On Building the Career You Want

This year marks my twentieth year in the industry. I get messages on LinkedIn from college students who want to work in software engineering but feel like their degree, school, or background puts them at a disadvantage. This is for them.

I was in a similar position. My degree was in a different engineering field, and I had to be intentional about every step to get where I wanted to go. I will also say that I feel lucky: I have been writing software since I was eight years old, and I knew early on what I wanted. Not everyone has that clarity, and if you do, it is a real advantage — use it. Here is what actually helped.

Use your discretionary choices deliberately. Your degree program leaves room — electives, internships, spare time. Every one of those is a choice. I took courses I did not have to take. I turned down internships that pointed the wrong way, even when they were better offers. These felt like small decisions at the time. They were not. If you know what you want, orient every optional choice toward it. The choices add up faster than you think.

Your first job is a stepping stone, not a verdict. It does not have to be your dream job. It has to be a job where you make progress in the direction you want to go. That work becomes evidence — on your resume, and for yourself. Evidence compounds: the second job is easier to get than the first, the third easier than the second. Do not wait for the perfect opportunity. Take the one that points the right way and do good work there.

Build things outside of work and school. A side project, a small contract, an open source contribution — these signal something a transcript cannot: that you care enough to do this on your own time. The work also teaches you things coursework does not. Share what you build.

The path is longer than you want it to be. That is not a warning — it is a relief. You do not have to figure it all out now. You just have to take the next right step. Most careers that look like overnight successes from the outside were built over years of quiet, consistent work. Yours will be too.

And when something does not work out — an application, a project, a role — do not treat it as a signal to stop. Treat it as part of the process.

This post was written with the help of an AI tool. I shared my experiences and reflections in an interview format, and the AI helped with writing this tool