As the new lead on IT programs (CNET — Computers, Networks, and Emerging Technology) at Ohlone Community College, Ron Sha brings a wealth of CIO experience to his new role. We recently met with Ron to find out more about his plans for the program and his thoughts on IT trends that are shaping the Silicon Valley economy.

Q: Community colleges have played an important role on the front lines when training for IT jobs in Silicon Valley. Under your leadership, what will the emphasis be at Ohlone College?

A: A major goal of the IT program is to work closely with industry to create class schedules that are relevant to and in high demand by Silicon Valley firms. In addition to preparing students to transfer to 4-year universities, Ohlone College serves working professionals who want to enhance their current skill sets. We want our programs to be flexible and tailored to industry and technology trends to better position our students to be competitive and successful in the growing economy. Ohlone has several programs to help to meet industry needs. For example:

  • The Cyber Security Certification Program focuses on protecting computers, networks, programs, and data from unauthorized access.
  • The Big Data and Business Intelligence Program focuses on analyzing data sets from existing enterprise data, external data, and unstructured big data. Students learn how to turn data into valuable information that may enable a company to make strategic and tactical decisions related to business operations and efficiencies, new revenue generation, and competition.
  • The Health IT Program focuses on the integration and management of health information systems, data security, and methods to maximize healthcare operational productivities.

Q: After 30 years of working for companies like WebMD, Sun Microsystems, and Glu Mobile, you must have a good understanding of what companies are looking for from IT recruits. What makes a candidate stand out, and how can these characteristics be honed at a community college?

A: Staying on top of new technologies and keeping technical skills current is very important, but improving one’s soft skills is important too. In fact, I would say that having great soft skills is critical to standing out, as it demonstrates one’s ability to work well with others in a team environment, engage in creative problem-solving, take initiative, plan and prioritize well, and so on. Ohlone not only offers classes to enhance technical skills, but also classes to improve soft skills. I would encourage all students to pursue these different avenues.

Q: You also teach classes atOhlone. What is the typical profile of an Ohlone student? What has surprised you about your students?

A: I have students who are preparing to transfer to 4-year universities and also students who are working professionals who simply want to develop and improve their personal and professional skill sets. The benefit of having working professionals is that they can immediately relate what they are learning to a real-world context. To make classes more fun and interesting, I incorporate and explain to my students how the new skills that we discuss in the classroom can be used in a real-world environment with real-world examples. All of my students are bright and full of potential. I am impressed by the novelty and ingenuity of their ideas with regard to the applications and configurations that they consider and contribute during class discussions. Therefore, they are unsurprisingly surprising, if that makes sense.

Q: As president of the CIO Scholarship Fund, you are working across the Bay Area to help economically disadvantaged college students attend college and pursue degrees in technology-related fields. The philosophy is that individuals who are able to overcome adversity bring unique skills and value to the workplace. What do you see as the biggest barriers to entry for a college education? Any success stories to share?

A: The CIO Scholarship Fund team comprises volunteers from local Silicon Valley high tech companies. One of our goals is to help students succeed in studying technology in college. We have provided various activities for the students to participate in such as company tours, internships, and seminars with guest speakers from the high tech industry. We have also provided funding for the embedded tutoring programs at Ohlone College, which are designed to decrease attrition and improve student success in courses through an Active Learning Model of Instruction.

Computer science classes with embedded tutors, for example, have gained an astounding 10 percent increase in students successfully completing courses. Student testimonies demonstrate that they understand the material better, get their questions answered, engage their peers in learning, and ultimately gain the requisite confidence for career success. The embedded tutor program is at the heart of the “pay it forward” concept. Student tutors benefit from the program but, most importantly, they are able to help other students succeed as well.

Embedded tutors have become an integral part of Ohlone’s strategic planning. The Student Equity Plan, one of Ohlone’s major planning documents, is currently being implemented in order to increase the success of all underperforming, underrepresented students. Embedded tutors are critical to the success of this mission.

Q: We would be remiss if we didn’t ask for your opinion on major IT trends that are shaping Silicon Valley. What programs do you predict Ohlone will need five years from now? How will the Silicon Valley tech environment be different?

A: The fun part of working in a technology-related field is that you never get bored. Technology is constantly changing. In recent years, we have seen rapid technology growth in the form of cloud computing, Internet of Things (IoT), social networks, and smart devices — all of which fuel the growth of software-defined-everything technologies, machine learning, big data, business intelligence, and cyber security. In order for Ohlone to keep up with all of these rapidly changing technologies, we intend to work closely with our technology partners to ensure that what we teach is relevant.