Using Quantum to Build a Future-Proofed Career

Zoe Larsen recently took a leave from her job as a software engineer to support her family. When she came back, everything had changed. AI was taking over and her job security felt non-existent. 

To ensure she didn’t find herself unemployed, she started looking for a new career that had more staying power—a job on the cutting edge and in a real-world industry. When she found CNM Ingenuity’s Quantum Technician Bootcamp, it immediately met both criteria. 

“The bootcamp was perfect because it could help me future-proof myself, and it drew on some of the past knowledge I’d already developed,” Zoe says.  

Zoe enrolled and for 10 weeks, she and her cohort learned about optics, photonics, ultra-high vacuum systems, quantum phenomenon, and quantum information systems. She loved the mix of theoretical work with hands-on learning.  

Lead instructor Brian Rashap purposely designed the bootcamp so that learners don't need a background in math or science. Zoe had a bit of both, so she jumped in. 

"All the instructors were amazing, and it was obvious that they were intentional about the curriculum and brought a lot of their own experience to the class,” she says.  

Zoe loved being part of a new, in-demand, and expanding field and felt privileged to be there even though she wasn’t enrolled in a graduate program.  

She also appreciated the 10-week accelerated course. She’d already seen software engineering change overnight, so she wanted a training where she could skill up fast and not wait years to graduate. 

“There’s nothing wrong with a more traditional education path, but I didn’t have time to wait,” she says. 

Networking, job prep, and other soft skills are built into the Quantum bootcamp, so she took the opportunity to meet industry partners and prepare her resume and work on her interview skills. 

Immediately after graduation, she got an interview with Edwards Vacuum, a third-party contractor at Intel. In the interview, she felt well prepared because of the work she’d done with ultra-high vacuum systems in the bootcamp, and because she knew how to thoughtfully talk about what she’d learned. Edwards immediately offered her the job. 

Today she works in the semiconductor manufacturing area at Intel. Her job is complicated, but simply put, she helps turn the waste byproduct from manufacturing into a more environmentally friendly material.   

Next up is likely another job in quantum. She’s excited to see where the industry goes and wants to continue to be at the front of new developments.  

“It’s been really exciting to be at a point in history where I can be a small part of something that’s moving humanity forward in an important way,” she says.