South Florida Tech HubSouth Florida Tech Hub

By Riley Kaminer

Engineer the Change scholarship expands access to South Florida tech jobs while expanding our regional talent pool 

Read Time 3 Minutes

A lack of top tech talent is one of the major barriers to the growth of South Florida’s innovation ecosystem. Our research suggests that Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade have 6.5 times the number of new software engineering positions available this year than there are engineers to fill them. This is significantly higher than global figures, which sit at around 2x.

Boca Code is working to fill this talent gap by equipping ambitious South Floridians with the skills they need to excel in a software engineering role.

To support Boca Code’s mission, Boca-based tech media conglomerate Techstrong Group has announced that it will take part in the Fall 2022 Engineer the Change scholarship. Two students will receive $10,000 each to put towards Boca Code’s Software Engineering Course, a 10-week, full-time bootcamp. By the end of the program, students will be prepared for a career in software engineering. 

For Techstrong Group, these scholarships combine two goals. One: help make South Florida a world-class tech hub. Two: provide opportunities for people from underrepresented communities to gain the skills they need to find success in the tech industry.

“We are pleased to partner with Boca Code to give talented individuals a chance to pursue their dreams and launch, or advance, their career in IT,” commented Alan Shimel, founder and CEO at Techstrong Group. “The scholarship will be awarded to the most deserving student who is passionate about technology and demonstrates the potential to be a future leader.”

“We appreciate our partnership with Techstrong Group,” said Boca Code CEO Todd Albert. “It is important to us that we seize every opportunity to help foster diversity and inclusivity within the tech industry.”

“The Engineer the Change scholarship is a great start to empowering disadvantaged minorities within the South Florida community to grow their technical skill set,” Albert continued.

This scholarship has already led to some major success stories. For instance, last year’s scholarship went to Alina Maliuk, a first-generation immigrant from Ukraine. Maliuk now works as a software engineer at West Palm Beach-based fintech SMArtX Advisory Solutions.

“Boca Code’s workshop in web development was energizing and furthered the learning I had already  started on my own. Through that initial course, the Boca Code team inspired me to go even further. I  am ready to move onto my next chapter and I would like that to be a career in software engineering,” said Maliuk. 

“Thanks to the Engineer the Change scholarship, I now have this amazing opportunity to accelerate my tech career,” Maliuk continued. “I will give back by showing other female immigrants of the Russian speaking community in Florida that if you can dream it and work hard to achieve it, you can make it happen.”

Albert told South Florida Tech Hub that Boca Code has seen rapid growth since being founded in 2020. “Every cohort this year has been full,” he said. They are also looking to add some new classes to create even more opportunities for students. 

Interested in applying for the Engineer the Change Scholarship? Visit Techstrong’s website, or learn more about other scholarship opportunities by visiting Boca Code’s website.

Follow along by watching Techstrong’s reality show about this year’s Engineer the Change scholarship. Episode 1 is available now.

READ MORE ON SOUTH FLORIDA TECH HUB:

By Riley Kaminer

Techstrong Group’s Alan Shimel on the state of South Florida tech

Read Time 3 Minutes

Alan Shimel, founder and CEO of the Techstrong Group, has seen his fair share of economic ups and downs in the more than three decades he’s been involved in the tech world. “I’ve been through the boom and bust cycles,” he told South Florida Tech Hub. “There’s no doubt that what we’re going through now is some sort of recession or correction. The market has changed in the last couple of months.”

How long this volatility lasts is difficult to predict, asserted Shimel. “It could be another two, three months. It could be a year or more.”

He believes that profitable companies with cash in their coffers will have no issue making it to the other side of this period of uncertainty. “You’re going to see a shakeout,” he explained. “A lot of the companies that raised money during 2021 but don’t have sound business models and business plans are going to have a hard time.”

But it’s not all doom and gloom for Shimel. “Economic downturns are also the best time to start new companies. It’s like fresh growth in the forest. And so I’m excited to see what new companies can come out of these times.”

No matter the direction in which the economy is trending, we can trust the TechStrong group’s wide range of media entities to keep us up-to-date on it all.

The Boca Raton-based omnichannel content company is empowering people and companies to come together and learn about what’s happening in the worlds of digital transformation, cybersecurity, the cloud, and DevOps.

Under the Techstrong Group’s umbrella are media brands such as DevOps.com, Security Boulevard, Container Journal, and TechstrongTV. The company also works to bring tech leaders, consultants, and vendors together to share their knowledge and learn from each other. This includes through their Techstrong Live! division, which hosts in-person, virtual, and hybrid events.

Shimel continues to be bullish about South Florida’s tech ecosystem, contending that our region has reached a critical mass of tech entrepreneurs and innovators. “It’s like a snowball rolling down a hill: once it’s of a certain size, nothing can stop it.” 

He praised the work of South Florida Tech Hub and other local organizations that have been promoting our ecosystem on national and international levels. However, he hinted at some growing pains facing our region: “The reality is that it’s not less expensive here anymore, and it’s getting more and more crowded.”

That said, Shimel highlighted the Boca Raton/Delray Beach area in particular as a bright light in South Florida’s innovation ecosystem. “We have all the things you need to build a strong community,” he said. That includes universities with top talent, ambitious entrepreneurs, a government friendly to tech, and investors with capital. Boca ticks all the boxes.

“Boca has always been very entrepreneurial, even going back to the IBM days,” underscored Shimel. And the best may be yet to come.

 

Learn more about the Techstrong Group

Business: The go-to source for unbiased information, insights and connections for IT professionals looking to excel personally and professionally

HQ: Boca Raton

Employees: More than 40

Website: TechStrongGroup.com

By Riley Kaminer

Member Spotlight | Techstrong Group

Read Time 3 Minutes

Business: The go-to source for unbiased information, insights and connections for IT professionals looking to excel personally and professionally.

HQ: Boca Raton

Employees: 40

Website: TechStrongGroup.com

The tech world is changing fast, and there is no shortage of information online that purports to keep you abreast of it all. But what can you trust? How do you know that you’re getting the most up-to-date, unbiased info out there? 

Whether you’re a CxO, IT professional, cybersecurity expert, or any other role in the tech industry, you might benefit from some of the Techstrong Group’s resources.

The Boca Raton-based omnichannel content company is empowering people and companies to come together and learn about what’s happening in the worlds of digital transformation, cybersecurity, the cloud, and DevOps.

Techstrong has a handful of business units, including a media arm that runs online communities including DevOps.com, Security Boulevard, Container Journal, and TechstrongTV. They also have a focus on professional associations, bringing tech leaders, consultants, and vendors together to share their knowledge and learn from each other.

Through their Techstrong Live! division, the team will be hosting more in-person, virtual, and hybrid events over the coming months. The company anticipates hosting roadshows and conferences in some of the biggest cities in the US.

One of the most high-profile events they are planning is a Digital CxO conference, which will aim to bring together upwards of 100 C-level executives together for learning and networking in the second quarter of next year.

At the helm of Techstrong is Alan Shimel. This serial entrepreneur has seen his fair share of tech fads over his decades in the industry, and he has a keen ability to identify what trends are here to stay.

“I’m always excited about technology,” Shimel told South Florida Tech Hub. “That’s why I love doing what I do.”

Of course, one of the biggest trends on the minds of technologists today is the so-called ‘Web3’ movement. Shimel is not a fan of the moniker: “it’s just what’s next,” he said.

“I was there for Web 1.0 and Web 2.0. Is crypto real? Right? And blockchain? Yes.”

For Shimel, a lot of the Web3 trends can be traced back to the move towards the cloud. “Covid also accelerated digital transformation,” he acknowledged. 

Having lived in South Florida for the better part of two decades, Shimel is bullish on the local tech ecosystem. He underscored the lack of innovation and tech talent early on: “When I first came down here, it was a desert.” But Shimel asserted that “this began to change a couple of years ago, thanks to some local initiatives.” 

He highlighted South Florida Tech Hub as a particularly beneficial organization, since it aims to unite technologists from the entire region. “Traditionally, what’s held South Florida back is that every 10 miles is a new territory of someone who controls that local scene, whether it’s an organization or a university or company.” Shimel said that bringing the tech community together on a regional basis will help compete with other innovation hotspots he’s experienced, such as Austin and Boulder.

The Techstrong Group is hiring! Learn more about joining this rapidly-growing team by visiting TechstrongGroup.com.

Engineer the Change scholarship expands access to South Florida tech jobs while expanding our regional talent pool 
Techstrong Group’s Alan Shimel on the state of South Florida tech
Member Spotlight | Techstrong Group