ColorStack x Futureforce: An Inside Look at a Diversity Partnership

Meet Carson Johnson, a current senior at the University of Florida. It was through Salesforce's partnership with ColorStack, a tech non profit working to increase the number of Black and Latinx Computer Science graduates, that Carson found his path into the tech industry. Overcoming initial uncertainties and embracing opportunities have shaped Carson's career aspirations. Carson shares his story and provides advice for aspiring interns.

1. Can you tell us about your journey to becoming an intern at our company through our partnership program?

I joined ColorStack three years ago during my sophomore year of college. This opened my mind to the possibility of joining Salesforce, a previously daunting prospect. ColorStack was key to helping me discover the opportunities at Salesforce and how to apply. Additionally, having a community (ColorStack) allowed me to meet and interact with other people my age who work in a similar field — gaining and giving advice that directly relates to us.

2. What unique opportunities has this partnership provided you with that you might not have had elsewhere?

Joining ColorStack has provided me with an array of resources and opportunities, and their partnership with Futureforce has shown Salesforce’s priority of diversity. I don’t know of another top tech company with initiatives like this that have made such an impact.

One opportunity that stands out to me is ColorStack’s Fam Friday. This is a mini-conference on the last Friday of every month, where companies including Salesforce attend. During this conference Futureforce provided both technical interview prep and behavioral interview prep. This really helped me get an idea of what to expect going into my interview and helped me feel prepared. Additionally, we were able to complete a mock interview with a couple of real engineers.

3. How has the experience you've gained during your internship aligned with your career goals or academic pursuits?

I knew I wanted to go into tech, but I was a bit intimidated as I noticed there was a lack of diversity in the tech industry. I did a Full Stack bootcamp in college to connect with people in the industry and other students. However, during this experience, my worries were confirmed as there was only one other person of color at the sessions. Shortly after this, the founder of ColorStack posted about Fam Friday on his LinkedIn - this is when I realized I didn't have to worry about the lack of diversity as much as before. I saw Salesforce as an option that wouldn't require sacrificing the things most important to me, diversity and community.

Thanks to the different diversity efforts present at Salesforce, I now feel confident that a job in tech is right for me. My internship really taught me how important it is to work at a company that shares the same values as you, and I was able to find this at Salesforce.

4. Can you share a particularly memorable project or challenge you've tackled during your internship and what you learned from it?

This summer I am working on a machine learning project, where I have to create two models for four different testing frameworks. During this process, I found myself continuously trying to find ways to make it better, and I was not managing my time well. I ended up reaching out to my manager in a 1:1 meeting for advice. My manager explained that the purpose of a sprint is to try and get as much done as you can in two weeks. He said that during this time, take note of all the features you want to adjust in the future, and instead of working on it right then and there, take note of how you can improve in the future.

Additionally from this I learned the importance of time boxing - a method of time managment, working on one task per set time period then moving to the next. This is very important to ensure you are managing your time effectively. My mentor taught me this method and suggested I focus on the most important first, and move on to the next thing when the time box is up. I found this method extremely helpful and will continue to use it moving forward.

5. As an intern coming through our partnership program, what advice would you give to future interns hoping to make the most of this opportunity?

When I first started at Salesforce I was very nervous as it was my first time in the corporate world. I was worried I wouldn't fit in, and apprehensive being new. ColorStack's career coach gave me an invaluable piece of advice, to focus on getting as much as possible out the internship. You should still try your hardest at your project, but there is much to get out of the internship. This mindset helped me a lot, instead of over worrying about what work you will be doing, ask yourself how much can I learn this summer, what are my team members working on, what are people on other teams working on? What value can this opportunity bring and ultimately what can you bring to Salesforce?

If you are thinking about going into tech, 100% join ColorStack and apply for a Futureforce internship! This is a life changing community, if you are wanting to go into the tech world, and one that has brought me success. If that is what you want to do, no reason to do it alone. ColorStack has many resources.

For more information on the Futureforce program and open roles be sure to check here.