I've interned at IBM since high school. It's taught me 3 key lessons about building a career in tech.

"I started thinking about a career in tech in middle school. I was born with neurofibromatosis, a condition that causes tumors to grow on nerves.As a preteen, I was introduced by a school nurse to an organization called the Little Baby Face Foundation that helped treat the tumors. I knew then I wasn't going to let my condition affect my career path."

"I decided to apply to a high school where I could work toward an associate degree in web development while earning my high school diploma. It's what's called a P-Tech school, short for Pathways in Technology Early College High School. In my junior year,in 2022, I landed a summer consulting internship with IBM. When I started, I was doing mostly surface-level administrative tasks, but it was educational and a good introduction to what a corporate career looks like."

"I applied again the following year for a level two internship, and was placed on a team working on web analytics. That's where the real tech work began. I tested websites to make sure everything worked smoothly. At the end of that summer, IBM extended my position. They don't offer this to every intern. I stayed on board after my senior year, and now I'm a co-op student earning my degree at Western Connecticut State University while working part-time at IBM."

Gogi Benny was born with neurofibromatosis, a condition that causes tumors to grow on nerves, and accessed treatment support through the Little Baby Face Foundation. He enrolled in a P-TECH high school to earn an associate degree in web development alongside his high school diploma. In 2022 he obtained a summer consulting internship at IBM, starting with administrative tasks and later advancing to a level-two role focused on web analytics and website testing. IBM extended his position, and he continued as a co-op student while earning a computer science degree at Western Connecticut State University. He has learned workplace strategies such as approaching people first to progress in the corporate world.

Read at Business Insider