A Technology VP Offers Support And Advice For Sacramento Job Seekers

Eric Holwell is the vice president of client services and strategy at Bayard. He received his M.B.A. from Colorado State University, and is a recent transplant to Sacramento. Before becoming VP, he spent seven years as the director of digital services at Bayard where he worked with technology partners to provide web development and digital services. Here he explores how business sense transcends into a job in technology, and how technology is expanding business.

What is your advice to someone considering a job in technology?

"To get a job, offer to intern if you can. Prove a company can't live without you. After getting the job, don't be afraid to challenge the status quo. Technology is all about solving problems and you can't solve every problem the same way – you have to think differently, but you have to be smart too."

How do you help seasoned workers overcome employment challenges?

"Training and ongoing education. Ongoing education could be as simple as reading a book within your industry every month or whatever frequency is best for your schedule. I went back to school to get my M.B.A., which helped me in a momentous way. Register for Lynda.com ($20) and learn how to be a pro in excel, PPT, Photoshop, HTML 5, etc. If you already know them, still do it because these things change all of the time.

Constant re-education is important as you can use it to learn about new technologies and innovations that might have slipped by at your old job. For example, understanding what ERP software does makes a big difference that might not have been as important seven or eight years ago."

How has a degree helped you succeed in your field?

"It helps me better comprehend what my clients do and what their challenges are in the business world. Suddenly the various roles of a company are more interesting to me because I understand their actions and the economics of those actions. It helps me challenge our leaders to innovate in a way that better positions us for future success. I was able to negotiate a substantial raise and promotion (my role did not exist until I made a case for it). I am more confident, which clients and colleagues can detect."

Megan Bowyer is a freelance writer in search of the best food and drinks that Sacramento has to offer. You can find her at any number of dive bars or trendy restaurants; just look for the short blonde feeding the jukebox. Her work can be found at Examiner.com