by Heather Noggle
Springfield, MO— Let’s talk about technology and Springfield opportunities.
Ever heard of the Springfield Tech Council? Springfield’s good for building groups that bring people together, help them network, and then get things done. You can list some in your head, I’m sure. Thinking – MBA – Multicultural Business Association, formerly Minorities in Business. Missouri Association of Manufacturers, Association of Women in Communications, and One Million Cups, a group for Entrepreneurs. These last two are local chapters of national groups. Not necessarily related to technology, but definitely a good example of what Springfield offers.
Back to the Springfield Tech Council. The tech council was formed in 2021 after a group of people from two other tech groups – MATA and IATP (we tech people love our acronyms) strategized and organized under the Tech Council model set formed by TECHNA (yes, another acronym). The tech council is a good example of one of those local chapters affiliated with a national group.
Members meet usually once a month, often at events held at the eFactory, — Lunch and Learns, networking, Happy Hours, serving people in technical careers and students who are studying in the field or aspiring to study in the field. There are also a couple of annual events, including a FREE tech conference each spring called STC Squared.
Springfield is a great land of non-profits, and the Tech Council is certainly one of those. Other tech-related non-profits in Springfield include Springfield Devs (software developers), Springfield Creatives, Springfield Women in Technology, a Splunk User Group, Google Developers Group, and many more. Interested in a full list? Contact the Springfield Tech Council at info@sgftechcouncil.com and ask! The group aims to be the umbrella of technology information to help point interested people into groups that can benefit them.
Tech is a great and growing field, and there’s something for everyone. There’s training available – at OTC and in other programs, so not just traditional four-year college programs. There are also many free courses online and some almost free courses.
You can learn to write software, work in cybersecurity, or add knowledge so that later you can interpret how you may want to shift your career. Our local community has high demand for IT Technicians and available training to help learn and apply those skills.
Are you a recent graduate from a high school with the option to take A+ courses from a community college? Consider OTC where you can get some of that practical tech training in working with computers, systems and also in cybersecurity.
For more information you can contact the Springfield Tech Council with career and technical questions.
