When I got into software engineering, my first few attempts were really just me dabbling around with games, especially on Roblox. 

When you try writing your own games at the beginning, there are a lot of times when you encounter problems, and you fail a lot. However, you take what you learned and you apply those skills that you learn along the way and become better. Although I am currently majoring in business, computer science has always been one of my favorite hobbies and something I enjoy doing, but I never really envisioned it as a job. 

However, I am planning to go into finance and obviously, when you do have computer science skills and know how to leverage code, you’re able to simplify your work process through programs. I once programmed a really successful game on Roblox called Spellbound, and it was my first big breakthrough after four years on the platform. Our peak concurrent players were around a thousand, so I thought that was pretty cool. 

My favorite aspect is how you can automate things that seem boring, and how you can also put life into almost anything, with unlimited possibilities. I think a key motivation for me is to do things that are fun and interesting things. It’s not good to always do things that are required for you to do, like homework or classwork for your engineering courses, but instead personal projects and engaging in other things as well. 

For any aspiring software engineers, I would suggest first finding something within the computer science field that interests you, and then start branching out to other divisions of computer science. A lot of people try to get into computer science nowadays, only because their parents want it and the social stigma around it, especially in the Bay Area. They start with expectations of high pay, but you’re not going to get really far. If you only do it for the money, it’s not going to work out. Don’t just get into engineering because you want to fit in, try to find something you legitimately enjoy about it, and pursue that.