Tell us a bit about yourself and your academic journey.
I started my academic journey at the University of California, Merced. I got my undergraduate degree in Applied Mathematics with an emphasis in computational bio. After that, I decided to go pursue a master’s degree, because I felt like I did not have as much computer science background as I needed in the workforce.
Why did you choose MSSE?
I was looking for a one-year program. I graduated from undergrad early, and I wanted to finish all my higher education in four years. But with a master’s degree, I felt that would be super beneficial for me. I also had this background in computational biology, but I wasn’t quite sure if I wanted to pursue that angle. I was interested in software engineering programs that seemed to apply it in the sciences. I just felt like overall what this program was going to offer really covered those marks. Also, there was a large emphasis on Machine Learning in this program compared to other software engineering programs that are more strictly back-end or front-end. So that really drew me to it, because I felt Machine Learning was really starting to skyrocket and propel forward. I felt that would be really beneficial for career growth.
Tell us about your role at Northrop Grumman.
So currently, I work for Northrop Grumman. I’m a Level Two Associate Software Engineer for them through a Pathways Program. Their Pathways Program is for new grads, and it allows you the opportunity to move between different teams and work on different projects. So you can find what sections you’re most interested in, and what’s going to be the most beneficial for you. I’m contracted for this Space Force, also, which I think is super great, because it puts you in a really high level of professionalism. It’s been really intriguing and eye-opening.
What aspects of Northrop Grumman’s mission and the projects are most motivating to you?
One thing that really drew me to this company was actually this program in general. I got hired through the Society of Women in Engineering conference. They had presentations from different companies, and they discussed a lot about their work-life balance. I currently work 980. So I work 80 hours in nine days, and then we get an extra day off. That schedule works well for me. The Pathways Program has a lot of benefits. There’s a big focus on career development, professional development sessions, and one-on-one work with our managers. We also get to rotate each year. Right now I’m in Colorado Springs. It’s kind of different for me, but if I decide I don’t like it here, I could request to move anywhere else as long as they have programs there.
The work that I’m doing also feels very meaningful. It doesn’t feel like I’m making a website or just something to benefit the company. What we’re doing is actually to protect people or to benefit the rest of society. Whatever I produce has a lot more weight on it in terms of its application.
It’s also nice to work for a large company with a lot of resources and help. They’re not going to throw everything at me, and there’s lots of people who can offer support. This is a really good balance of the benefits of a big company, but still having meaningful work being done. I definitely think originally I didn’t see myself going down this path, but I love it here and I really like working on things that are helpful to other people.
What are you excited to work on in your new role?
It was exciting to go into a department that needed more Machine Learning and Software Engineering skills and be able to make a meaningful impact quickly. Overall I’m interested in these aspects–getting to do some real projects, no more homework assignments, and using my skills to make a difference and do great work for my team.
What skills or knowledge from the MSSE program have been most valuable in landing your current role?
The Machine Learning course the first semester was extremely valuable. It is a huge part of what I’m doing right now, and I feel like it covers most of the bases. Even though right now, I’m making a model I didn’t previously learn in the program, I know how to read the documentation, I know about loss functions, I know about everything that goes into it, and I know how to work with it. On top of that, I appreciated the resources of the TAs and our professors in general, like if I did have a question, they could point me to resources, and that was super beneficial, and knowing I still have that connection outside of the program. Along with that, our Capstone really prepared me well for knowing what type of project they’re expecting me to deliver in terms of not just going to turn in like one sheet of code. They wanted the code to be in a certain format that had to be easy to work with, even for other people who don’t necessarily know the Machine Learning or the coding aspects. So making those API’s through the Capstone was also extremely useful. Along with this, Chem 274B, yeah, that was a hard class for a lot of people, but taking that class is probably the biggest reason I got hired, because he taught us the Computer Science stuff like just such to a tee. When I was doing my interviews, the questions they were asking me were almost exactly what we were learning in class. When I was interviewing, I didn’t have a ton of projects, so being able to perform well in a behavioral interview–just from what I learned in class–was extremely important. The projects we did in class look very impressive on my resume. Same with the machine learning course, those projects made it seem like I had a lot more experience and was a lot more valuable to these companies.
What advice do you have on landing a role?
One of the most beneficial things that I tried to tell my classmates was to go to the conferences. There are a lot of conferences throughout the year that are hiring on the spot and that are looking for specific types of engineers. If I hadn’t found out about those, I would still probably be struggling a little bit to get hired. The job market is so intense right now when you’re applying online, you’re just getting your resume vetted, and it’s hard to stand out. Go there and get to talk to the recruiters about what you do know. Some of them are willing to take a chance on you, especially with the UC Berkeley name backing you. They feel that it’s a reputable program, and they’re willing to take that chance. I also met a lot of other recruiters that I still am in touch with now. It makes me feel confident that if I did want to switch companies ever at some point, or even if I wanted to maybe move into a specific role within my company, I could reach out to them.
I also think if anyone who does this program is concerned or feels like it might be just purely chem or bio, I think it’s applicable to any Software Engineering job, except maybe front-end. There are so many industries and titles you can work in with this degree. Don’t limit yourself when you’re looking for jobs!
What advice would you give to yourself before you started the MSSE program?
I think I would focus a little bit less on being so worried about the grades and instead concentrate on how I’m performing on the actual projects. I’d have more confidence that my professors aren’t out to get me. I’d take a bit more time before starting the projects to actually get it in my brain. I’d also make sure I understood the material instead of being so concerned with grades. I did that a lot more in the second semester, and I ended up getting the same grades, and it was more beneficial to me. So yeah, if I could go back, I would focus a little bit less on grades and think more about the learning.
I would say, for anyone thinking about the program, even though it is an online program, really take advantage of making the connections with your cohort. Don’t be scared to go in the study rooms with them on Discord, even if you guys are just talking and not necessarily doing your work. When we all came together for the in-person boot camp, it felt like we had been friends the whole year long. There’s definitely a benefit to being on campus even for an online program, but doing it remotely, there are still a lot of ways to make connections and be included. Especially just the nature of our projects and group work, at some points we had no option but to ask someone for help. It was really cool to hear a lot of diverse backgrounds from other students, which was super interesting, especially from maybe some of the part-time people who were a little bit older and already had career growth, saying how they did it, what they felt were their mistakes, and what they felt was beneficial to them. And I definitely recommend taking advantage and learning from the people around you.
What is your vision for your professional development moving forward?
Ideally, because I really am enjoying the Machine Learning aspect, I would like to transition maybe into a position that’s more strictly Machine Learning based instead of more Software Engineering. I was a little nervous about transitioning to more of the aerospace field, since my background is in computational biology, but I feel like I got such a good job. I feel like my skills from the MSSE program are really applicable to all the sciences. I would like to go back into biotech, maybe pharmaceuticals, once I feel like it’s developed a little bit more, and it’s less startup companies and more established companies. For right now, I’m just focusing on making a lot of connections in the role that I do have, since it is such a big company, and I’m working with so many influential people..