This told essay is based on a conversation with Deep Shah, 30, a senior software engineer at Google based in Mountain View, California. The following has been edited for length and clarity.
Since joining Google in 2018, the impact I’ve had has been incredible.
I started at Google Bangalore in India, where I worked as part of a team using machine learning and AI at Google Maps. After several years there, I moved to the United States in 2021 to work at Google’s Mountain View location in California.
I’ve been at Google Mountain View for about four years now, and I’ve learned throughout my career that mentors are some of the greatest people you have. Great mentors have changed the way I approach problems and influenced me to become an engineer.
An older colleague became my first mentor.
As a child, I played a lot of computer games and wanted to develop my own games. That was the main reason I chose computer engineering.
I also learned from conversations with colleagues older than me who were already working toward their bachelor’s degrees. They taught me that this field requires a lot of logical reasoning and automated machines that do the work for me. This was very interesting.
During my undergraduate studies, I started participating in competitive computer programming. This helped me get contacted by a big tech company in India and was one of the main reasons I was able to get my first job.
I owe my decision to pursue a role at Google to a friend.
My first job out of school was as part of an AI and machine learning team supporting an advertising client. During that time, I learned a lot of the basics about how AI and machine learning work.
After being there for about a year and a half, I had the opportunity to apply for a position at Google. Fortunately, I also had a friend who worked at Google, so I was able to talk to him and ask him if it was a good fit for me.
After speaking with him, I knew Google was the right place for me. I went through the standard Big Tech interview process and got a job at Google.
My network helped me migrate from India to the US
Moving to the US was a big change, but I knew I wanted to help improve the way people use Google Search. The team working on that project is based in Mountain View, and my skill set was a great match, so I decided to relocate here in 2021.
Google India has a very similar culture to Google US, making for a smooth transition. I had to get used to a lot of things outside of work as well. Finding housing is very different here, and so is the medical setup. I also had to buy a car.
But I had some older colleagues and friends here to help guide me through these transitional things, which I was very grateful for.
Mentorship determines what kind of engineer you are
Fortunately, I have had many great mentors not only during my undergraduate years, but also throughout my career, who have really supported me and given me good ideas.
College students, large and small, should try to engage with professors and people who can expose them to machine learning and AI problems that interest them.
You can always start small, but over time you’ll naturally develop more attachment to the project and your ownership and confidence in it will evolve. This will be a great addition to your resume and prove that you already have the skills and experience needed to succeed in the workplace.
Sharing a clear agenda with your mentor makes a big difference
My mentors taught me how to navigate organizational dynamics and influence stakeholders. This skill is rarely learned just by doing the core job.
You need to be clear about what you specifically want to use a mentor for, and we recommend that you prepare an appropriate agenda for discussion together. That way, they can give you proper advice and you can have clearer expectations.
Each mentor will teach you something different, and that person doesn’t necessarily have to be a professor. They could be alumni or college seniors. It doesn’t matter how you find them, but it has to be someone you think is a good role model.
Do you have a story to share about mentorship in Big Tech? Contact this reporter, Agnes Applegate, at: aapplegate@businessinsider.com.
