Accelerate Offsite: A Catalyst for Growth

At our annual Citadel Securities technology offsite, Accelerate, members of our technology and low-latency teams from around the world gathered for three days in sunny Scottsdale, Arizona to learn, problem-solve and network.

Convening opportunities like Accelerate provide context—on what we do, how we do it, industry topics and trends. Over 200 of our team members—including our newest early career  hires from campus, new lateral hires and tech leadership came together for this year’s event.

We devised Accelerate to help engineers grow in their careers, providing technical exposure and networking opportunities to help them find the path that aligns with their interests and strengths. As Chief Technology Officer Josh Woods shared, the offsite aims to provide attendees with the tools and opportunities they need to advance their skills and take ownership of their career development. Participants can:

1. Develop Complementary Skills: We emphasize the importance of branching out beyond your main skill set—what Josh called, “finding your second dimension.” He said, “As you look at people who have achieved extraordinary things, one of the things you’ll notice is that they’re not just deep in one particular area.” The idea is to pick up complementary skills that can help you stand out and make a bigger impact.
2. Invest in Personal Growth: The program offers insights into the business, facilitates valuable connections and provides resources for career management. Attendees are encouraged to go beyond programming to network with others and find mentors to provide guidance and support. 
3. Commit to Action: The key is to help participants take initiative: set goals, start small and keep pushing forward. Success comes from actively managing your career and using resources like training and mentorship to keep growing.