Rachel Sokol 

 

THESE FOUR SOFTWARE ENGINEERS AT MAJOR COMPANIES SHARE THEIR EXPERTISE, EXPERIENCE, AND CAREER ADVICE WITH WORKFORCE DIVERSITY READERS.

 

SOFTWARE ENGINEERING IS A GROWING FIELD THAT ATTRACTS INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY-ENTHUSIASTS AND THOSE WHO ENJOY PROBLEM SOLVING.

 

“WHAT MAKES SOFTWARE APPEALING IS THE ABILITY TO CREATE SOMETHING WITH RAPID FEEDBACK,” SAYS JESUS RODRIGUEZ, PRINCIPAL SOFTWARE ENGINEER AT RED HAT. “MANY FOLKS BELIEVE THAT SOFTWARE IS ALL TECHNICAL, BUT THERE IS A CREATIVE SIDE TO SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT BOTH IN THE USER INTERFACE AND IN HOW YOU CHOOSE TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM. YOU HAVE TO BE ABLE TO THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX.”

 

BELOW, YOU’LL MEET FOUR DIVERSE SOFTWARE ENGINEERS AT GLOBAL COMPANIES WHO WERE EAGER TO SHARE THEIR CAREER EXPERTISE ABOUT THE BUSINESS.

 

EMC: ENSURING ‘MISSION CRITICAL’ ENVIRONMENTS

Peruvian Jorge Corcuera is the principal software quality engineer at EMC Corporation, a leading provider of IT storage hardware solutions to promote data backup and recovery and accelerate the journey to cloud computing.

 

A graduate of Massachusetts’ ITT Technical School, Corcuera has worked in his current job for a year but has been with the Shrewsbury, MA-based EMC for 12 years, working in its Symmetrix Microcode QA – RDF (Remote Data Facility, or known as SRDF).

 

When it comes to high-level technical testing, he makes sure he possesses a proficiency in all necessary processes, applications and tools.

 

“I’ve been working with my group since 2000. EMC is very innovative in how perform/execute backup and recovery,” he says. “I don’t see this type of technology, the logic, at other companies.”

 

Corcuera says SRDF “is the gold standard for remote replication in mission critical environments, built for high-end VMAX hardware architecture, as well as disaster recovery and business continuity.”

 

He shares some advice for those interested in cloud computing.

 

“Virtualization is the key to the cloud. Users can replace existing physical machines and with hardware that supports virtualization, providing great savings in cost, while reducing inventory, which results in better control of your environment.”

 

Being able to speaking Spanish, according to Corcuera, who is bilingual, is helpful when providing customer service to EMC’s Latin American markets.

 

Software engineers can wear many hats in this industry.

 

“You can work in many areas of coding, such as writing scripts for automation purposes, working with C, C + +, Java and C+ for R&D…and software engineers can also perform some QA. The responsibilities are wide, and vary.”

 

Corcuera, who attends many college fairs to talk to students about EMC opportunities, has some additional advice for those interested in computer software careers. First, he says, know the company you want to work for: research it thoroughly. Also, he says, have people-skills.

 

“Computer engineering is not all about numbers. You also need to have people skills to manage a meeting or communicate an idea. Be professional, always. There’s lots of diversity in computer engineering and you’re always interacting with people. Also, familiarize yourself with VMware, coding, C+ and HyperV technology, and work hard.

 

“At EMC, I started at the bottom-up and yes, worked many long hours,” he recalls. “And, I never take ‘no’ for an answer. If I find an issue in testing, I pursue it to the next level and try to find a solution.” 

 

EXCELLENCE IS REWARDED AT AVANADE

vanade Inc. was founded in 2000 as a joint venture between Accenture and Microsoft to serve an untapped market for Microsoft-focused consulting services. Avanade offers clients an optimum blend of skills: backed by tools, methodologies, and best practices that reduce the cost and risk of deployments.

 

Headquarted in Seattle, WA, Avanade was recently recognized as one of IDG’s Computerworld 2013 Best Places to Work in IT.

 

Rafat Naqvi is a senior director, enterprise application, at Avande and oversees a team of approximately 150 individually globally, consisting of architects, developers, analysts, project managers, business relationship managers, testers and more.

 

“Most of the team has a technical background,” says Naqvi, who is responsible for managing internal IT and innovation decisions. “We work with various business functions such as sales, marketing, delivery, human resources, finance, legal and operations.”

 

She defines a leader as someone who “inspires people to imagine and do what may have seemed impossible.”

 

According to Naqvi, her team’s engagement starts with partnering with a business to understand the businesses capability needs.

 

“We create technology solutions,” says Naqvi, who earned her MS in computer science from West Virginia University. “I work with very smart people, and that is fun. Self-reflection and honesty often helps me overcome jobrelated challenges. IT is often a cost center; there is always a need to do more with less. Sometimes, changes in funding can leave the impacted team quite demotivated. I work hard to be articulate about the reasons for changes in direction.”

 

Naqvi believes that “honest and open communication can help create trust and that helps us get through the rough patches,” adding that what makes Avanade truly unique is that the “culture is focused on innovation, customer centricity, true team spirit, and ability to work on and access to the latest Microsoft technologies.”

 

She advises recent college grads to familiarize themselves with experience design and mobile applications.

 

“Software is a great industry with lots of opportunity and constant innovation. My advice to job-seekers is: Work hard, take risks and don’t try to plan out too far. Focus on gaining experiences rather than levels and titles. Seek advice and mentors. And make sure to have fun along the way.”

 

According to the company website, Avanade’s “training and career development programs enable you to grow and reach your career goals – and we strive to create a positive and productive environment, where excellence is rewarded.”

 

SOLVING REAL-WORLD PROBLEMS AT FAST-PACED EXPEDIA

Nasreen AbdulJaleel of Seattle, WA, grew up in the Middle East, studied computer science and engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology, Chennai, and the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

 

“We love travel,” says AbdulJaleel, a software development manager for Expedia. “As someone who always wanted to explore the world, it makes me happy to be surrounded by people who share that interest. It makes it so much easier for me to plan my trips. There is always someone who has already been to the place I want to go and can give me tips.”

 

Expedia is an online travel agency. The company’s North America website provides consumers with travel deals in the U.S. and abroad.

 

AbdulJaleel outlines her job responsibilities.

 

“I am a software development manager on the team that owns checkout functionality for the Expedia brand,” she says. “Our code kicks in after the customer chooses a travel product that they want to buy, lets them purchase it and takes them all the way to their booking confirmation.”

 

AbdulJaleel manages a team of seven software developers and testers.

 

“We add new functionality, make sure that our product operates as expected in the wild and ensure that our technology architecture evolves to match the needs of the product.”

 

Life on the checkout team is fast paced and the pressure is on, says Abdul- Jaleel, who works with people all over the world “on a weekly basis.”

 

“I happen to enjoy working in this environment. Of course, there are times when we encounter unpleasant surprises,” she says. “I try to prepare for them by making sure I have a solid relationship with the team so that collaboration is smooth even under duress.”

 

AbdulJaleel shares her real-world advice with software job seekers.

 

“Always have a software side project. It does not have to be something no one else has thought of. It has to be something that you want to work on for a few hours every day,” she says. “This will teach you more about software development than most internships and will really help you identify what parts of the puzzle you enjoy the most.”

 

Additionally, she says, “don’t stop learning.”

 

“Watch the blogosphere for the latest updates. A lot of new software is open source; you can download it on your home machine and get acquainted.”

 

What AbdulJaleel loves the most about her job is using technology to solve real-world problems – and bringing cultures together.

 

“People travel to celebrate together, for important life events, to be there for someone in a time of need. It is important to our customers that we get every booking right.”

 

INTERN WORKS HIS WAY TO MANAGEMENT AT INTEL

"I love being the tech lead; you get to know people and leverage their skills,” says Berna Adalier, graphics software manager at Intel Corporation, the Santa Clara, CA-based semiconductor chip maker corporation and global powerhouse.

 

Originally from Cyprus and armed with a master’s degree in electrical and computer engineering from California State University, Sacramento, Adalier has been with Intel for more than 21 years. “I started at Intel as an intern; moved my way up into management,” she says.

 

Adalier currently manages a team of about 24 employees that works well together.

 

“When times get stressful at work, I remind them that we are the engineers, the smart ones, it if we can’t do it no one can. The engineers are the backbone of the company.”

 

With her team, Adalier enjoys utilizing new technology.

 

“Intel has strong current technologies. Today’s aspiring software engineers should study the graphic process, GPGPU computing, which is interesting. We’re looking for complier expertise. Compilers are basically translators that turn high-level programs into machine language to be executed on the HW,” she says. “There could be several layers of translation before we can get to machine language. A key compiler technology we use today is LLVM – Low Level Virtual Machine.”

 

She strongly encourages anyone interested in software engineering to consider applying for a job at Intel.

 

“Intel loves entry-level employees,” says Adalier. “Here, you get out of it what you put into it; you can work as hard as you want to. The possibilities here are endless.”

 

She adds: “You can work as a hard core software developer, program manager, project manager, sales and marketing, and so on. We hire for both BSc and MS for entry-level positions and seek good programming skills, C++ expertise (or other object-oriented programming expertise), good understanding of the computer architecture and sound software development methodology.”

 

Plus, she says, any expertise in compilers and/or OS (operating system) is definitely a plus—so brush up!

 

Adalier has noticed a special shift in the field of software engineering. It’s still a maledominated field but more young women are pursuing careers in this industry.

 

“I’m used to walking into a room and being the only female in it, but I feel hopeful. I’m involving with hiring and there are a good number of female employees with a lot of expertise coming in at the entry-level,” she says. “The challenge is to do them justice and move them up the rank and help make sure they don’t lose interest in the field. I’ve found in this industry I haven’t found anything I can’t overcome.”

 

“Computer engineering is not all about numbers. You also need to have people skills to manage a meeting or communicate an idea. Be professional, always.”

 

“I work with very smart people, and that is fun. Self-reflection and honesty often helps me overcome job-related challenges.”

 

“Always have a software side project. It does not have to be something no one else has thought of. It has to be something that you want to work on for a few hours every day. This will teach you more about software development than most internships and will really help you identify what parts of the puzzle you enjoy the most.”