There are over a quarter million people employed by the over 20,000 technology companies in Ohio, according to data from the Bureau of Labour Statistics.
Tech and its seemingly daily innovations in things like A.I., gaming, and cyber security, scatter its employees across industries, in offices of corporate and small businesses. And, they hold everything from entry-level positions to leadership roles.
After graduating from Wright State University, Hanen Alkhafaji worked with a tech start up for around eight years, then was hired at PNC as a software engineer – where she is now a team manager.
“Having this network of people that are in the tech field is of value because you can reach out in the future, whether you’re stuck and on a deadline or get laid off."
“Even during my interview, a lot of people were like, ‘Oh, we didn't know this either...I have done it. And I made a ton of mistakes and that's why I know," she said.
She's the vice president of Gem City Tech, a Dayton nonprofit and resource for tech workers of all varieties. It serves as a hub, meant for industry workers to share what they’ve learned.
“We go into this industry knowing that you can't stop learning,” Hanen said. “It's ever-growing and it's constantly changing out from under us. It's like, 'Oh, you know something? Here's something new. Good luck.”
Gem City Tech helps to make the ever-changing industry accessible at any skill level. It’s an umbrella organization that supports seven smaller groups that each focus on a different part of the industry.
Collectively, they offer seven meetings a month.
“One meeting a month, that's just 12 touches throughout the year,” said Allen May, Gem City Tech’s president. “There's so many things to talk about, and that's just not enough. So we have seven events and there are a mountain of things that we can talk about. Technology is constantly evolving and changing.”
May has worked in the tech industry for just over 30 years. He started in electronics hardware in 1992 and now works in application development at CareSource.
“It's always been something new to learn about, which has been exciting,” May said.
“We all have the same passion. We want to see Dayton grow. We want to see the tech community in Dayton get stronger and Dayton have a differentwrap than it currently has. It has so much. It is a gem and it has so much potential.”
He said monthly interactions have helped members keep up with new trends and build a network of support.
“Having this network of people that are in the tech field is of value because you can reach out in the future, whether you’re stuck and on a deadline or get laid off,” May said. “With a simple post on our discord group saying, ‘Hey, I was laid off today. We're done. I was downsized,’ I would fight hard to try to help them find a job because I know them.”
Bringing together many groups
May said the umbrella organization gives administrative support to “champions” who want to start new groups as technology fields emerge.
- One of their groups, Code for Dayton, develops tech solutions for civic problem solving.
- Another, Gem City Game Developers, create both video and board games.
- The New to Tech group is an accessibility point for industry newcomers – monthly meet ups focus on basics, finding jobs and networking.
- Evelyn Boettcher heads the Machine Learning group whose meetups discuss things like algorithms and artificial intelligence.
“You meet people from so many different fields and so many different parts of the career ladder: brand new students, people trying to get out of poverty that are looking at technology as a path forward, to people that are the leaders in the technology field,” Boettcher said.
They create accessibility, building both the hub and local industry.
“We all have the same passion,” Boettcher said. “We want to see Dayton grow. We want to see the tech community in Dayton get stronger and Dayton have a different rap than it currently has. It has so much. It is a gem and it has so much potential.”
In June, she gave a presentation on Bayesian Optimization, a 20th century hyperparameter optimization method. But, until her recent acquisition of a large technical book, she didn’t know much about it.
“There is a lot of venting that comes with being a computer programmer, because it's such a roller coaster."
“It's hard because, when I read the book, I kept falling asleep,” Boettcher said. “It's a major topic but it's very hard to get through because, I'm a mom and I’ve got all the mom duties. But it's forcing me to read the material and learn it well enough that I can actually present it and teach other people.”
Although each meeting has a designated speaker and topic, they welcome interruptions and although they’re scheduled for an hour, they sometimes last so long they have to kick people out.
“Normally, from my education, it's very Socratic: you stand up and you just give your lecture and everyone is quiet, there's no back and forth,” Boettcher said. “But your half-hour talk will take you two hours because there is so much back and forth with everyone. Everyone's asking questions, it's the most engaged audience”
Their bountiful discourse also fills a Discord chat group, where Alkhafaji said members find professional, technical and emotional support.
“There is a lot of venting that comes with being a computer programmer, because it's such a roller coaster,” Alkhafaji said.
“If you're stuck on a problem, you feel defeated. I just want to give up,” she said. “Then I come to the group and say I've been stuck on this for a week and others go, ‘Oh my gosh, I've been there.”
Meeting in-person
They have around 10 participants per meetup, an approachable, intimate size. They list events on Meetup so anyone can find them, each with a presentation or workshop on a different topic.
“I would almost think of them not necessarily different groups, but almost like subcategories of Gem City Tech,” Alkhafaji said. “They'll just show up to whatever event they're interested in based on the title.”
They don’t stream meetings, though they’ve had requests to do so, forcing attendees to step out of their virtual world for in-person meetings.
“I call them ‘drive-bys,’ when you walk by somebody or you're talking and then, 'Oh, I had this happen to me as well,’ or, ‘Oh, I have a job and you're looking for a job.’ Alkhafaji said. “Those connections don't happen on Discord or in virtual environments because you're sitting in your box and everybody's on mute.”
They sometimes have trouble pulling tech workers from their more comfortable, pixelated boxes.
“I completely understand, because I am an introvert at heart, but I'm more than happy to make sure that that person feels comfortable,” Alkhafaji said. “Maybe we get you a chair, you know, tucked away or whatever. You do your thing, come join us and we'll make you comfortable.”