Continuous Commitment To Education: How Sue King Became a Tech Management Leader

Sue King began her career as an accountant in a paper-based world. As computer systems began to evolve, her innovative instinct kicked in — along with a passion for building and programming technology. 

She decided to go back to school for computer science — working full-time and studying at night. She soon landed her first information technology role as an application support specialist.

Sue’s transition to the world of tech was swift and celebrated — she continued moving up the ladder, taking on more responsibility. Eager for more education about tech management and leadership, she enrolled in a master’s degree program. But that wasn’t the end of her educational endeavors. 

After two decades in the tech world, Sue was determined to keep learning. 

“I’m a lifelong learner,” she explained. “I built my own path and I’m on a mission to keep improving.” Naturally, when Sue found Columbia Engineering Technology Project Management Boot Camp, she knew she had to enroll. 

Filling the knowledge gap

For Sue, enrolling in the boot camp was yet another energizing opportunity for career advancement. 

“I was interviewing with big organizations, including Amazon and Google,” she said. “I kept making it through the first and second rounds of interviews until the questions became more technical. I didn’t know about agile and Scrum processes, for example.” 

Despite Sue’s success in the tech management space, she knew she could do more to keep growing as a professional. 

Leveraging experience and skills

Sue’s wealth of experience, paired with her newly acquired skills, put her in an excellent position to find new opportunities. 

“Someone I used to work with in my first technology job reached out to me about a potential role,” said Sue. “Even though I had been working in technology and management for so long, they were impressed that I was still learning more about software development methodology.”

When Sue interviewed for the position, she stood out as a leader who took initiative — and landed the job as a result. 

Leading other learners 

Sue’s leadership abilities not only attracted employers, but her course assistants, too. 

“They asked me to be a course assistant for the next boot camp in October,” she said. “I have always wanted to teach but never really had time. I couldn’t pass this up.”

Sue’s commitment to learning went beyond her own professional life to support her peers. 

“A couple of my peers have reached out since the program’s completion,” she said. “Given my experience in tech, I have been able to connect my classmates with people in my network and pass their resumes along.” 

Commitment is key 

Sue’s success in the boot camp and her professional life is reflective of her ongoing commitment to education. 

“You have to commit by not only attending classes, but also absorbing information in the sessions and really doing the work offline. Then you’ll walk away successful, having gained a tremendous amount of knowledge.”

With a bachelor’s, master’s, and award of completion from the boot camp, Sue is proof that there is no such thing as too much education. The only question is, how will she continue improving next?

Want to improve your own tech skills? Get started with Columbia Engineering Boot Camps in coding, data analytics, tech project management, and more.