcouncil.org
#
Vermont Tech Jam www.techjamvt.com
#
Vermont Genetics Network www.uvm.edu/~vgn
#
Dice Career Hub for tech jobs www.dice.com)
Next step
Go to www.bls.gov/ooh/a-z-index.htm and look up “network administrator.” What’s
the average pay like — higher than you expected, or lower? What’s the job outlook
through 2020 for this kind of work? If you were going to get a degree for this kind
of work, how many other kinds of jobs might you be qualified for? Click on “Similar
Occupations” to find out.
Surveillance Specialist
at IBM in Essex. This job involves identifying security breaches and problems, and
implementing solutions. You’ll develop plans, policies, and procedures for building
security and cyber security; you’ll conduct mechanical, structural, and architectural
reviews; and you’ll support training activities by monitoring performance, implementing
lessons learned, enforcing standards, and testing safety scenarios.
Minimum Qualifications
The minimum requirement is a high school diploma or GED with two years of
experience working in the field of security. However, a bachelor’s degree is preferred.
Next step
Imagine that you have a high school diploma and two years of experience in the
Security Office at the Diamond Run Mall in Rutland. You’ve just learned that the
other candidate for this job has a college degree but no experience. How will you
sell yourself to the person in charge of hiring?
Product Quality Engineer
at General Dynamics, which manufactures products for the U.S. Department of Defense.
This position involves understanding the requirements for defense products. You’ll need
to explain customer needs to the production team and ensure that requirements are fulfilled. You’ll also generate, review, and maintain procedures for testing; resolve problems
with quality; and be required to read and interpret mechanical drawings.
Minimum Qualifications
Web Designer
at Casey Research, a financial services research firm in Stowe. The person in this
position will help build the very best Web sites and e-commerce systems. The job
involves brainstorming, mock-up, and execution of design ideas for both online content
and print materials, including (but not limited to) Web pages, e-mails, banners,
programs, and reports.
Next step
There are lots of different degrees that might make you qualified for this job. Go to
www.vtcolleges.org, click on “Search by majors,” and browse through the science
and technology categories. Check out the arts and communications categories as
well. How many majors can you find that might be good for Web design?
Production Scheduler
at Dynapower, a producer of custom-made power supplies and transformers. The
production scheduler’s primary responsibility is to help create and then to distribute
manufacturing packages to the production floor. These packages contain schematics,
work instructions, and lists of materials for product production. Other responsibilities
include creating work orders; tracking and reporting on product progress; and collaborating with manufacturing, purchasing, customer service, and quality control teams.
Minimum Qualifications
A bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering.
Two- or four-year engineering, business management, or industrial management
degree; or 3+ years of experience working with manufacturing documents.
Next step
Next step
Once you have your foot in the door of a company as large as General Dynamics,
there are lots of chances to change up your work. Visit www.gd-ots.com/
careers.html, click on “Job Search” on the left, then click on “Search all Job
Listings for GD-OTS.” Look at the other openings listed. Click on two or three to
learn more about the nature of the work involved (and the education or training
required). Would you be willing to relocate to pursue any of these positions?
Visit www.dynapower.com/employment.php and look for the “partial list of benefits
extended to our employees” (note that the list includes just some of the benefits
you get). Which ones would you want to take advantage of? Are there any that you
don’t understand? Which of the company’s benefits would enable you to take night
courses or further your education on the company's dime?
— STEM jobs in the Green Mountains
VT technology biz quiz
1.
Which company calls itself “Burlington's hackspace initiative”
and dedicates itself to helping people learn about technology
and hardware in a collaborative environment?
2.
Which manufacturer creates leading software for neuron
training (we don't know either, but we thought it sounded
way cool)?
3.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Polhemus
MBF Bioscience
c.
MyWebGrocer
d.
General Dynamics
e.
Floating Point
Which company, with 6 million unique visitors, ranks ahead
of Martha Stewart Sites and FoodBuzz, to name a few?
f.
Jana Media
Which software and media design company includes the World
Health Organization among its clients?
g.
YiZRi
Which environmentally conscious data center is located in a
facility with secured man-trap access and hardened exterior
perimeter walls utilizing Office of Homeland Security “Level
Medium” construction criteria?
h.
Tech Vault
Which Williston, Vermont, contractor for the U.S. Department of
Defense has more than 85,000 employees in 43 countries?
j.
Which premier motion measurement technology company
won a special-effects Academy Award for its motion-capture
technology on the movie True Lies?
5.
a.
b.
Which Burlington company committed to bringing color,
character, and creativity to the world of digital audio
works with Beck, GrandMixer DXT, Broken Social Scene,
and Paul Simon.
4.
Get a STEM start
in high school
Start your STEM education or training by attending
one of Vermont’s many regional technical centers. Visit
http://education.vermont.gov/new/html/pgm_teched/
programs/location.html to find locations. Here’s a short
list of available programs:
animation & Web design or video production
automotive technology or auto body repair
aviation technology
carpentry or construction site management
communications technology
dental assisting
diesel/truck mechanics
diversified agriculture
electricity/electronics occupations
emergency & fire management
forestry & natural resources
i.
health careers or health information management
SoundToys
heating, ventilation & air conditioning
industrial mechanics
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ophthamolic medical assistant
Which innovative technology company has created the first true
hands-free and eyes-free Web browser for smartphone devices?
10.
salon management
welding/metal fabrication
Which company that provides online marketing solutions for
the auto industry has massage therapists come in a few
times a week as part of its wellness program for employees,
in addition to having an organic-food cafe, on-site vegetable
garden, a fitness center, and a 150-seat theater?
Answers: 1: e / 2: b / 3: i / 4: a / 5: c / 6: f / 7: h / 8: d / 9: g / 10: j
innovation creation in VT and beyond
Last year, hundreds of students from 25 Vermont schools attended Tech Jam to:
meet VT’s most innovative tech companies
Attend in the fall
apply for jobs or internships
network with professionals
start learning about the education and skills needed for tomorrow’s tech careers
recent favorites
• Greensea Systems’ models of the unmanned submersibles built at their Richmond,
Vermont, facility
• the branding evolution game created by Burlington marketing firm brandthropology
(try it at www.brandthropology.com/games/brand-master)
www.techjamvt.com
For Tech Jam e-mail updates, free app,
and year-round VT tech news
STEM jobs in the Green Mountains
Check out careers in:
bioscience
business management and
information solutions
computer hardware
cyber security
education
electronic gaming
film and video production
finance
government and/or nonprofit work
graphic design
green technology / energy systems
information technology (IT) solutions
job recruitment
manufacturing
marketing
media (TV, radio, and newspapers)
robotics
software development
telecommunications (like wireless systems and cloud computing)
Web site development