Kim Celentano of VirtualJobShadow.com
An exclusive Tech Tribune Q&A with Kim Celentano, the co-founder and CEO of VirtualJobShadow, which was honored in our:
Tell us the origin story of VirtualJobShadow – what problem were you trying to solve and why?
VirtualJobShadow.com was originally created to address the issue that almost every student on the planet grapples with: “What do I want to do when I grow up?”. I certainly struggled to answer that question in high school, and found my time at college to be completely unhelpful in terms of deciding which career to pursue. There was a chasm between college academics and workforce opportunity. How were we supposed to decide what to do if we barely knew what our options were? I think today it’s even harder. The world of work is constantly changing. The impact of technology on careers is enormous, yet very few students are exposed to those options, and still think in terms of careers from the 1950’s. What VirtualJobShadow.com does is bridge the worlds of the modern workforce and education in a way that allows any individual using our platform to gain tremendous insight into career choice. We provide “day in the life” videos of real people at actual jobs to give personal insight into what each career entails. Video is so much more engaging than text. Today, VirtualJobShadow.com is a comprehensive college and career readiness platform that serves students and job seekers in all 50 states.
What was the biggest hurdle you encountered in your journey?
As an ed tech company in 2020, the biggest hurdle we’ve dealt with is probably the slow speed at which public education transforms, especially in regards to technology itself. Digital inequity is crippling many school systems, as witnessed in real time by the current Covid crisis. The fact that every public school still isn’t providing every registered K-12 student with a basic laptop or tablet with mobile hotspots if needed is painful. It’s 2020, not 2000.
What does the future hold for VirtualJobShadow?
Interest in our online college and career products is off the charts right now (we also have a Career Exploration Course and VJSJunior.com, an educational platform for K-5). Not only are we in the midst of what should hopefully be a permanent shift towards vast (and equitable) technological advances in school systems, but we also intersect 21st century workforce needs directly with 21st century education, which is a very timely issue.
What are your thoughts on the local tech startup scene in Asheville?
The more tech companies in Asheville, the better. We want to be able to attract more IT talent and people experienced in SaaS operations into Asheville as the scene expands.
What’s your best advice for aspiring entrepreneurs?
Coming up with great business ideas to change the world is actually the easy part. Turning your ideas into a profitable business is an entirely different animal. My advice?
- You better be sure your idea is that good.
- Hone your business skills as much as possible in whatever job you’re working before you quit.
- Expect the road to success to be way harder than it looks – then roll your sleeves up and go do it.