Key Skills for a Senior Software Engineer at a Fortune 100 Tech Company
A senior software engineer at a Fortune 100 tech company emphasizes the importance of enjoying coding, "because you're gonna hate it" otherwise. Beyond technical skills, adaptability, collaboration, and effective communication—including navigating diverse teams and cultural nuances—are crucial for success, with networking adding further value by enabling problem-solving through connections.
Coding, Collaboration, Communication, Adaptability, Networking
Advizer Information
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Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
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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. Enjoy coding: Alec emphasizes the importance of genuinely enjoying coding, as it is a crucial aspect of the job and sustained interest is key for success.
2. Adaptability and Collaboration: The ability to adapt to changing expectations, collaborate effectively with others, and communicate clearly are highlighted as essential skills in a dynamic work environment.
3. Communication and Networking: Strong communication skills, particularly in diverse teams, and networking to build relationships and facilitate problem-solving are presented as vital for career advancement and overall effectiveness in the role.
Transcript
What skills are most important for a job like yours?
I would say you really need to enjoy coding. I've spoken with some people in high school or college who want to go into computer science because of the money involved. I will tell you, if you don't like doing it, you shouldn't do it, because you're going to hate it. You have to enjoy it.
You also need to be comfortable with loosely defined expectations and things like that. What is it that we're trying to deliver? That can be specified, but you need to be flexible and able to adjust. The product you're building might adjust over time, or the timing of when it gets done might need to be adjusted.
Sometimes things get pulled forward, and you have to spend more time than you'd like to get something done and out the door. Being adaptable is really important.
Collaboration is also key. I'm going to refer to a hypothetical person who is a bit antisocial, which is a common stereotype for someone in computer science. If you are antisocial, you're not very valuable. You might be able to get your work done, but your ability to make that work meaningful and beneficial to the larger project and team will decrease significantly if you're not communicating and collaborating properly.
Communication is a vital part of collaboration, so it's super important. If you don't know how to communicate properly with others, talk about problems, discuss criticisms, or even just talk about what you're doing, you need to learn. Cut to the chase when asking questions.
In this industry, there are people from all over the world, so you have to understand how to communicate with someone whose understanding of English might be different from yours. This means getting rid of some colloquialisms. However, I don't want to strip away personality and character, which I think helps.
That also leads to networking. You need to meet people and understand how they function and what they do. There are times at work where you'll have transactional relationships, but in ways that are very positive for everyone involved. The more people you know, the more effective you can be at your job.
If someone comes to you with a problem and you don't know how to fix it, but you know the person they need to talk to, you're adding value. Being someone who can connect people to solve problems is another way to be effective.
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