College Times

Issue date: 2/5/09 Section: News

Media Credit: Ryan Ruiz

When Cory Kincaid showed up to the Avnet Tech Games in 2006, he was running on 35 minutes of sleep. He didn’t expect to have a transformational experience because of a website-building competition.

He, along with his teammates, were challenged with building a website for a local minority-owned business to help them engage with the community. They ended up winning the Games and, in part because of that competition, Kincaid was hired at Avnet, a local company specializing in the distribution of electronic components and computer components.

The Avnet Tech Games is a yearly contest where students compete in nine different games, all centered on advancing technologies, under one roof. The nine games offer students myriad options to fit their interests. Everyone from the humanitarians to the technophiles can display their knowledge, show off their skills and ultimately catch the eye of a judge or two.

This marks the fourth year for the Games; everything from building a robot that is able to make its way around an obstacle course to reworking an ultra-fast computer will be showcased.

The Games are all about students having the opportunity to apply what they have learned inside the classroom to real-life situations.

What’s more is that students compete with fellow classmates and peers to win prizes and scholarships, as well as get the chance to rub elbows with some of the leaders in the high-tech field.

Kincaid said that being a part of the competition was one of the most unique experiences in his professional life, and that he really got a leg up because of it.

“It was definitely a transforming experience, especially from a professional standpoint,” he said. “Getting a job at Avnet as early as I did would not have happened without the Tech Games. Also, being a participant in the Games gave me a much more defined direction from a career point of view and having an opportunity to see what businesses were asking for really catapulted my career forward.”

THE MECHANICS

The Games start at 7 a.m. on a Saturday morning and students get going as soon as they walk in the door.

Kincaid said that getting up early wasn’t the hard part; it was the idea that something could go wrong that racked his brain all night.

“Avent did a good job communicating what the physical climate would be like and what was expected from us as far as the Games were concerned,” he said. “But, just as in any real-life situation, there are challenges that you encounter and things that happen unexpectedly. What was unique for me was that there was a randomness about it all, which was different from when I was just doing school work and I knew what to expect.”

Kincaid also said that “thinking on your feet” really forces you to be sharp, even when building a website.

“With the website-building contest, the work was done over a period of weeks before game day. But basically we had a document that outlined what the requirements were and we had to meet with the business and see what they wanted,” he said.

“We built a model of what we felt met the business’ needs and then each team fleshed it out in a private meeting. Then we had two weeks of time to finish putting that in a finalized form. In the end, the judges and the business didn’t know what we were doing before the game, so they came into it with a clear mind. We still encountered problems that were really unplanned, but that’s what’s great is that it forces you to think on the fly and just adjust the presentation accordingly.”

Teri Radosevich, the vice president of community relations and public affairs for Avnet, said this year everything is online, including applications and guideline forms.

“Each game has its own competitive event form with the rules and requirements right online,” she said. “Students can just log onto the website and find the form that corresponds to the game they’re interested in, and they know from the get go what’s expected of them.”

Then, at the actual event, comes judging from “captains of the industry” along with teams of technical people from Avnet and faculty from area schools.

The faculty helps largely to create the Games, Radosevich said, because they directly know what will “challenge the students but still keep it within the parameters of their skills.”

Kincaid served as a judge is the 2008 Games, and said that it was a very enjoyable experience.

“It was unique because I could see both sides. I could understand the sort of effort the students put into the Games and the challenges they encountered while working out the technical bugs,” he said. “Communicating this to the students put them more at ease and made them more comfortable when it came time for them to present.”

BUILDING A NETWORK

The teams compete over an eight-hour day and then comes the networking hour, which “is like speed dating in a sense,” said Radosevich.

Executives, customers and sponsors from Avnet and deans and presidents from all the schools mingle with students and talk about their career goals and insights about the future.

Students get a “networking card,” and if they fill it in with three names of people they spoke with, they get the chance to win a prize.

“Within that time span of five minutes, the student must try to get the person’s name, position and what company they work for,” Radosevich said. “This forces them to be aware of their words and get straight to the point of what they’re interested in and looking for in their professional life. They also meet many new people this way.”

Throughout the day, students will be able to interact with some of the customers and sponsors of the Games and Avnet, because they have booths up all day to talk from a recruiting position. But, the networking hour is when the information and face time is most concentrated.

Kincaid, who is now an Applications Developer for the Global Information Systems project with Avnet, was a participant in the games before they were re-worked to have the networking hour, so he had to work extra hard to make contacts.

“During the breaks, where students had time to socialize with other students, faculty and the executives, there was an opportunity there to talk about my background and what I wanted to do with my career,” he said. “I found that during the actual Game presentation, the panel judges took the time to ask about the team cohesiveness, the technologies we used, how it affected us personally and the actual product. That gave me a chance to expand a bit and talk about myself.”

DUAL PROCESSOR

Radosevich said that the benefits students receive are multifaceted.

“The Games give students the chance to not only win scholarships, but to network with the so-called ‘captains of the industry,’” she said. “Students can get clues and ideas from the pros about up and coming trends and have conversations about what they want to do in life. This can lead to great internships and jobs in the high-tech field.”

As far as where some of the scholarship money comes from – a fund called The Carstens Family Fund – is an interesting story, Radosevich explained.

“There was a woman who called me up and said that her values aligned with what the Games were trying to accomplish and that she wanted to donate money to the cause,” Radosevich said. “She agreed to do so for three years and we’re so grateful.”

The money also comes from the sponsors of the event and Avent customers who are willing to donate.

“They’re usually more than willing to help fund the scholarships because, in their eyes, they’re helping to create a more qualified workforce by giving these students the ability to work hands on and apply what they’ve learned outside of the classroom,” Radosevich said.

Each student on the nine winning teams will receive a $1,000 scholarship and faculty receives honorariums – $200 for being a part of a participating team and $300 for being a part of a winning team.

While the Games have obvious benefits for students, they also help the faculty and businesses involved.

Kenneth Jackson, a professor at the Maricopa Skill Center, said that he has always been keen on real-world experience for the students.

“I thought it would be a great chance to get out of the classroom with the students,” he said.

Jackson originally helped design the Build and Tune the Fastest Computer game and is leading a team in this year’s game.

 “The faculty members get to encourage their students to participate and put into practice what they have been learning all year,” said Radosevich. “It gives them a chance to show their students that they can prove themselves in front of professionals and make themselves stand out in the crowd. It is also a competition, so the faculty is giving the students a chance to gain real-world experience by taking the classroom skills and using them in real life, and the businesses get to be out all day, so from a recruiting stand point, it’s all good.”

The businesses also get one-on-one time with future members of the industry that they normally would not get. Not only that, but also some businesses and sponsors have their booths set up all day – so anyone, even just visitors, can ask questions and get information.

HIT ENTER

Anyone can join the competition. Kincaid said that if students are on the fence about entering into the competition to look at it this way: Why not?

“If they’re wavering about whether or not to participate, do it,” he said. “Every line item on a resume counts, and the more unique experiences on there, the better it looks.”

He also advised that even if a student can’t get a team together, to attend the event anyway, simply because of the opportunity to talk to the professionals in the field.                       

Radosevich said that this is the ultimate way for students to make a name for themselves and stand out.

“It’s definitely not all about winning. If a student catches the eye of one or more of the judges, they could be set for life,” she said. “This is really a test for them to learn about the industry, hone in on their skills and stand out among their peers.”

Kincaid said he’s never seen anything like the Games before, and that if he had let his nerves get the best of him, he might be in a totally different place.

“Even though I showed up with less than an hour of sleep under my belt, I’m so glad I did,” he said. “In my professional life, it has helped me tremendously.”The registration deadline for the 2009 Avnet Tech Games is Friday, February 27. Teams can register online and get full details about the competition at avnettechgames.com

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