STEM DAY WITH WERNER ENTERPRISES
STEM Day is celebrated on November 8th to promote the importance of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) skills. STEM day is an opportunity to help students learn about possible career paths that utilize strong STEM skills. One possible career path is information technology. Our IT partner, Werner Enterprises, is a leader in transportation and logistics, where technology plays a large role. We chatted with Johnny Voruz, a Technical Operations Analyst at Werner, to tell us what it’s like to work in IT.
What does a typical day look like for you?
A typical day has me following up on long-term projects with a short status meeting we call a “standup”. I then work with my team to ensure that everything is working smoothly for day-to-day operations. I’ll talk to other associates in technology, leaders throughout the company, and, most importantly, our professional drivers to see what we can do to make their job safer and easier than ever before. I use programs like Microsoft Office and whiteboarding tools like Miro and Lucidchart on a daily basis and am constantly on Zoom video conference calls.
What do you find most challenging and rewarding in your career?
The pace and change of technology is a constant challenge, yet so rewarding when you are able to keep up with these changes and apply your knowledge and skills to the various opportunity moments that arise throughout your career.
How does Werner benefit from partnering with Avenue Scholars and Intern Omaha?
Werner learns just as much from the students who participate in the Avenue Scholars program as they do from Werner. As much as the world is changing when it comes to technology, it’s a breath of fresh air to interact with people with a genuine desire to learn and ask questions.
What internships does Werner provide to Avenue Scholars students?
Werner offers a wide range of internship opportunities that span from positions that support our professional drivers via our day-to-day trucking and logistics operations, even down to the Werner technology teams. At the end of the day, all Werner associates are here to serve our Werner Professional Driver associates with whatever they need to be safe and successful.
Werner partnered with Avenue Scholars on a Career Awareness Event recently. What did students learn?
Werner is honored to be able to offer an exclusive inside look at our global headquarters here in Omaha, Nebraska as an invitation-only experience for students participating in the Avenue Scholars Program. Starting things off in our socially distanced safety auditorium, students were taken though a discovery journey of one of the most popular working methods in technology known as the Agile Methodology. From there, we travelled back in time to 1956 in our exclusive Werner Trucking Museum to see the history of how Werner Enterprises became one of the most technologically advanced trucking and logistics companies in the world. Then we let the students sit behind the wheel of one of the newest trucks to hit the Werner fleet!
Do you have any advice for students interested in pursuing a career in the IT industry?
- Never stop learning.
- Surround yourself with people that help you make decisions that will move you forward in your life goals.
- Always be honest.
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