I had a great experience at the Tech Minds Meetup hosted by the Pacific Asian Center for Entrepreneurship (PACE). More than 40 software engineers attended the event to share their stories, insights, and advice. I had the wonderful opportunity to talk with engineers Kristian Lazo and Brody Uehara.
Kristian is a software engineer at VolunteerAlly, a platform that helps volunteers find volunteering opportunities in Hawaiʻi. VolunteerAlly started as an idea for ICS 314: Software Engineering and has since become the ally organization it is today. When Kristian is not working, he enjoys spending time with friends and family or advancing his technical skills.
Brody is a software engineer at kWh Analytics, a startup that provides data-driven insurance for the renewable energy industry. Brody works remotely. He lives here, but the startup is based in San Francisco, California. A typical day consists of data systems work and team meetings.
Both tech pros studied Computer Science (CS) at UH Mānoa. I am also a CS student at the same university, so our conversations were especially valuable.
Some of my main takeaways from the conversations:
Time goes by fast. Just last academic year, I was in an Introduction to Computer Science class. About a year later, I supported students currently in that class as an Assistant Teaching Assistant (ATA). Today, I am joining organizations and applying to internships to see what part of CS I want to pursue as a career. It is slightly scary to think that in 2 years, I expect to graduate with my Bachelor of Science in Computer Science. Nonetheless, I owe a lot to this field of study. For example, I have gained an insider view of how web pages work and how algorithms are carefully chosen. I have also made connections with some amazing peers and advisors. I still have a lot to learn, but I know where I started and where I want to be, so that makes things a little easier.
To conclude, the Tech Minds Meetup was pretty cool! I met some great people and wish I had time to meet more. I would go again!