College Experiences That Helped A Software Engineer Succeed As A Freelancer
Ryan, a software engineer, advises college students to explore their interests early, citing their own regret at not pursuing coding sooner. Successfully navigating college involves developing strong project management skills—breaking down large tasks into manageable steps and utilizing effective time management—skills directly transferable to the demands of a software engineering career where multitasking and prioritizing are essential.
Project Management, Time Management, Coding, Problem-Solving, Career Exploration
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Ryan Yost
Software Engineer
Freelance/Contractor
University of Michigan
None
Spanish & Other Languages, Economics
Technology
Product / Service / Software Development and Management
Honors Student, Greek Life Member
Video Highlights
1. Explore your interests early: Don't hesitate to try new things, especially if you're passionate about them. College provides a safe environment to explore various fields, including coding or other areas that interest you.
2. Develop strong project management skills: Break down large tasks into smaller, manageable steps. This is crucial for both academic projects and software engineering, where you might work on several projects simultaneously.
3. Good time management is essential: Juggling multiple responsibilities is key to success. Balance academics with part-time work and extracurriculars to build valuable time management skills applicable to the demands of a software engineering career. Good grades are helpful, but it's not the only thing that matters.
Transcript
What did you do in undergrad to set you up for success in your career?
One thing I didn't do was follow my instinct and explore coding. I was signed up for a Python coding course, but it was my last semester and I already had a job, so I took a one-credit dinosaurs class instead.
So, if you're interested in something and you're in college, that is the time to explore it. I wasted two and a half years in finance doing something I did not like at all.
Generally, like general skills, especially coding, are big projects a lot of the time. You need to be able to break a project down into accomplishable, measurable steps. Be able to say, "Okay, I'm going to start it now and I'm going to be able to finish in around three weeks."
The same skills apply when you're writing an essay. For a big essay or a big project that's due in two months, I'll do the outline with six weeks left. I'll do the rough draft with four weeks left. Not waiting until the last second is definitely a necessity to make sure you're delivering quality.
Good grades don't hurt. I'm sure that helped. It's a number that has to be on the resume, and if you see a low number, it's not great to see, but there are other things to look at.
Then there's time management. I always had a part-time job in college. You have to balance so many things in any position. In software engineering, you might be multitasking a lot, have four projects going at once, or have to fix a bug in the middle of working on a new project.
So, just being able to understand and not get overwhelmed by having lots of things going on at once is important. If you can keep yourself busy during college and navigate it, that's a good skill.