The talented people coming into Datacom ‘Mission Ready’

• Mission Ready is an upskilling programme that helps people wanting to break into the tech industry, either as a career switch-up or to enhance their existing skills.  

• As a proud partner of the initiative, Datacom gives Mission Ready candidates on-hands experience and real-world exposure to the many sectors of the technology industry.  

• These candidates work on real projects, receive industry mentoring and complete a structured work placement.

Not everyone’s path into technology starts with a degree. For many, it begins with a decision to try something new. That’s where Mission Ready comes in – a tech career accelerator helping people from all backgrounds break into the technology industry. 
 
Built for career-switchers and those wanting to upskill in tech, the programme combines theory with practical experience. Over 12–32 weeks, depending on the course they enrol in, candidates get stuck into real-world projects while being guided by professionals working in the industry every day. 
 
Datacom is a proud partner of the initiative and has taken on many Mission Ready cohorts, giving their candidates hands-on experience and real-world exposure to the many sectors of the technology industry. 
 
During a recent intake, four Mission Ready candidates – Mikha Jeon, Rithvik Sharma, Ben Schaumkel and Gavin Yan – developed Product Hub, a centralised internal platform where Datacom employees can upload and share technology tools or innovations they’ve created beyond their day-to-day roles. 
 

Mikha Jeon made the segue into the technology industry after hearing positive feedback about Mission Ready from a friend. 
 
“I originally come from an architecture background, and I had a friend who was also in architecture when he decided he wanted a change in industry and had enrolled into Mission Ready.” 
 
Jeon’s first exposure to tech project management came from helping some friends with personal tech projects that later evolved into startups and product ventures. “I had a few friends already in tech, so I had insight from them before entering the field myself.” 
 
The experience sparked his interest in business analysis and product management, ultimately leading him to enrol in Mission Ready’s Diploma in Business Analysis. 
 
For Jeon, the shift from architecture to tech ultimately came down to impact and delivery. 
 
“I think the killing point for me to eventually give up architecture was that I was designing projects for months and months and months, and then you share those drawings … and most often, they don’t get built. Whereas in tech you get stuck right into ideation and design, and when a project in tech eventually reaches an audience, it usually reaches way more people than a single building would.” 

Hear about what these Mission Ready candidates learnt from their placement at Datacom.

Jeon says it was beginning to feel like an unfortunate new normal for graduates to finish their degrees without knowing what to do next or having a clear pathway into their chosen industries. In contrast, he says Mission Ready offered a more structured transition into employment through practical experience and business exposure. 
 
“The value that Mission Ready proposed is that you become ready to work – which is implied by the name. It gave a workplace learning experience, which is what's really valued by employers.” 
 
That practical experience was also a major drawcard for Mission Ready full-stack developer intern, Rithvik Sharma. 
 
After graduating with a bachelor's degree in computer science, Sharma spent almost a year applying for jobs. The recurring feedback from hiring managers was that he lacked industry experience, which ultimately led him to Mission Ready to “solidify his foundations and technical skills.” 
 
While Sharma says university gave him a strong grounding in theory, Mission Ready allowed him to apply those skills through building real-world projects. During his workplace experience at Datacom, he contributed to a project designed for real users – the Product Hub. 
 
“I gained confidence through building our practical project – the Product Hub. I really appreciated having contact with the mentors for questions, advice or feedback.” 
 
For Sharma, the collaborative environment also stood out as a key part of the experience. “It was great working with other Mission Ready candidates we were coming in with the same excitement and keenness to learn.” 
 
Another full-stack developer intern from Mission Ready, Gavin Yan, says the programme’s industry-focused approach helps candidates feel more prepared for future roles in tech. Drawn to artificial intelligence solutions, he adds the course built on his university foundation by providing agile software development experience and exposure to the AI technologies shaping the industry. 
 
Mission Ready intern Ben Schaumkel also valued the practicality of Mission Ready. “It’s been great integrating into an actual team and using the workplace resources.” 
 
Schaumkel, like Jeon, made a career transition to the tech sphere, moving from a graphic design background into UX design after discovering Mission Ready while searching online for UX bootcamps. 

CEO and co-founder of Mission Ready, Diana Sharma, says the success of the Product Hub cohort reflects the value of connecting aspiring tech professionals with real-world industry experience. 
 
“The biggest barrier we see for career-changers and new entrants isn't capability, it's the lack of a bridge between potential and opportunity. Mission Ready exists to build that bridge and we believe that talent is everywhere; they just need the right environment to grow. 
 
“Datacom understood that vision from day one, and over eight years of partnership they've consistently shown what it looks like when a large organisation genuinely invests in people. That commitment to our candidates has never wavered and it means the world to us. 
 
“What this cohort achieved with Product Hub in just ten weeks is a perfect example of what hire-ready talent looks like when industry and education work together with a shared commitment to people; and we couldn't ask for a better partner to make that real.” 

For Datacom principal consultant and Mission Ready mentor Dipesh Trikam, the growth of the candidates throughout their placement has been particularly rewarding to witness. 
 
"Working with this cohort on the Product Hub, it was impressive to see how quickly they turned their skills into something tangible. With AI in the mix, we’re now able to go from idea to product within 10 weeks, which is a big shift from when getting to a proof of concept alone was difficult. Over that time, you could really see their confidence and ownership grow as they started operating like a true product team.”