10 Questions with Aditi Jain
Software Engineer at Google
Aditi Jain is a Software Engineer at Google. When she is not at work using Machine Learning to improve Google Maps, she enjoys spending time doing Education Outreach. Her experiences include advising a local After-School Robotics Club, teaching kids Scratch, and even trying an EdTech startup on the side! A graduate of Carnegie Mellon University, these days, Aditi lives in San Francisco and spends most of her free time applying to master’s programs, where she hopes to deepen her knowledge of artificial intelligence.
- When did you know that you wanted to work in tech?
My first hands-on exposure to technology was when I joined the school’s Robotics Club at 10 years old. I was immediately intimidated by the male-dominated environment. I went back a few times but ultimately, fear of making mistakes in front of my super smart peers caused me to stop going back. I chose math instead as an area of study, where I was able to work on getting to the right answer on my own, and only had to show my answer to the teacher when I knew my solution was perfect.
“Ultimately, fear of making mistakes in front of my super smart peers caused me to stop going back.”
Ten years later, I was in my sophomore year of undergrad trying to figure out where my math degree could land me a summer internship. I ended up joining Google as part of the Engineering Practicum program (now called STEP) on a team in YouTube that was both math-y and coding-intensive. That experience helped me realize that there is a fusion between these fields in industry. I came back to Google the summer after and worked in Google Research doing complex camera geometry under the title of a “software engineer”. Both of these internships made me realize that the engineering occupation takes on many forms, and that’s when I decided that I wanted to work in tech.
2. Who is a role model that you look up to?
Math teachers have always played an important role in my life. In particular I had a teacher, Ms. Evans, who taught me Algebra II and later AP Statistics in high school. Ms. Evans was a teacher who pushed students beyond their limits in the best way possible. I appreciated her close attention to detail and the energy she brought every day to class. She made students want to study extra hard during recess just to get full marks on the daily 10-minute quiz. I looked up to her because she made me feel that all of this is important, and in high school it’s easy to lose that sense of direction.
3. Where is your hometown?
Los Altos, California
4. What is a struggle that you’ve faced and how did you handle it?
I want to tell a story that taught me that perfection is not always attainable, a lesson that often hits hard the first time, especially for women. I got straight A’s in high school and so, naturally, when I went to college, I expected the same. My first semester at CMU, I was thrown into a happening social life, intramural sports clubs, dorm life, and linear algebra.
Midway through the semester, I had a D in linear algebra, I was barely passing my other classes, and I was unsure how I’d gotten there. I had a conversation with a trusted upperclassman, and she helped me understand the reality of the situation — I was not going to be able to recover my grade at this point, no matter how hard I tried. I would instead have to drop the class, making me technically a part-time student at the university. To me, this was a failure. This was rock bottom. Since then, I have faced more struggles, but getting through that first one was crucial to putting later failures in perspective and assuring myself that I can bounce back from anything.
“Since then, I have faced more struggles, but getting through that first one was crucial to putting later failures in perspective and assuring myself that I can bounce back from anything.”
5. What is something that you are immensely proud of?
I grew up in the small town of Los Altos, California, about two miles west of Google HQ. Last October, an email was sent out to all Google employees encouraging us to take part in the annual Computer Science Education Week. Immediately, I reached out to my elementary school, Loyola, to see if I could host a Google Hour of Code Party. The principal was so excited and asked if he could have me there the whole week so that each student could take part.
We ended up compromising and instead stayed at the school for one full day, where 250 students had an opportunity to learn Scratch. Being back at my elementary school with the opportunity to show young kids where their education could take them was a surreal experience. I was proud to see my elementary school doing well and filled with students much smarter and sharper than I was back then!
6. Favorite food?
Guacamole is a food, right?
7. Favorite book?
Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins
8. If you could try another job for a day, what would it be?
This is a hard one! The first three that come to mind are elementary school teacher, where I get to design my own curriculum, food truck owner, where I get to travel the world spreading healthy recipes, and scientist working in a remote laboratory in the middle of nowhere doing cutting-edge, top-secret research. Though I guess if I could only get one day on the job, I would pick this last one.
9. If you could give your 18-year-old self a piece of advice, what would it be?
Striving for perfection is fine, but making mistakes is even better, and learning from those mistakes is the best! In college, expose yourself to everything possible, from coursework to research to new social experiences. Take the time to study yourself, as well — figure out what helps you relax and what gets you fired up.
