Microsoft - Software Engineer
Working for Microsoft as a Software Engineer where I started in 2013 until 2021. My last project was working on Widgets for Windows 11, after I was moved over to the Shell team and taken completely out of my element. Before then, I used to work on the Composition team in Interactive Experiences Platform and I was also the Community Champ for the space. My features included the Desktop Windows Manager, Direct2D, Font Installation, DPI handling, and am ramping up on the Animations and Rendering pipelines. If you complain about black screens and screen freezing in the Feedback Hub in Windows 10, there's a good chance I was the one triaging your feedback.
Over the previous few years I worked in the Notifications space, primarily cloud notifications - badges, tiles, push notifications (toasts), raw notifications, and connection provider.
Bulk of my early career, I worked on App-to-App space which includes the App Services, Clipboard, Share, and URI Launcher - all those things were the foundation for the Project Rome initiative where every one of those features would work over Bluetooth, Wifi, or cloud across different devices.
I started as an SDET working on Windows 8.1 after being told that my skills better aligned with this path, and that I'd still get to actively work on features. This, of course, was not the case once I got there, and within months of working on automated tests for language packs and correct installations of assets based on device resolution as part of the Modern Resource Technology team. I got the opportunity to pivot my role to Quality (fancy word for reliability and performance focused data science; not to be confused with quality assurance), and then later work in Data and Intelligence.
iD Tech - Instructor
This was a very fun experience - one that cannot be replicated at any office. Located at Yale University, I got to teach 16 students Programming 101 over a summer. Most never seen a programming language, and I took them on the same journey I went down almost a decade earlier. The syllabus included concepts such as primitives, functions, logic, data structures, algorithms, and even bit shifting and pointers. Most of the course was done in C++, but when the students had to work on their capstone projects, daily courses exposed them to HTML/CSS/JavaScript, Java, and Python to show them that we didn't even begin to scratch the surface. I went an extra mile here and held tutoring sessions in the evenings which included students from other classes so that they stop getting frustrated whilst falling behind, and instead grow to like computer science by seeing how easy it can be. My biggest takeaway here was that I really enjoy helping people grow their careers and there is nothing like teaching that really forces you to understand your material and be ready for questions you never thought of asking.
Callaway Digital Arts - Intern turned Software Engineer
While at WPI, one summer I got the opportunity to intern at CDA - which was a book publisher turned iOS app developer. Originally, I made things such a website for requesting time off, where the employee's respective manager would get an email, and would approve via button click. My other role was to file bugs in Jira by physically testing apps. Once the word got out that I had programming knowledge, I was put onto software engineering role, and the doors were kept open to come back whenever I had time to work on apps. I've worked on many apps as a developer, IPs included Sesame Street, Thomas & Friends, Martha Stewart, Angelina Ballerina, and Miss Spider. My first taste of the start-up world, and hopefully not my last - I met some great people here, and learned that with limited resources, being creative and open to wearing many hats is key to both success and personal growth.
Consolidated Edison Company - Engineering Aide
My career started here while I was still in HS - an internship at one of the largest energy companies in the world. My project at ConEd gathered real-time data and monitored loads on feeder cables that make up the power grid. It was very helpful in diagnosing whether we're reaching maximum load, and whether parts of the city were experiencing low voltage. I learned a lot here observing office culture. I cannot say that I particularly enjoyed my time here, especially in comparison to everything that came after it, but the lessons learned were invaluable for my future success.
Shuttle Driver at WPI
This one is not at all directly related to the rest of my career - and I did it while at WPI for about two and a half years to earn some extra income for rent. Aside from meeting all sorts of people, this job gave me a much-needed structure and rhythm to my week. It's the oddball job in my list, and a very different experience that probably scratched the itch I didn't know I had, which was to do something different than what other people expect and keep a growth mindset.