Computer Information Technology (CIT) Diploma graduate Jap Johal was working as a security guard at a casino when he attended a BCIT event and learned about CIT. Now he brings data insight to Fortune 500 companies and hires BCIT grads. We caught up with him to learn about his journey and his advice on working in the tech sector.
Debilitating injury turns uninspired student to keen learner
Jap is able to identify one point in his life that changed his trajectory: an elbow fracture during basketball.
“I wasn’t great in high school, but this injury during my degree took me from Bs and Cs to straight As,” he explains. “I couldn’t move around very much, I was in pain, but I couldn’t watch TV all day: I started studying for the first time and reading what I was supposed to read.”
He didn’t expect to become so engrossed in his learning.
“I really got interested and attached to learning, I got involved in my classes, I learned a work ethic,” he enthuses. “That Jap didn’t exist before the injury – it totally changed how I morphed as a human and it was a fresh start.”
Finding a home in tech: “I had a really great time at BCIT”
Jap was interested in computers from childhood. He enjoyed setting them up, he helped his cousin with his small IT company, and he even built an early cryptocurrency prototype. So it’s not surprising he found a path into tech after doing his degree. But he admits it didn’t always come naturally right away; perseverance was essential.
“I was scared going into the diploma, and I didn’t know if I would do well,” he confides. “But I just kept working and was able to succeed, and even got into co-op.”
He feels the BCIT model worked really well for him. “There’s not a lot of theory. You learn the theory from doing something – it either works or it doesn’t, and I really liked that.”
He also felt the instructors were committed to student learning and that being in a set of students who progressed together was a good fit: “I still talk to people in my set,” he says. “I had a really great time at BCIT, I wouldn’t change it.”
“My first job after graduation was in industrial automation, working on a lot of the operations in ports.” He appreciated seeing technology applied to make things run better. “It was challenging in a good way – you wanted to do the work.”
Expanding the data team by hiring more BCIT grads
Now at QCA Systems, an industrial electrical, automation, and IT services company, Jap just received his third promotion. He works in the QCA Insights division, which provides data, technology, and advanced analytics solutions, from initial data exploration and organization, to a full data science offering of IoT, monitoring, and visualization.
“The beginning at a new job is always hard, I think,” says Jap. But the initial challenges have been well worth it. “The trips I get to go on, the companies I get to work with, the freedom to chart my own path: it’s been amazing.”
As the company continues to expand, Jap has repeatedly tapped BCIT talent. “QCA has a lot of BCIT grads from programs like Mechatronics and Robotics. When the data team was growing, I knew the quality of the students coming out of both CIT and CST [Computer Systems Technology], I knew they were equipped for the real world.”
What began with a couple of co-ops led to permanent roles. “At this point we’ve hired seven BCIT Computing grads in the last 10 months!”
“I knew the quality of the students coming out of both CIT and CST, I knew they were equipped for the real world.” – Jap Johal
Job advice from Jap: Three key things
- “Come to the job interview prepared: bring your water, do what you can to try to seem relaxed even if you’re not. These things take practice – go to Toastmasters or places like that where you can improve your skills and learn to show your real capabilities in your job search.”
- “People skills matter a lot: being able to talk to people and understand where they’re coming from, being socially aware and adept. And confidence: you should be able to articulate and explain your ideas and thoughts, to speak up for the benefit of the company. These skills are only becoming more important.”
- “Don’t rely too much on AI. Critical thinking skills are really important. ChatGPT can help finesse work, to augment your skills. But doing your own work shows, doing your own research and problem solving has more impact. The value of thinking critically offers a more comprehensive result for the client.”
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