Interview With an Industry Expert

Introduction

    Today I interviewed Hirokazu Tei, a friend of mine who currently works as a Senior Software Engineer at Snowflake, an AI cloud platform in Seattle. I selected Kaz because he is a very bright, successful software engineer who I have known for many years. With an impressive track record, having worked at companies like Nextdoor and Twitter, I knew he would be a great source of knowledge and could provide me with tips for a successful career in the tech world.

Summary

    Kaz told me that to guarantee a job as soon as possible I should search for internship opportunities. He explained that working within a company will teach me things that can't be learned in an academic setting. He mentioned that in recent months recruiters have been reaching out over Linkedin meaning that many see the end of the hiring freezes that companies have been experiencing. Additionally, if I am struggling to find an internship I should use my available time to work on collaborative projects that can be used in my portfolio. If possible, I should offer my services to someone who is currently working on a project of their own. Some suggestions that he had for me were to familiarize myself with Cloud technology such as AWS and Microsoft Azure and learn front end development tools like CSS. Kaz explained that having experience with these would allow me to build a portfolio website that showcases knowledge and skills during the hiring process.

I was then told that once in the industry, it is important to get the most from the position that I find. I should continue to develop my skills so that instead of seeking a promotion from within a company, I can be scouted by another company through websites like LinkedIn where they will likely offer a pay raise and title promotion. Kaz explained that this is a common trend in the industry and is exactly how he was able to advance to his current position. By letting recruiters reach out to me, I can more reliably progress in my career rather than waiting for advancement internally.

Reflection

This interview helped solidify many of the things I had previously believed while also providing greater insight into how to achieve my goals. I understand that finding a position out of college can be daunting, but with the right amount of effort and guidance it is possible. Additionally, it is highly beneficial to have something to demonstrate your abilities when seeking those initial interviews. His insight into continuing to develop my skills as an engineer while working reinforced my belief that there is always room for improvement in this career path. Learning that recruiters scouting workers from other companies to add to their team has shown me that, while it will take a great deal of work to make myself desirable to another company, the effort can be rewarded.

Future Steps

Using what I have learned, I intend to follow through with his suggestions. While attending the CSUMB online program, I plan to start work on a server that can host my resume as well as additional projects I may work on. I will be using the resources on both AWS and CSS that Kaz has supplied me with. Having this portfolio website could greatly increase my chances of earning an initial interview for an entry level software engineering position. I will also ask my current team members if they might be interested in working on supplemental side projects that we could put into our resumes. Team collaboration is an important aspect of software development, as Kaz explained, and so I should take full advantage of this opportunity. Finally, the career growth as a software developer is nearly limitless. I will continually build my knowledge and skills once hired, focusing on what will make me desirable to companies that may be looking to hire. This way I can leverage the career move to potentially earn a promotion as well as a pay raise. I believe that the knowledge I gained from this interview will help me achieve my goals as a software engineer.