As the fifth of six children to immigrant parents, Shashi Lo was aware of the financial constraints of his parents. He enrolled in college but switched from a Bachelor’s program to an Associate's degree program so that he could enter the workforce sooner.
Listen in as Shashi tells Jonaed about:
· Being a software engineer at Microsoft
· How his oft skills helped him to climb the corporate ladder
· The importance of feedback during the learning process
Support/Contact Shashi:
· LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shashilo/
Books and resources mentioned in this podcast: · Resume course: https://bit.ly/podcastpca · Coursera: https://www.coursera.org/
Need career or resume advice? Follow and/or connect with Jonaed Iqbal on LinkedIn. · LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/JonaedIqbalND
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Remember, no degree? No problem! Whether you're contemplating college or you're a college dropout, get started with your no-degree job search at nodegree.com.
Chapters:
0:00 Intro
01:14 What helped him to become a Senior Software Engineer at Microsoft
05:41 Salary range for a Software Engineer
09:01 How he got his start in tech: Hated school, but loved sports, girls and computers
11:38 Why he switched to an Associate's Degree program
15:02 Learning on the job
16:23 Software developer vs software engineer
19:43 How he upskilled and started his freelance career
25:39 Transitioning back into the workforce...along with freelancing
30:13 How he moved up in his career
33:38 How he got into Microsoft
36:36 Why he’s most proud of the people he’s trained and mentored
38:54 How not having a mentor affected his career
42:14 How not having a college degree affected him
44:51 Warnings about bootcamps
48:10 The importance of feedback from more experienced professionals during the learning process
54:33 Reflecting on being 18 again