How I got selected as an IBM Z Ambassador and how it went !!

4 min readJan 20, 2022

First of all, before I get started with my experience, let me share a bit about what IBMZ Ambassador Program is.

What is IBM Z AMBASSADOR?

IBM Z Ambassadors–or, Z Ambassadors–are volunteers who play a key role in the IBM Z student community. (It was a 4 months program when I was the ambassador ) The ZAmbassadors help:

Build the IBM Z student community
Spread the word about Master and Mainframe (MTM) and other learning opportunities with members of their campus communities
Advocate for IBM Z Enterprise Computing

What is the ELIGIBILITY?

You must currently be a student.
Understand and speak intermediate English
Be able to volunteer an hour or two a week of your time to be a zambassador
Complete at least Levels 1 and 2 of Master the Mainframe (this can be done during the time you are a zambassador)
Have an interest in technology and mainframe computing.

And that’s it hurryyy, I guess you do meet all the conditions, so what are you waiting for ?? Go and apply now!!!!

Application Process

There was an application form, and I had applied on 30 August 2021, where I had to fill in all the essential details, and we had to answer three essays that were asked in the application form. ( Tips 💡: Try to express your views, ideas and elaborate, because it is one of the main criteria that you get selected on, that’s what I think :) )

Results

After successfully clearing the stage, you will be notified about your selection and seat confirmation via mail.
Eureka! You are selected for the IBMZ AMBASSADOR !!

This year there were approx 100 Z Ambassadors from all over the globe 🙈 and I was one of them. On 8 September 2021, I got a confirmation email.

The Program ✨

We had our first orientation cum welcome session on 9 September 2021 which was conducted by Rachel Head and Veronica, and it was so amazing !!!

(Just ignore the image quality 🥲)

After that, we had a couple of tasks to complete on the YourBigYear website, it was regarding what is the ambassador program and the timeline and syllabus, and about UN Sustainable Development Goals then moving on we discussed about personal branding, networking. During this time, all the zambassadors had to make an introduction video and had to write articles. I had written two articles which got accepted and published on the IBM Community Hub

Then we had technical related sessions where we discussed MainFrame, MTM (Master the Mainframe), and many more. We did our technical task on the imbzxplore , and my fellow ambassadors were very helpful, they did help me out whenever I got stuck. In case, you want to learn and get an idea about the mainframe, do check this video.

We even had frequent meetups with other ambassadors, it use to be a virtual round table discussion, where all the ambassadors discussed about mainframes and the task given to us, and much more. This was actually my favorite part of the whole program.

I’ve earned the highest number of badges, having successfully completed the Z Ambassador Training, UN SDGs Training, and Personal Growth Training.

Last but not the least, it’s about learning, exploring, and sharing. Just grab as many opportunities as you can and try to learn from them. This program gave me a lot of exposure.

If you have decided to do this, then do it right away. Don’t overthink or procrastinate. If you have any queries regarding this, feel free to reach out to me on LinkedIn or Twitter.

If you like this Medium or it helped you in any way, please like💓 and do comment if you have anything to add, it would help other aspirants who want to apply and be a part of this amazing program! :)