UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — After earning his bachelor’s degree from the Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology in 2009, Joel Gill Jr. has established himself in a tech consulting career and has learned from a variety of experiences and mentors. Now, with interests that span technology, business, music and cooking, he’s reflecting on his journey and sharing with current IST students the insights he’s gained — including the importance of team dynamics.
“Group work is huge in the College of IST,” Gill Jr. said. “I hated group work when I was on campus, but those projects we did in class are the same as what I experience in the real world. It was incredible preparation.”
That exposure to how people think and work, along with professional roles with Deloitte and Grant Thornton, has helped Gill Jr. thrive within the tech consulting industry. His current role with Guidehouse, in which he helps organizations and government agencies modernize their systems and transform how they operate, is a continuation of his lifelong love of technology.
In elementary school, he helped to install computers, upgrade systems, and complete any other tech-related projects his computer teacher needed. A classically trained saxophonist, he went to a specialized high school for music. While he grew his craft there, he began receiving letters from colleges — including Penn State — that pulled him back to his interests in technology.
Gill Jr. originally began his college career at Penn State Schuylkill, where he looked for ways to merge his love of technology with business through programs that prioritized human interaction. But as the first person in his family to attend college, he wasn’t aware of the number of resources available to help him find the right direction.
“I didn’t really know what it meant to be a first-generation student, so I really just tried to wing it and rely on the new friendships and mentors I found at Penn State,” he said.
One of those mentors helped Gill Jr. realize that the College of IST could be the perfect fit.
“Dr. Elinor Madigan was leading the IST program at Schuylkill when I enrolled, and she was doing a lot to build up the program there,” he explained. “I had a lot of conversations with her about my interests and goals, and she ultimately helped me figure out my path.”
That path included pursuing his degree in IST and transitioning to the University Park campus. Once there, he gained a new perspective while serving as a learning assistant for a class with then-IST lecturer Irene Petrick.
“I got to see how and why she challenged us, and I really respect her for how she treated us as students. She modeled how I wanted to perform and act in my future career and became a wonderful supporter and mentor to me,” he said.
With his goal of earning his degree in sight, Gill Jr. turned to Madhavi Kari, who at the time was leading the college’s career solutions office and now serves as IST’s assistant director of diversity, equity and inclusion. Kari advised him on how to make meaningful connections with recruiters and be more efficient in his job search. Ultimately, this support helped him land his first job as a systems analyst with Gunnison Consulting Group Inc. in Washington, D.C.
Soon after, he earned his MBA from the University of Maryland and, with his career in motion, he has found more time for his hobbies. An avid baker and cook, he will lead a virtual session on creative grilling during the Penn State Cooking Classic on Wednesday, Feb. 8. A self-described mad scientist in the kitchen, he is excited to demonstrate a grill’s versatility and showcase the creativity that helps him balance his often more rigid work environment.
“Consultants are thought leaders and idea generators, but we need to function within our client’s parameters,” he explained. “Cooking allows me to express that creativity. It challenges me to think about how I can take something so normal like my grill and do something unique.”
To find balance and success in their professional and personal lives, he encourages current students to learn about their communication styles and the difference between persuasive and positional power so they can tap into everyone’s potential. He knows firsthand how this can help them persevere when they face challenging situations.
“You’re going to face adversity, but no matter how difficult some experiences may be, you have to figure out how you can take away something positive,” he said. “You can always learn new technical skills, but how you handle adversity will shape your attitude and resolve and, ultimately, how much you can grow.”