Life at GE : Careers : GE

What are the best aspects of your current job?

As an ITLP, I have spent the last two years rotating to different assignments across the country, different teams and organizations, and different fields of technology. I have also grown professionally over the 12-plus weeks of training (including an exciting month in Shanghai, China!). For a recent college graduate new to GE and the workforce, these are incomparable opportunities. I have gained breadth and depth in a variety of technical disciplines and business functions; I have also built a network of vibrant and innovative peers from different cultural and educational backgrounds.

What are the best things about working at GE?

I have found that there are many diverse opportunities available so long as you are willing to take advantage of them. Whether it is a desire to learn about a technical area, to build a network of peers, to volunteer in the community, or to work in a particular industry... GE offers it. I can visit Crotonville, join an affiliate group, or get in touch with the Volunteer Council; there is no shortage of projects or groups with which to stay busy and engaged.

I am also frequently surprised by how often I cross paths with a colleague from a previous role. For such an enormous company, there is a "small world" feel to GE that is both refreshing and helpful in finding the answer or process to solve a problem.

How did your background/previous work experience prepare you for your current role?

Each of my ITLP rotations has given me a different flavor of IT and GE and a different lesson to take forward in my next endeavor. I have selected roles that were quite varied and experienced something new every six months, which has allowed me to look at the IT processes in GE Energy with a more holistic view. The rotations have also given me a large network and foundation of experiences to reference.

What is the most challenging project you've worked on at GE?

One of the most challenging projects I worked on at GE was the deployment of the Oracle Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) module in the GEH Nuclear business. At the time, I did not have any experience with ERP, the nuclear industry, or any type of shop floor operations. One of the most challenging elements for me was to gain the trust of our key stakeholders. Most of them had been in their jobs for some time; they had a wealth of experience in the processes we were enhancing and had already felt the challenges associated with the change a new system brings to the environment. Needless to say, I had to go deep quickly in the technology and the processes they followed in order to convince them that I could deliver a tool that met their needs.

What are the top technical skills that you take pride in possessing and/or still draw upon for your job?

I have a background in programming. I don't typically write code in my roles with GE (although I admit I have found a few opportunities to put this skill to use to calculate a result or to enhance a Support Central tool). However, even if I do not directly type into a console throughout my day, many of the soft skills I developed as a programmer are vital to my work in GE.

The ability to think clearly through a complicated problem by looking at it from different angles and then logically determine a simple solution is of paramount importance in any project. Other skills developed include attention to detail (anyone who has missed a semi-colon at the end of a line of code can relate to this), conceptualizing how data is used and related to other data, and planning steps in advance before jumping into action.

What is the best piece of career advice you can offer IT folks embarking on a technical career at GE?

Take pride in the work you deliver. Your name and reputation are linked to what you do and how you do it, so exceed expectations! Take initiative and improve what you find. Do more than you have to do and do it well. It sounds simple, but your peers and leaders will notice.