Sessions by SE

On this episode, we have another 2016 SE alumni Didier Smith. He's a 4x intern at Google and later worked at OptumSoft (founded by Dr. David Cheriton). Somewhere along the line Didier decided this wasn't enough and went motorbiking across latin and south america! He now does full time consulting and works from Perth, Australia which he calls "heaven on earth".

Welcome to another Sessions by SE episode! Today, Josh Kalpin from SE 2016 discusses his experience working on Vaccine Hunters Canada and scaling it from 2 to over a 100 people in 7 weeks! He talks about how he was able to balance a high growth venture with his full time job at Cash App where he's currently working as a Software Engineer on the lending team. He also recounts on his time in SE and shares tips that current students can use to make the best of their time in Waterloo.

We're excited to have Alice Yuan, an SE 2016 alum, on this episode! Alice has had an exciting professional journey, including engineering Android features at Pinterest, leading teams at Patreon and now tackling interesting problems at a NYC startup. On the side, she has been running a successful blog tackling tech issues in a comic format and mentoring students as they enter industry. Join us as we discuss tough issues in the tech industry, leading effective software teams and her incredible professional journey!

In this episode of Sessions by SE, we interview Jamie Wong, an alum from SE 2014. Jamie currently works as a software engineer at Figma, joining the unicorn when it was only a 20-person team and previously worked at Khan Academy at a similarly early stage. Join us as we discuss his life learnings surrounding practical software engineering, leadership, finding 'wizard' mentors and joining high-growth companies and NPOs at their very beginnings. A must-listen podcast for students pondering life after SE in industry!

In this episode of Sessions by SE, we interview Jamie Wong, an alum from SE 2014. Jamie currently works as a software engineer at Figma, joining the unicorn when it was only a 20-person team and previously worked at Khan Academy at a similarly early stage. Join us as we discuss his life learnings surrounding practical software engineering, leadership, mentorship and joining high-growth companies and NPOs at their very beginnings. A must-listen podcast for SE students pondering life after SE in industry!

Welcome back to another season of Sessions by SE! In this episode, we interview Sandy Maguire, a SE 2016 alumni who is currently a digital nomad exploring functional programming after a few years working in Silicon Valley companies. This is an insight-packed podcast as we discuss Sandy's experience in SE, co-op and career strategy, finding purpose in the tech industry, and the future of Haskell and functional programming!

Welcome back to the last episode of this season! In this Session, we join Talia, Zhengmao and Areena from SE 2024 as they discuss all aspects of first-year Software Engineering. Some of the things we chat about include: preparing for the academic rigour of UWaterloo, how to manage your time, balancing extracurriculars alongside academics, strategies for your first co-op hunt, and dealing with imposter syndrome. A must-listen episode for all incoming first-years into the Software Engineering program!

Welcome to another Sessions by SE episode! Today, Katherine Lu from SE 2020 and Corbin McElhanney from SE 2021 discuss everything there is to know about extracurriculars. The two have been active leaders in the UWaterloo student community. Corbin is a past co-director of Hack the North, past executive on UW Engineering Society, a past member of Watanomous on the Perception team, and an Engineering Ambassador. Katherine is also a past co-director of Hack the North, a singer on the UW Chamber Choir and a past executive on UW SE Society. Join as we discuss why SE students should join extracurriculars, exploration strategies and how to make the most out of the extracurricular experience.

Welcome to another Sessions by SE episode! Join Amanda, Harry, Robbie and Shun from SE 2022 as they describe their experiences during their first co-ops. The four walk through various segments of their co-op experience, from living in a totally new area to overcoming personal challenges. With sound advice and hilarious stories, this is a must-listen podcast for all SE students.

Welcome to another Sessions by SE episode! Join Amanda, Harry, Robbie and Shun from SE 2022 as they describe their experiences during their first co-ops. The four walk through various segments of their co-op experience, from living in a totally new area to overcoming personal challenges. With sound advice and hilarious stories, this is a must-listen podcast for all SE students.