What I’d say to me back then - don’t be afraid to take the long way round for the perfect job, says Confluent’s Stephanie Buscemi

Hailing from Silicon Valley, and growing up right in the heart of the technology industry, Stephanie Buscemi had a very clear career plan when choosing what to study at college and which internships to pursue. And it very much was not technology.

Buscemi’s original goal was to work in broadcasting. She studied broadcast communications at university and did several internships in broadcast journalism. But ultimately she wanted to return to the Bay Area, and breaking into broadcast journalism as a rookie there wasn’t a realistic option. Buscemi says:

In the US, you have to go to a very small market and earn your stripes.

Back in the Bay Area, Buscemi realized how much appreciation she for technology having grown up around it. While she was making the transition in her head from broadcast journalism to which industry and which line of work to pursue instead, she came to ...