“When I started my new job, I didn’t expect that I’d be working at the same place where I went to daycare.”

When Rachel Tao started work as a newly hired consultant at Booz Allen’s McLean headquarters last August, she took a walk back into her past. Twenty years prior, her parents—both Booz Allen employees—dropped her off at that very same facility to attend the firm’s new Bright Horizons child care center. 

By now you’ve probably noticed that there aren’t too many jobs out there with the words “entry level” and “sustainability” in the title, huh?  Don’t get too mad at COVID, it’s not the pandemic’s fault (although it certainly isn’t helping).  The truth is, there never have been that many entry level “sustainability” positions out there. 

That’s most likely because a lot of titled sustainability roles tend to start around mid-career level and require things like:

How do you become a lead technologist at a global Fortune 500 firm? And once there, how do you make the leap to lead an innovation and technology team that’s nearly 500 members strong—and growing? 

Ed Barnabas’ path to becoming a principal at Booz Allen’s Honolulu office began with music and involved many twists and turns. He shared his journey and career advice at a recent “Mini Virtual Tech Jobs Fair” hosted by the Hawai`i Technology Development Council.

Career “must-haves”: Curiosity and a growth mindset

In early October, young girls from LK Moss Elementary School in Central Georgia gathered for a day of innovation and exploration. They built a robot using only a small motor and plastic drink cups. They created animations from scratch with entry-level coding tools. Most important, they discovered new possibilities for STEM-related careers. 

The activity was the latest highlight in the year-long partnership between Girls Who Code and Booz Allen’s office in Warner Robins, Georgia. Their goal? Shrink the long-standing STEM gender gap.