Career Path of a Hardware Engineer at Google
Bob's career path began with "an interest or desire to really understand the world," nurtured by a hands-on upbringing on a Nebraska farm, which led to a surprising shift from a planned business degree to a PhD in physics at UC Santa Barbara. After a brief return to farming, a stint at a photonics startup, and connections from graduate school, Bob joined Google's quantum computing effort five years ago, where he continues to work.
Career Path, Physics, Quantum Computing, Hardware Engineering, Graduate School
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Bob Buckley
Hardware Engineer
Fortune 10 Tech Co.
UNL
UCSB
Engineering - Mechanical
Technology
Product / Service / Software Development and Management
First Generation College Student
Video Highlights
1. Bob's career path highlights a unique blend of hands-on experience and academic pursuits, starting from fixing equipment on his family farm to pursuing a PhD in physics. This illustrates the value of diverse experiences in building a career.
2. His journey from initially planning a business degree to switching to engineering and physics, then working in a startup before joining Google Quantum, demonstrates the importance of adaptability and pursuing passions within a career path.
3. Bob's experience highlights that a career in tech isn't always a linear path. His time farming after graduate school, then transitioning into a startup before joining Google, shows that career paths can be flexible and even include periods outside of traditional tech roles.
Transcript
Could you walk me through your career path, starting with your experiences in college? Did you have any internships or jobs before your current role?
I grew up on a farm in a very remote area in the middle of Nebraska, outside a town of 3,000 people. I really enjoyed learning how things work and fixing equipment.
I always had this desire to understand the world and how things function. That interest carried me to college.
Initially, I planned to get a business degree and return home to farm. However, I enjoyed understanding the world and began taking math and science courses. I ended up switching my major to engineering and physics.
I finished my undergraduate degree and decided to go to graduate school. I pursued a PhD in physics at UC Santa Barbara. There, I felt my studies were very symbiotic with my natural interest in understanding the world, as well as my hands-on background from growing up on a farm.
Growing up, I had no expectation of going to school; it wasn't something my parents emphasized. I was really able to have a continued succession of opportunities. In graduate school, I got to scratch that itch of learning about the world and play with some cool equipment.
After graduate school, I did go home and farm for a little while. Then, I got back into technology and worked for a startup company for a couple of years, making lasers and other cool photonics components.
Some former colleagues from graduate school, who worked at Google in Santa Barbara on the Google Quantum effort, pulled me in about five years ago. I've been here ever since, trying to make a quantum computer.
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