Category: Meetings

What is a SIG?

In 2024, Softec is building a SIG network in Santa Maria and SLO, and you can help. SIG is an acronym for “Special Interest Group.” SIGs are to professionals like classrooms are to students. SIGs are a topic magnet for professionals designed to connect them with their peers. 80% of my knowledge came from discussions and debates with my peers. My aha moments came not in the classroom but in discussions with my peers and team members.

Here are a few brutal truths that make SIGs essential:

  • Advanced Professional Skills come from peer discussion and debate, not lectures.
  • The rate of change will never be slower than it is today.
  • Keeping pace with change strains everyone.
  • In business, it is not what you know but who you know.
  • Innovation is not found in classrooms; it lives in debate with smart people.
  • Living within a business silo creates tunnel vision; SIGs are a path out.

Are SIGs an alternative to a university?

No. Universities are a great way to kickstart a professional career but are not the only path. Academia often presents a university degree as the only path forward, which is untrue. Data shows that 37.7% of Americans have a BS or higher degree. So, 62.3%, the majority, took a different life path. Universities are now economically impossible for all but the most privileged. In 2023-2024, the all-in cost for a California Resident at UCLA was $43,161, making four years $172,644. Only 75% get out that cheap because the other 25% take more than four years. The result is that the student graduates have a stupid amount of student debt that often takes them 20 years to pay off. In the programming field that I have lived in, it is well-known that 25% of the best are self-taught.

Another Path

My career in the tech industry started as a customer service rep, data entry operator, programmer, systems designer, project manager, and VP of IT. That sequence took me seven years to earn each of those promotions. Since then, I have been the CEO of seven tech startups and have developed multiple successful commercial software products and custom systems. I have succeeded and failed in big and small ways. All this without ever being a full-time college student or borrowing one penny for school.  

If I knew then what I know now

I have loved my life path, except for when I didn’t. As a young man, my family did not have the money, and I did not have the grades or desire to attend a university. I would still be one of the self-taught but given the opportunity to be in a Programmer SIG, I would have jumped all over of that. The Internet and Books can give a person all the necessary lectures without breaking the family bank. Please do not misunderstand me. I think that for the privileged 37.7%, a college education is a great thing, and for many professions, it is required; software development is not one of those.

Consider this!

Success in life is driven by what you know and who you know. If you are interested in a subject, join a SIG, read books, watch videos, and explore the subject with others with the same interests. Expand who and what you know, become one with your goals, and go for it.

Before You Flame Me

I am not anti-academia; for some, pursuing a college degree is a brilliant decision. Like all big life decisions, there is more than one way. If you want to be a Doctor, Lawyer, or other fields that require specific education, then do that. But if your chosen field does not require that, there are other options.

Announcing Softec's 2018 Robotics Expo

An Epic Event for All Ages
We invite you and your kids to celebrate our 10th Annual Student Robotics EXPO on Monday, September 24 from 5:30-8:30pm at the Alex Madonna Inn Expo Center.
This year we have named a theme for our event:

“Robots and Sports”

Participants and teams will dress up and decorate their booth. Prizes awarded for best in theme!
We are expecting to exceed last year’s attendance which was 800 attendees.  
We will have many booths, the Drone Arena, another food truck, and more fun!  Visit our Robotics event page for all the details.

What's new in TechBrew?

Like a TED talk with Beer!  TechBrew has been a Softec staple for over ten years.  With two locations you are sure to find a TechBrew that matches your schedule and is conveniently located.

SMV TechBrew Reboot

The Santa Maria TechBrew was recently rebooted with a new day and location.  Occurring on the 4th Monday of each month, you can find us conveniently located right off of Betteravia, in Santa Maria at Figueroa Mountain Brewing Company in the attached Me-N-Ed’s restaurant area.

Schedule

SLO TechBrew – 2nd Monday of each month at 5PM – SLO Grillhouse
SMV TechBrew – 4th Monday of each month at 5PM – Figueroa Mtn

Kristen Olsen at May's Women in Tech Breakfast

[spacer height=”20px”]We had a great time getting to know Kristen Olsen at this month’s WIT breakfast.
Kristen Olsen (@kdolsen) moved to San Luis Obispo nearly 20 years ago to pursue her dream of improving people’s lives through software development. She gets that opportunity every day as a Software Development Manager for Amazon, leading a team that enables people all over the world to independently publish their books for distribution on Kindle and print.

She studied Computer Science at Cal Poly and her career has been a tour of many of the large technology companies that people love – including Intel, HP, Apple, and Adobe (then Macromedia). Locally she started working for LEVEL Studios helping to create websites for large companies and then worked remotely as an Apple employee helping to write the services that Developers use to make applications available on iOS and Mac devices. After working remotely for years she wanted to come into a local office again which lead her to Amazon in San Luis Obispo.
Kristen lives in North County with her amazing husband Joe who stays home to take care of the kids and two young boys who are always at the ready with hugs. In her free time she loves to spend time with her husband and sons playing video & board games, watching eSports, being a part of a church community, and making crafts.

Weren’t able to join us in person? No problem. Join us digitally by checking out link below for Kristen’s insights on being a woman in tech, supporting a stay-at-home dad,  eSports, video games—and how, for Kristen,  technology is an act of making:

Share your own insights on our Facebook page.  Follow us  for updates on upcoming events, hear from other local women in tech, or nominate a speaker.

Sarah Risley at April's Women in Tech Breakfast

We had a great time getting to know Sarah Risley at this month’s WIT breakfast.

Sarah Risley (@SarahRisley) is the Nuclear Training Accreditation Supervisor at Pacific Gas and Electric Company’s (PG&E) Diablo Canyon Power Plant. In 2010, driven by her passion for recruitment and retention of women in technology, she founded the Diablo Canyon Chapter of U.S. Women in Nuclear (U.S. WIN). U.S. WIN is the premier network of more than 8,000 members that work in, and support nuclear and radiation-related fields, with a keen focus on public outreach and professional development. She continues on the board today, and also represents members from the central and pacific regions on the national level by her service on the U.S. WIN Steering Committee, and is the Executive Sponsor for the national Professional Development Committee. Sarah holds a Master of Business Administration from Cal Poly and Bachelor of Science in Corporate Communication from the University of Texas, Austin. Sarah, her husband Chris, and their two young children reside in San Luis Obispo’s south county.

For those you who missed the breakfast—don’t worry! We recorded the interview.

Check out the link below for Sarah’s insights on being a working mother,  movies—from Nightmare Before Christmas to Some Like it Hot—and women in tech: 

Be sure to stop by our Facebook page to hear about upcoming events, drop a comment, or request a future speaker.

Kelly Irish at March's Women in Tech Breakfast

We had a great time getting to know Kelly Irish at this month’s WIT breakfast. 

Kelly is currently a software engineering manager at MindBody. She received a BS in computer science from Virginia Tech and has worked as a software engineer for the past 20 years. She’s coded for small consumer focused startups to business management software, but the majority of her time was spent coding for government contracts from submarines to surveillance.

For those you who missed the breakfast—don’t worry! We recorded the interview.

Check out the link below for Kelly’s insights on submarines, coding, and women in tech: 


Want more? Be sure to stop by our Facebook page to hear about upcoming events, drop a comment, or request a future speaker.
 

TechBrew – New Digs @ the SLO Grill House

We are loving our new place the the Grill House in Downtown SLO.
The room in the back is the perfect size to fit out growing group.  With several Large LCD screens, shelter from the upcoming winter rains, and no road noise – this is the perfect place abd we have the event to recover from those terrible Mondays!
Visit our TechBrew page to learn about the next presentation.

2nd Annual Technology Expo on July 9, 2015 at the Radisson Hotel in Santa Maria, CA

QuintronQuintron Systems, Inc. will be hosting their 2nd Annual Technology Expo on July 9, 2015 at the Radisson Hotel in Santa Maria, CA from 5:00pm – 8:00pm.  See attached Flyer.  We will be featuring over twenty-five leading  technology based manufacturers covering Audio, Video, CCTV, Networking, Digital Signage and Control Systems to name a few.  Quintron Systems is inviting Central Coast Businesses, Governmental Agencies (both local and Federal), Education Facilities, and the general public to come experience an afternoon full of cutting edge technology, food and networking.
We will also be hosting several classes throughout the afternoon including:

  • Sound design and troubleshooting for live music venues, hosted by JBL
  • Analog vs IP based surveillance systems, hosted by Vivotek
  • Interactive Collaboration systems for huddle and classrooms, hosted by Kramer Electronics
  • Emerging technology for boardrooms and classrooms, hosted by Extron Electronics

This is your time to discuss what matters to you!
For more information and class times please contact Yolanda Clark at 805-361-8313 or please visit our website: http://quintron-isd.com/media.
Yolanda Clark
QUINTRON SYSTEMS, INC.
Administrative Assistant- Integrated Systems Division
2105 South Blosser Road
Santa Maria, CA 93458-7311
Office: 805-928-4343 x 313

Quintron Tech Expo Flyer

Cool Meeting with Santa Maria Manufacturer's Association

If you missed the plant tour at Lineage Logistics you missed a very cool tour and you can take the word both ways. The Santa Maria Manufacturers Association was the coordinator for the event and we had 40-45 people for a 7:30am start time. The thing you have to know about Santa Maria is they tend to start earlier than most SLO groups.
Start-of-Meeting
The building is 225,000 square feet and it is actually much larger than the footprint would indicate. I spent 16 years working in the foodservice industry so I am no stranger to this sort of facility but I must admit to being in awe of the 40 foot ceiling. Other facilities I have worked in were closer to 25 feet and that was considered state of the art in those days.
They took us through the warehouse and there is something special about walking into a room that is 100,000+ SF with minus 40 degree air. It has been a long time since I have experienced that temp and in some ways I miss it – however I quickly got over it. I suspect that more than a few people that are acclimated to the mild central coast felt this was way cool in both senses of the words.  Those that showed up in shorts probably regretted that morning’s wardrobe selection.
Front-of-Bldg\
This is a shot of the front of the building and by this point the group had spent a few minutes in sub-zero warehouses so they were enjoying the warmth even if it was a brisk morning by local standards.
fork-trucks
This picture of the forktrucks gives you some idea of the scale of the building. Those forklifts run up to 40 feet and weigh in at about 8,000 pounds with an average lift of 2,000. Needless to say they must have very well trained staff.
Back-up-signs
I love how they paid attention to the little details. Note in this picture that the signs are printed two ways. One is inverted so it reads properly in the mirror of the truck when they are backing up to the dock. Truck can back up and seal to the building and then open the door on inside so they do not compromise the temperature of the storage area. The facility has open dry storage at a very balmy 38 degrees and some office space so if you are looking for that sort of thing give them a call.
I do not know about everyone else but I really enjoy plant tours and would like to thank the Santa Maria Manufacturer’s Association for putting these types of events on. Santa Maria has lots of very interesting businesses and they have a warm welcome even at the very cool places.