College Experiences That Helped A Senior Software Engineer At A Fortune 100 Technology Company Succeed
Alec's undergraduate experience included joining a fraternity, which, despite distractions, enhanced social skills, and a senior project building a multimedia jukebox. This project required learning Linux and other software, providing a significant "boost" to the start of Alec's career by preemptively teaching skills otherwise learned on the job.
Technology, Project Management, Problem-Solving, Communication, Teamwork
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Alec Reitter
Senior Software Engineer
Fortune 100 Technology Company
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
none
Computer Science
Arts, Entertainment & Media, Technology
Product / Service / Software Development and Management
Greek Life Member
Video Highlights
1. Join a fraternity or similar social group to improve networking and social skills.
2. Take on challenging technical projects, even if you don't have all the skills beforehand. This will help you learn and grow.
3. Learn Linux and other relevant software during your college years to give yourself a head start in your career.
Transcript
What did you do in your undergrad to set you up for success in your career?
I did join a fraternity, which I know comes with certain assumptions. Despite all the distractions it provided, and in some ways it delayed my graduation a little bit, it was a lot of socializing and meeting people. I was just having a good time in ways that didn't feel like they were necessarily helping me with what would become my career.
But in some small, subtle ways, it helped me be more social and more out there. Then, on the technical side and the approach to learning and creating things, which is a large part of my job, at Cal Poly we had a senior project. For my senior project, I was building a multimedia jukebox.
That was an emergent thing at the time. I wanted a machine I could connect to my TV that didn't look like a computer, even though it was. I knew I needed to learn Linux, the software I needed, and how to install it all. I didn't know much at all then, but I jumped in.
Along the way, I learned a lot of technical things that definitely helped me at the beginning of my career. These were things I would have learned on the job, but they really gave me a boost.
Advizer Personal Links