SYRACUSE — For people who want to pursue a career in engineering, David Richardson would advise them to “stay the course” and “network, network, network as much as possible.” He also tells them to get involved in as many organizations as they can. “Attend [events] like this. You never know who [you’ll] meet. You have […]
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SYRACUSE — For people who want to pursue a career in engineering, David Richardson would advise them to “stay the course” and “network, network, network as much as possible.”
He also tells them to get involved in as many organizations as they can.
“Attend [events] like this. You never know who [you’ll] meet. You have to have a degree and the grades, too, but the networking piece, I think, is very big. Always be open to new opportunities,” Richardson says when asked about offering advice to others pursuing engineering.
He would also advise those interested in the technology field to not “get too caught up” in your successes and failures.
Richardson is a system and test engineer at Cicero–based SRC Inc., a nonprofit research and development company that focuses on areas that include defense, environment, and intelligence.
He spoke virtually July 28 as part of CenterState CEO’s Tech & Culture speaker series.
Hosted by Generation Next, the Tech & Culture speaker series seeks to promote diversity, inclusion, and belonging in tech-related fields through diverse speakers who are leading in the tech industry.
Generation Next is a CenterState CEO initiative that seeks to “attract diverse talent to Central New York, foster opportunities for career advancement, and connect talented diverse professionals through social engagement and networking opportunities,” per the CenterState CEO website.
Richardson, a graduate of Syracuse University, started his career at Saab Sensis before eventually moving to SRC.
About the moderator, series
Marcus Webb, economic-inclusion fellow at CenterState CEO, moderated Richardson’s talk, asking questions throughout the hour-long presentation.
The speaker series started in July 2020 and 18 speakers have participated since the beginning, according to Webb. Videos of the speakers are available on the Tech Garden website and on YouTube.
CenterState CEO is using an AdvancingCities grant from JPMorgan Chase & Co. to try to bring diversity to the local technology sector, making sure that people on Syracuse’s South Side are “accessing opportunities and resources in the tech ecosystem here in Syracuse,” Webb told CNYBJ in a July 30 phone interview.
“We put a lot of money into the initiative that we created, which is called tech and culture, which is really about attracting and retaining diverse talent from outside of Central New York and have them come to work here… also, cultivating opportunities for our talent that we already have here,” says Webb.
The speaker series has included people from outside the state as well as those on a regional and local level. They talk about their careers in technology in hopes that they can “really motivate individuals from within those communities that we’re targeting to get into tech,” says Webb.
Joy Huggins, a cybersecurity professional from Washington, D.C., was the August speaker. She owns a business called Defender’s Academy in which she educates young people about the benefits of working in cybersecurity. She was scheduled to speak Aug. 26 at the OneGroup education center, representing the first in-person speaking event.
In September, the speakers include Korie Grayson, a biochemical engineer, who will speak virtually about STEM careers on Sept. 29.
When asked how this speaker series can help to revitalize those who work in the field and those who would like to, Webb says that the speaker series brings together people from diverse backgrounds “who may feel socially alienated in their organizations.”
“Being part of this Tech & Culture network, we’re trying to build something where people can come together and they can have these conversations and they can build the great rapport and relationships and talk about their experiences in these different tech fields and areas also serve as mentors to aspiring young individuals who are looking to get to where they’re at in life,” Webb tells CNYBJ.
Webb joined CenterState CEO in February 2020 for a year-long fellowship, but he says it’s been extended. The JPMorgan Chase grant funded the fellowship and Webb has been leading the group that’s coordinating the speaker series, he notes.
Webb is a 2013 graduate of Henninger High School in Syracuse. He later attended Onondaga Community College, where he earned an associate degree in business administration and management in 2017. Webb then transferred to Syracuse University, where he graduated with a degree in economics in 2019. He’s currently pursuing an MBA degree at Syracuse.
