Jan. 24, 2007

Contact: Bob Adams
(425) 564-3081
badams@bcc.ctc.edu

Microsoft/Seattle SIM event to dispel
myth about lack of Information Technology jobs

Seminar will connect students with business leaders and young professionals to highlight the abundance of opportunities in the booming field of IT

BELLEVUE, WASH. – You may have heard that few jobs exist in information technology (IT) these days, but a free seminar at Bellevue Community College on Feb. 13 will reveal how far off that myth is from reality.

The Future Potential in IT seminar, co-founded by Microsoft and the Society for Information Management (SIM) and hosted by Bellevue Community College, will connect college and high school students with senior business executives and recent IT graduates to discuss the many opportunities awaiting those with a combination of technical and business knowledge and skills.

The seminar runs from 9:30 a.m. through 12:30 p.m., with registration beginning at 8:30 a.m. in Carlson Theatre on BCC’s main campus (3000 Landerholm Circle S.E., Bellevue, at the intersection of S.E. 28th St. and 148th Ave. S.E.). Advanced registration, at http://www.nwcet.org/ (click on “Register Now”), is required.

XBox Live’s wildly popular Major Nelson personality – who is actually Larry Hryb, Xbox Live Director of Programming – will be featured along with senior IT managers from leading Puget Sound companies and recent college graduates who have made great starts in IT careers.

Participants will learn about the diverse career options waiting for them in IT, find out how to gain the skills those jobs require and view a message from Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates taped specifically for seminar participants.

In co-founding the “Future Potential in IT” program, Microsoft and SIM wanted to address two key issues: 1) low enrollments in IT/business programs, and 2) the need for wider understanding that the IT job market has changed: skill requirements are different, and opportunities are abundant for students with a combination of technical and business knowledge and skills.

According to Microsoft and SIM, demand for qualified IT employees is increasing across industry sectors but the pool of skilled professionals is not keeping up. Now is the time, they say, to prepare for another boom in the field of IT.

Microsoft Corporation recently selected BCC as its second national Microsoft® IT Showcase School, the only community college to receive that designation. The distinction recognizes BCC’s leadership in preparing students for the digital age.

For more information on the Future Potential in IT seminar, contact Jeff Johnson, Executive Director of BCC’s National Workforce Center for Emerging Technologies, at (425) 564-4004 or jjohnson@bcc.ctc.edu.

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