Irma Olguin Jr.
Bitwise Industries
Fresno, CA USA
"If we really want to change things, we shouldn’t wait for accidents to happen. We can be more deliberate about who gets the opportunity to be in these positions."
Career Roadmap
Irma's work combines: Technology, Entrepreneurship, and Accomplishing Goals
See more careers and stories that connect to your interests.
Take Roadmap Quiz
Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
Computer Science
The University of Toledo
Here's the path I recommend for someone who wants to be a Co-Founder & CEO:
Bachelor's Degree: Computer Science
Learn more about different paths to this career
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life has been direct
1.
I come from a family of farm laborers who immigrated to California to follow the farm and food industry.
2.
Because of my family’s background, I didn’t think that college was for me—however, a series of serendipitous moments led to me going away to college and majoring in computer science.
3.
While in college, I started building websites for clients, which was my first taste of entrepreneurship.
4.
After five years, I graduated college into a high-growth, high-demand career industry.
5.
I realized that technology was radically changing the world and I wanted to bring that back to my hometown, so I moved back to Fresno, California.
6.
After returning to Fresno, I created 59DaysOfCode, which was a competition that encouraged and highlighted the tech industry in California’s Central Valley.
7.
A year later, I co-founded Hashtag Fresno and then Edit LLC with the goal of solving data and efficiency problems in the agriculture industry.
8.
I co-founded Bitwise Industries to strengthen Fresno’s tech industry and use it as an economic driver to elevate the city in that space—I currently manage the company as the CEO.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Society in general:
Opportunity is for other people, not me.
How I responded:
I come from a family of farm laborers and never saw college as attainable for someone like me. Not only was it not encouraged by my family, but there were always blockers when I attempted to grab at the opportunity. For example, I got a scholarship offer to an out-of-state school but had no means to leave my home and actually go. My family recycled cans and bottles for a whole summer to afford a bus ticket for me to go. It was a 2500-mile bus trip!
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
As the first to go to college, I had no idea how to navigate the system. When I got to my orientation, I didn't even know what a major was. Additionally, I felt guilty for taking advantage of an opportunity that hadn't been given to my family before.
My college classes were a struggle for me because I went into computer science and engineering not really knowing how to do anything. It felt like I was just barely keeping my head above water among classmates who were far more prepared for 5 years.
I come from a very conservative town, so coming out was the scariest thing I've done. However, looking back, I wish I had done it sooner. Once you start living as your true, authentic self, everything else in terms of fear pales in comparison.