Krannert Tech Trek - San Francisco Bay Area

After taking finals, a group of Purdue Krannert graduate school students took off to the San Francisco Bay Area to visit tech companies and network with Purdue alumni and other technology professionals.

In Downtown SF, we visited LinkedIn, Autodesk, and Credit Karma. Then, in the Bay Area, we visited Intel, Google, Facebook, and Earnin, a startup whose CEO Ram Palaniappan graduated from Purdue with an MBA. 

Group Photo at LinkedIn

One of the things I love about the companies out in the SF & Bay Area is the mission focus that fuels the unique energy of each workplace. LinkedIn's vision is to create economic opportunity for every member of the global workforce, which is much grander than just social media for professionals. 

LinkedIn

As a Civil Engineer, I have spent hours on AutoCAD. It was amazing to visit the Autodesk Headquarters where the magic happens. I explored Autodesk with my friend Chanda Foucher, Summer 2019 Autodesk Customer Success Intern.

Autodesk

They also have a gallery to showcase their innovation and ingenuity. Did you know that AutoCAD products were used in the special effects of James Cameron's movie Avatar?

Autodesk Gallery

Our last visit downtown was with Credit Karma. Although, I didn't get any pictures, I wish I could show you their gorgeous office spaces that nurture creativity. One of my favorite parts of that visit was listening to their Chief People Officer speak about her illustrious career that spanned multiple startups: Microsoft, EA, Zynga, and now Credit Karma. She is also the technical contributor to HBO's TV show "Silicon Valley". It was really interesting to hear her stories about building culture in startups and competing for talent.

Intel is really special because it's been around for decades, but it is still an incredibly innovative player in the technology space. I knew of Intel's highly coveted microprocessors coming into this company visit, but I didn't know that they also had exciting projects in emerging spaces, such as data, VR, and AI. They also have an exciting partnership with the Olympics as an Officer Sponsor. Intel will be setting up multiple experiences in Olympic Parks that use their technology.

Group Photo at Intel Santa Clara

I find the tech space fascinating. Last semester, I took big data where we ran queries on Google Cloud and visualized our results on Tableau. I'm a graduate assistant at the Foundry at Purdue, where I worked on marketing research for emerging technologies. My Civil Engineering background hasn't made it easy for me to compete for full time jobs in tech. It was really encouraging to meet Tom Sanger, Customer Supply Chain Solutions Manager at Intel, who also did his Bachelors in Civil Engineering at Purdue. One of the best parts of this tech trek is just getting to meet alumni and listen to their career journey, so that we can get insights to inform our career moves as well.

Google has an incredibly beautiful campus in Mountain View, where a panel of Purdue Alumni gathered to answer our questions. One of the concepts that I found most interesting is the question of whether new features are "Magical or Creepy?". It can be a tricky balance, but I personally am a huge fan of Google's suite of products. I have a Google Home that is synced with my Calendar, Contacts, and Email. The alumni on the panel were really encouraging to students searching for a career there, telling us about their own challenging experiences and the importance of not giving up. 

Group Photo at Google in Mountain View with Host Neil Hoyne

After visiting a number of large established companies, it was interesting to hear from people who worked at a startup called Earnin. It was a really special visit because six different executives across various functions shared their experiences in back to back 30 minute Q&A sessions. We learned so much as each shared their unique challenges from raising funds and managing growth/recruiting to technology and information security.

CEO Ram Palaniappan

VP People Germaine Yokoyama-Heiliger

Facebook is mainly known for social media, so it was cool to learn about interesting projects outside of that space. We heard from speakers that were working in the hardware space, in supply chain or VR or information systems infrastructure. They also have a gorgeous campus, where all the buildings are connected by bridges. 

Group Photo at Facebook at Menlo Park with Host Jonathan Tang

Lastly, I would like to thank Claudine Meilink, Min Li, and Eric Forbes for planning this Tech Trek. It's been an amazing experience.