In this video, I break down why I became a software engineer—and honestly, it wasn’t some “I’ve been coding since I was 5” story. I started college as a chemical engineer, and it took me about two years to finally switch into computer science. Back then, I had a pretty bad idea of what coding was: boring, burnout-heavy, and not that important. What changed everything was taking intro CS classes (after I moved into electrical engineering) and realizing how powerful this skill is. From my perspective, learning to code is like learning a language—you’re basically learning how to communicate with machines, and that’s only getting more important. I also talk about how I connected the dots between computer science and big tech. I used apps like Facebook, Uber, DoorDash without really thinking about who built them—until I studied CS and realized software engineers are the ones creating the tools we all rely on daily. And yes, the money and “transferable skill” aspect mattered a lot to me in college. But after working in big tech, my priorities shifted: instead of obsessing over salary, I think more about doing good work, not getting let go, being a top performer, and choosing projects that align with my values. Finally, I reflect on how different the job market feels now versus when I was in school. Tech hiring slowed, layoffs happened, and the “six-figure job at the end of the tunnel” motivation isn’t as guaranteed. But from what I’m seeing inside the industry, fundamentals are still strong, teams still need builders, and I’m already seeing recruiter emails coming back—so I’m still positive about the long-term future of SWE.