CITI Letter: A special message from our founder

Dear CITIzens and Supporters,

I've been reflecting on the CITI community, our progress, and what the future holds.

For those who don’t know, CITI began with a LinkedIn post encouraging professionals to consider tech as a career path. That post led to over 150 people reaching out, eager to connect, and soon after, we began what has become a Wednesday night tradition—an online meetup for those seeking their way into tech.

Since then, much has changed, yet much remains the same.

What can we celebrate?

• We now meet over 200 times a year.
• We've helped over 300 professionals find their next step in tech.
• We've recorded over 200 events.
• We've established chapters in Calgary, Edmonton, and Vancouver, with Toronto and Winnipeg on the horizon.
• We've worked with industry to build more inclusive workplaces.
• We piloted our first leadership development program.
• We have partnerships with SAIT, Lighthouse Labs, and Momentum.
• We offer a toolbox that includes Career Compass, Mindset, Career Exploration, and soon, the Professional Image tool.
• Today, we have around 400 members actively engaged in CITI.
• We have an ambassador team of 11 and over 60 advisors.
• We’ve established an onboarding process focused on vision, goals, focus areas, and activities.
• In the last year, we have had over 650 posts, 4,000 comments, and 20,000 messages among members.

What remains the same?

We are dedicated to helping professionals build their dream careers—a place of self-discovery and exploration, where building a fulfilling career is the ultimate goal. This hasn’t changed.

We now view the world through frameworks we’ve discovered:

The Career Success Formula:

• A role that leverages your strengths
• A culture that aligns with your values
• A mission that brings out your purpose

We also emphasize professional development around the CITI Big Three:

• Professional Branding
• Projects & Portfolio
• Relationship Building

At our core, we remain a place of authenticity, helping our members feel supported and providing a sense of belonging in their careers. We’re a connection point for diverse professionals, embodying the quote from Kateryna Gorlai, “Erasing Borders, Erasing Barriers,” which I truly appreciate.

Overall, we are a community—a community of support and connection, centered around learning and growth. We are the real-life example of the saying, “If you want to go far, go together.” This is core to our members knowing that they are not alone in building a tech career they love.

These three attributes remain true and will never change:

• Meaningful and fulfilling careers
• Supportive community
• Learning and growing together

So, what has changed?

As with any organization, we are maturing, and so are our members.

Many are successfully finding their place, and we are evolving with them. We are establishing our brand as a go-to source for career discovery and advisory. We are connecting ecosystems and expanding across Canada. We’re also supporting professionals who are more established in their careers.

In this regard, CITI is focusing on these core areas:

1. Establishing our brand and building credibility
2. Continuously improving the membership experience
3. Providing support and programs in career advancement and influence-building
4. Partnering with industry as a collaborator in developing talent

Our goal is to help members find their place, become the leaders they aspire to be—whether people or technical leaders—and eventually provide resources and programs to help those leaders strengthen their organizations.

At every step, we will advocate for diverse and inclusive workplaces. Our vision is to be a professional development association that drives positive change in the technology ecosystem across Canada and beyond—perhaps even beyond the tech industry.

To all the CITIzens, supporters, and friends, I want to thank you. This journey has been incredibly rewarding and demanding. We have much more work to do, and we couldn’t do it without you.

Lastly, I wanted to share some important updates with you:

1. Returning to Our Cadence: Wednesday Night Traditions, Tuesday Connects, Monthly In-Person
   • We started as a Wednesday night meetup and moved to biweekly over time. We are now returning to weekly meetings. Every week, same time, same place, we’ll gather for interactive workshops followed by networking (6pm MST / 8pm EST).
   • On Tuesday afternoons (5pm MST / 7pm EST), we’ll meet for community connects, including office hours, hot seats, and networking sessions—same time.
   • In each established chapter, we are committing to monthly in-person meetups, as we know in-person connection is vital.
     
     
2. Onboarding Improvements - Vision, Goals, and Focus Areas
   • We have a new onboarding process at CITI, which includes helping members build out their career vision, goals, and focus areas.
   • We’ll hold quarterly sessions to help members create their own plans, tied to CITI activities. You can check out the new Career Worksheet in CITI.
     
     
3. The CITI Team
   • CITI has expanded over the years. Tracy Crape is our community manager, Tianna Yik is our Digital Marketing Intern, and Katie Attard is our Operations Consultant.
   • Deborah Hope-Uwa has been a longstanding team member of CITI as our community coordinator. We are saying goodbye to Debbie as part of the CITI team, but she’s sticking with us as a member! We wish her the best in her future endeavors and hope she remains a staple in the CITI Vancouver chapter.
     
     
4. Career Mentorship and Leadership Development
   
   • We piloted a leadership development program in the spring. Our plan is to continue growing this, creating a more structured support system for members looking to advance their careers in leadership roles. This is still a work in progress, and we are aiming to create a program that companies will sponsor on behalf of their teams.
     
     
5. Partnering with Companies on Inclusive Workplaces and Talent
   • We are continuing our research and programming to educate tech employers on building inclusive workplaces. We are looking to form formal partnerships with these companies to ensure they are creating diverse and inclusive environments.

If you’ve made it this far, thank you for your attention and support. We will continue to support our members in creating authentic careers, advancing as influencers, and being partners to the community and employers.

Do you have any feedback about CITI, our celebrations, or direction? I would love to hear from you. Share your thoughts by responding to this email.

Our path won’t be a linear upward journey, as CITI, like our members, is discovering, exploring, and iterating.

Wishing you fruitful, adventurous, and impactful years to come.

Yours truly,
Zac

Zachary Novak (he/him)

Careers In Technology And Innovation

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