Go behind the scenes of the Tech Futures Lab Master's programme... “Relevance means being relentless about innovating on your core assets." For our Master's candidate Russell, this meant deciding to leave the corporate ladder and try something different. Now he’s 11 weeks into a new venture and developing a tech-enabled service of his own. Read on to hear more from Russell and get a behind the scenes look into our
Master's programme. "Why now? It was a natural fit." An information technology whiz kid, Russell came to our Master's programme from a background of leading tech teams at well-known Kiwi companies. An advocate for the agile mindset - the set of principles for software development based on collaboration, adaptation, and rapid and flexible response to change - Russell took the same approach to his own career when considering his next move. "What motivates me is building things - whether that's software, software teams, or more around a company's restructuring. I haven't ever started something new, something from scratch, but I've always been intrigued and figured it was about time to," Russell says on his decision to leave his previous role and try something new. "Why now? I'd been looking around for what to do next and this seemed like a natural fit," he says. Russell says the Tech Futures Lab Master's programme has given him 'a wealth of information' and got him thinking differently. “What it’s provided is exposure to different areas of technology – that’s one of the key things. That and the network potential has been very important. The strength of the external speakers has been very high," he says. “We’ve had all of these people come in to talk to us, and that’s been amazing.” Another aspect of the programme that Russell considers a 'big plus' is the natural collaboration with the rest of the cohort. “One thing I really like is the group - having people around that are like-minded and are going through what you’re going through. In those low moments you need people to pick you up," he says. On who he thinks the programme is best suited for, Russell says, "[It's for] people wanting to do something new - people who are disenfranchised with their current career and want to try something different. People who are worried about where their jobs are going and where to go next." Click below to find out more about our Masters and sign-up for an Open Lab. Read more about our the programme and our candidates on our weekly blog. We're sharing our insights around the future of work, the impact of technology on the job market, and the opportunities in tech and business this April and May.Our Career 3.0 seminars are designed to be one per person, so choose the session that best suits you and come and join us! Turns Out the Time is Now: April 27, 5:30pm-7pm WHERE: Tech Futures Lab, 22 McColl St, Newmarket, Auckland WHO: Frances Valintine, founder of Tech Futures Lab and an education and technology expert, will facilitate the seminars. GET IN QUICK: Places are capped at 40 people, so click below to secure your spot for one of these sessions. BOOK NOW Upcoming Workshop with Business Disruption and Innovation Next Friday Frances Valintine is holding a business-focused workshop that highlights the biggest forces re-shaping our world. Getting down to the nuts and bolts of disruption and innovation, this workshop series has attracted nearly 300 people since its inception in March last year. "In front of an audience of New Zealand's top tier companies attending, Frances Valintine gave a provocative and challenging talk that questioned how innovative NZ really is, described emerging technological shifts and what they will mean for Kiwis and NZ industries in the future, and why NZ businesses need to become more innovative." |