What Type Of Person Thrives In The Tech Industry, According To A Google Software Engineer
Jay, a Google Software Engineer and Tech Lead, identifies "focus" and "results-oriented" individuals as thriving in the tech industry, explaining that the abundance of options makes it easy to get distracted from key objectives and results ("OKRs"). Success hinges on delivering working products efficiently and within budget, not on minor technological choices.
Focus, Results-Oriented, Goal-Setting, Project Management, Problem-Solving
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Jay Zelenkov
Software Engineer; Tech Lead
Munich University of Applied Sciences, 2012
N/A
Computer Science
Technology
Product / Service / Software Development and Management
International Student, Honors Student, Took Out Loans, Immigrant, Worked 20+ Hours in School, First Generation College Student
Video Highlights
1. Focus and results-orientation are key to thriving in the tech industry.
2. It's easy to get distracted in tech, so staying focused on primary goals is crucial.
3. Success in software engineering is measured by delivering working products efficiently and within budget, not by choosing specific technologies or APIs.
Transcript
How would you describe people who typically thrive in this industry?
That's a really good question. I've been thinking a lot about that, and I can give a general answer. I'm not sure if it applies only to my industry or to most industries in general, but my answer would be this: People who thrive in tech are people who are very focused and results-oriented.
I can elaborate a bit more. In large tech companies, there are usually OKRs for the company, for your team, and for yourself. OKRs mean objectives and key results, so like your targets for your quarter or your year. You succeed by completing them.
It's almost like a to-do list that can be very clearly defined or ambiguous, depending on your level and the challenges you want to see for yourself. But there are so many options and things to explore that it's tempting to solve one problem, then the next, and the next. It's almost too easy to get distracted.
It's almost too easy to lose sight of the primary goal you have for your year. That's why I think focus is critical to succeeding in tech, because it's just easy to get distracted. It's too easy to start looking at problems that don't matter as much, or technology that doesn't matter.
You can get caught up worrying about things like, "Should I use this API or that API?" or "This platform or that platform?" In the end, that doesn't matter. What matters is: Do you have a product, feature, or part of your product that works as required? Did you deliver it fast? Is it stable? Was it delivered under or at budget?
These are, I would say, the critical aspects that contribute to success in software engineering.