Career Highlights: Software Engineering
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The document provides an overview of a career presentation given by Alex Gimenez, a bilingual manager at Nintendo of America with over 20 years of experience in software engineering. The presentation covers Alex's career path, typical duties of a software engineer including writing code, debugging bugs, and collaborating with others. It emphasizes the importance of strong interpersonal skills and maintaining a humble, learning attitude. The goal is to expose young people to the daily work of an engineer and show how being Christian makes a positive difference.
Career Highlights: Software Engineering
- 1. CAREER HIGHLIGHTS : SOFTWARE ENGINEERING ALEX GIMENEZ BILINGUAL MANAGER, PLATFORM TOOLS TEAM NINTENDO OF AMERICA
- 2. CONTENTS • MOTIVATION FOR PRESENTATION • WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP? • STORY OF MY CAREER • OTHER CAREER CASE STUDIES • WHAT IS CODE? • TYPICAL WORK WEEK OF AN ENGINEER • IT’S ALL ABOUT THE PEOPLE! • CONCLUSION: MAKE A DIFFERENCE
- 3. MOTIVATION FOR PRESENTATION • EXPOSE DAY-TO-DAY LIVE OF A SOFTWARE ENGINEER • SHOW A FEW PATHS TO START INTO THIS BUSINESS • SHOW THE IMPORTANCE OF HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS IN THIS PROFESSION • SHOW WHERE BEING CHRISTIAN MAKES A DIFFERENCE
- 4. WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?• ABOUT ALEX TODAY: • BILINGUAL MANAGER, PLATFORM TOOLS TEAM • WORKING FOR NINTENDO OF AMERICA • MORE THAN 20 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN THE FIELD • BORN INTO A CHRISTIAN HOME (INTRODUCED TO CHRISTIANITY AT AN EARLY AGE) • ALEX, AT AGE 4 • WANTED TO WORK COLLECTING GARBAGE • ALEX, AGE 14 • WANTED TO JOIN THE ARMY • ALEX, AGE 15 • FELL IN LOVE WITH COMPUTERS. DROPPED OUT OF KARATE TO STAY IN THE LAB. • KEY POINT: • HAVE A PLAN. • BUT WATCH FOR ACTIVITIES THAT STIR YOUR PASSION – COLOSSIANS 3:23
- 5. CAREER TURNING POINTS • 1990: FINISHED TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL • 1990: STARTED FIRST PROGRAMMING JOB – DATABASE PROGRAMMING • 1992: STARTED UNIVERSITY (WHILE WORKING) • 1996: STARTED MASTER’S DEGREE (STILL WORKING) • 1998: MOVED TO U.S.A.. STARTED WORK WITH TELECOMMUNICATION (AS A CONTRACTOR) • 2001: HIRED FULL TIME BY LUCENT TECHNOLOGIES (IPHONE VOICEMAIL STILL USES PROGRAMS I WROTE) • 2003: HIRED BY MICROSOFT. STILL TELECOMMUNICATION WORK • 2006: BACK TO SCHOOL: EMBEDDED SOFTWARE DEGREE AT U.W. • 2006: WITHIN MICROSOFT: STARTED EMBEDDED SOFTWARE WORK • 2011: THREE MONTHS SPENT IN JAPAN TO STUDY JAPANESE • 2011: STARTED AT NINTENDO, AS A LEAD • KEY POINT: PUT YOUR STRENGTH INTO LEARNING. IT PAYS OFF. • PHILIPPIANS 4:13: STRENGTH COMES FROM GOD
- 6. OTHER CAREER CASE STUDIES • MANAGING YOUNGER ENGINEERS, I CAN OFTEN “SMELL” PROMISING UP-AND-COMERS; • A FEW CASES HERE FOR REFERENCE: • MR. A: • GRADUATE FROM RENOWNED UNIVERSITY • BIG FOOTBALL FAN • LOTS OF ENERGY • VERY GOOD AT EXPLAINING HIS IDEAS – A GREAT “PEOPLE PERSON” • MR. B: • GRADUATE FROM TECHNICAL COLLEGE • DOES COMPUTER PROGRAMMING AS A HOBBY (I DID TOO – DROPPED KARATE!) • VERY CAPABLE • OVERCONFIDENT • MS. C: • GRADUATE FROM MAJOR UNIVERSITY • VERY CAPABLE • VERY HUMBLE • POINTS IN COMMON: GOOD BALANCE OF NATURAL ABILITY & EFFORT; • SOFTWARE ENGINEERS ARE A VERY DIVERSE CROWD! • DIFFERENT PERSONALITIES ACTUALLY HELP TEAMWORK.
- 7. WHAT IS CODE? • SOFTWARE (ALSO CALLED CODE) IS SIMILAR TO A LONG RECIPE • EXCEPT WITH CONDITIONALS: • E.G.: IF THE TOMATOES ARE RIPE, BAKE WITH OVEN SET TO 300F. OTHERWISE, BAKE WITH OVEN SET TO 350F. • AND LOOPS • E.G.: ADD ONE TEASPOON OF SUGAR AT A TIME, UNTIL IT TASTES GOOD • CODE HAS TWO FACES: • HUMAN FACE: WORDS AND NUMBERS. WE OFTEN SEE THAT IN MOVIES; TECHNICALLY, WE CALL THAT “SOURCE CODE” • COMPUTER FACE: ONES AND ZEROES. THAT’S WHAT THE COMPUTER UNDERSTANDS. TECHNICALLY, WE CALL THAT “OBJECT CODE”, OR “EXECUTABLE CODE”. • TRANSLATION IS CALLED “COMPILATION” Sourc e code compilation 1011 0010 1101 101
- 8. TYPICAL WORK WEEK OF SOFTWARE ENGINEER • UNDERSTAND REQUIREMENTS • TALK TO OTHERS, DIVIDE THE WORK SO YOU GRAB YOUR PIECE OF THE WORK • ACT QUICK, SO YOU GET THE MOST INTERESTING PIECE! • CREATE DESIGNS (“CREATE DREAMS”): EXPLAIN TO PEOPLE WHAT YOU WILL BUILD, HOW YOU WILL BUILD IT • FIND YOUR TOOLS • MAKE SOME TOOLS OF YOUR OWN • WRITE CODE • EXPLAIN WHAT YOU HAVE DONE • DEAL WITH “BUGS”
- 9. A “BUG” ?? • THE WORD “BUG” HAS IS USED TO DESCRIBE ENGINEERING ERRORS • IT WAS USED BEFORE COMPUTERS: • THOMAS EDISON WROTE IN 1878 ABOUT THE ENGINEERING PROCESS (SUMMARY MINE): 1) AN IDEA COMES (INTUITION) 2) A BURST OF REWARDING HARD WORK 3) “BUGS” ARISE (DIFFICULTIES) 4) MORE HARD WORK IS NEEDED TO FIX THE BUGS • IN 1947, A REAL “BUG” CREPT INTO A COMPUTER (HARVARD MARK II)
- 10. TYPICAL WORK WEEK OF SOFTWARE ENGINEER (CONT’D) • EXPLAIN WHAT YOU HAVE DONE: • EXPLAIN TO ENGINEERING TEAM MATES HOW TO USE YOUR SOFTWARE • EXPLAIN TO TEST TEAM HOW TO USE YOUR SOFTWARE • HELP THE CUSTOMER SUPPORT TEAM UNDERSTAND YOUR SOFTWARE • DEAL WITH BUGS: • FIND & FIX BUGS IN NEW CODE • FIND & FIX BUGS IN OLD CODE (OFTEN CODE WRITTEN BY OTHERS) • EXPLAIN YOUR FIXES TO MANY PEOPLE
- 11. IT’S ALL ABOUT THE PEOPLE! • AS AN ENGINEER, YOU TALK CONSTANTLY TO: • YOUR BOSS • YOUR TEAM MATES • THE TESTER TEAM (THEY ARE YOUR INTERNAL CUSTOMERS) • OTHER ENGINEERING TEAMS • PROGRAM MANAGERS • EXTERNAL CUSTOMERS • POINT: YOUR ABILITY TO INTERACT WITH PEOPLE IS KEY • LISTEN CAREFULLY TO OTHER’S INPUT • EXPLAIN YOUR IDEAS CONCISELY • DEFEND YOUR IDEAS WITHOUT ATTACKING PEOPLE • BE KIND EVEN WHEN “YOU’RE RIGHT AND THEY ARE WRONG” • TRY TO UNDERSTAND PEOPLE’S MOTIVATIONS AND REASONS • ABOVE ALL: BE TRUTHFUL AND FORTHCOMING! • LUKE 6:31: TREAT OTHERS AS YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE TREATED!
- 12. CONCLUSION: MAKE A DIFFERENCE • IT’S CRITICAL TO BE NICE • IT’S NICE TO BE SMART • BUT THERE’S A “SOMETHING ELSE” THAT MAKES YOU STAND OUT: • MOTIVATE OTHERS TO DO THEIR BEST • BE ALWAYS WILLING TO LEARN FROM OTHERS (PROVERBS 9:9 & 9:10) • BE ALWAYS WILLING TO TEACH • BE A TEAM PLAYER (WE ALL WIN WHEN THE TEAM WINS) • BE GENUINELY HAPPY FOR OTHER’S SUCCESS • DO YOUR WORK WITH GENUINE JOY • THESE TRAITS ARE USEFUL EVERYWHERE – NOT JUST IN THE SOFTWARE BUSINESS
- 13. A FEW ADVANCED TERMS AND EXPRESIONS • MAKE A DIFFERENCE: TO HAVE A EFFECT. TO DO SOMETHING IMPORTANT: • PASSION: DESIRE TO DO SOMETHING OUT OF LOVE. NOT FOR MONEY. EXAMPLE: HUMANITARIAN DOCTORS. • HUMBLE: PERSON WHO DOES NOT THINK TOO HIGHLY ABOUT HIM/HERSELF. • OVERCONFIDENT: THE OPPOSITE OF HUMBLE • REQUIREMENTS: IN SOFTWARE, IT MEANS A CONDITION THAT THE PRODUCT MUST SATISFY. EX.: IN A CALCULATOR PROGRAM, DOING ADDITION, SUBTRACTION, MULTIPLICATION AND DIVISION ARE REQUIREMENTS. • BURST: AN EXPLOSION. IN THE PRESENTATION, A “BURST OF HARDWORK” MEANS: MANY DAYS IN A ROW, WORKING MANY HOURS EVERY DAY. • GENUINELY: SINCERELY
- 14. BIBLE REFERENCES • ABOUT PASSION FOR WORK: COLOSSIANS 3:23: “WHATEVER YOU DO, WORK AT IT WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AS WORKING FOR THE LORD, NOT FOR HUMAN MASTERS” • ABOUT USING YOUR STRENGTH FOR LEARNING: PHILIPPIANS 4:13 “I CAN DO ALL THIS THROUGH HIM WHO GIVES ME STRENGTH • TREATING OTHERS AS YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE TREATED: LUKE 6:31: “DO TO OTHERS AS YOU WOULD HAVE THEM DO TO YOU” • ABOUT BEING NICE, EVEN TO PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT NICE TO YOU: MATTHEW 5:39: “BUT I TELL YOU, DO NOT RESIST AN EVIL PERSON. IF ANYONE SLAPS YOU ON THE RIGHT CHEEK, TURN TO THEM THE OTHER CHEEK ALSO” • ABOUT LEARNING: PROVERBS 9:9-10 “INSTRUCT THE WISE AND THEY WILL BE WISER STILL; TEACH THE RIGHTEOUS AND THEY WILL ADD TO THEIR LEARNING. THE FEAR OF THE LORD IS THE BEGINNING OF WISDOM, AND KNOWLEDGE OF THE HOLY ONE IS UNDERSTANDING”
- 15. CULTURAL REFERENCE • YODA: THE WISE, OLD TEACHER IN THE “STAR WARS” MOVIES. • LUKE SKYWALKER: YODA’S VERY POWERFUL PUPIL, THE MAIN HERO OF “STAR WARS”. • IN THE PRESENTATION, ALEX SAID AS A JOKE “I SMELL A LUKE SKYWALKER HERE, ANOTHER ONE THERE”, REERRING TO HOW HE SEES TALENT IN YOUNG ENGINEERS (MR. A, MR. B, MS. C)