College Experiences That Helped a Software Engineer at a Tech Company Succeed
Matthew, a Software Engineer III, suggests that college success stems from developing general skills applicable regardless of career path, such as "time management" and "critical thinking" – the ability to distill complex problems. Matthew emphasizes the value of diverse experiences, even seemingly throwaway ones like on-campus jobs, alongside intellectual curiosity and the ability to mentor and learn from others.
Time Management, Critical Thinking, Mentorship, General Skills, Intellectual Curiosity
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Matthew Gagliardi
Software Engineer III
Big Tech Company
University of San Diego
U.C. Berekely . M.A. mathematics
Mathematics, Data Science, Statistics, Philosophy
Arts, Entertainment & Media, Technology
Product / Service / Software Development and Management
Took Out Loans
Video Highlights
1. Time management and understanding deadlines are crucial skills applicable to any career path, emphasizing their importance beyond specific technical skills.
2. Developing critical thinking skills, such as analyzing complex problems and explaining them concisely, is essential regardless of your major.
3. Learning how to be a mentor and effectively utilize resources like office hours by preparing thoughtful questions demonstrates valuable skills for any profession.
Transcript
What did you do in college to set you up for success?
That's an interesting one, because I didn't have a particular career in mind in college, as an undergrad or even as a grad student. But I think there are certain general things you can do that will be useful regardless of your career path.
So, learning some of the things I alluded to earlier, like time management, understanding how deadlines work, and the mentoring aspect, are important for whatever job you do. As an undergrad, I did tutoring and worked in an on-campus restaurant. Don't treat those experiences as throwaway. You will learn something from those opportunities that will pay dividends later.
That's why it's okay to be an undergrad or a grad student and still not have your mind made up as to which path you want to be on. In my profession, the skills that are most important are general skills.
Really, critical thinking is key. Are you able to look at a complex problem and isolate the actual pain points? Or how could you distill it into a 10-minute summary for someone you had to explain it to? That's something you'll have to think about, whether you're a business major, a CS major, or an English major.
I also mentioned time management. Learning how to be a mentor is important, right? Can you explain what you're working on to somebody? Are you able to be taught? When you go to office hours, do you go in with a list of thoughtful questions? Have you done preparation to talk to your professor or your TA? Treat that person as having valuable time and limited resources. Learning all that is key.
And I think if you can do that and you have intellectual curiosity, if you end up in software engineering in tech, you will be set up for success. Obviously, if you already know you want to do that, there are certain classes you should be taking that will help you get up and running faster. But learning those general skills is invaluable. That was probably the best thing college did for me.