Software Engineer Describes His Journey – Including Stops at Start-ups, Large Firm, and Giant Global Tech Company
Chetan Sabnis wasn’t quite sure what his career path would look like when he first enrolled at the University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign. What started out as a plan pursue electrical engineering as his profession took a slight turn, leading him to earn a BS degree in computer engineering and an MS degree in computer science.
In a lively, packed virtual session with Sandra Lee Heyman Foundation STEM Career Awareness fellows in January, Sabnis described how he began his work journey with a large satellite communications firm, moving on to several small start-up ventures, and then joining Google, Inc. where he is now a software engineering director heading up the tech giant’s search social responsibility verticals organization. That includes managing the company’s teams that help users to get “authoritative timely and relatable information in critical societal domains, such as elections, crisis response, health jobs, weather, and sustainability.”
“When I entered college, I had done a lot of coding on my own time in high school, and I had a summer internship doing that. I wanted to learn something new, so I went into electrical engineering as an undergraduate. And then I just realized, after about a year, that's not what I exactly wanted to work on. So, I switched into computer engineering.
“When doing my master’s, I thought it was interesting to think about problems of how things fail and how you can make systems and software resilient,” Sabnis told the fellows. “I found security companies really exciting…helping people prevent failures that are more deliberate.” When he joined Google as a software engineer about 15 years ago, “it was a very exciting thing for me to switch from working in what we call enterprise, which is business-focused software, to consumer software that everyday people use and love.”
Sabnis explained the difference between software engineering, computer science, and computer engineering. He described computer engineering as a blend of electrical engineering and computer science, a bridge between hardware, semiconductors, transistors, and software. “I think of a software engineer as being a craftsperson, applying computer science and solving problems leveraging software in a team and collaborative environment...building something that's resilient and stands the test of time,” he said. Sabnis offered that “You learn a lot of theory when you are a student…But the software engineering aspect of it really comes with professional work, learning on the job.”
Like many other guest discussants doing conventional and nonconventional STEM work who have spent time with the fellows, Sabnis stressed that “Many of these steps that I took along my journey, I didn't have a plan. I went with what felt comfortable and what I was interested in.”
The fellows asked about tech industry layoffs and how they can prepare for those kinds of events. Sabnis acknowledged the resultant anxiety and shared his own experience from the time that the Internet was just beginning to take off, to the Internet bubble burst, and the broader recession in 2008 and 2009. He noted that those kinds of disruptive developments “come in waves” and suggested several ways the fellows could protect and prepare themselves.
“First, I recommend that you start with what you are interested in. I think when people are passionate about something and studying it because they care about that…opportunities end up emerging.” Citing today’s most explosive technology-based development, artificial intelligence (AI), Sabnis told the fellows “AI, in particular, is going to change the nature of work that people do, and that is causing some additional anxiety.” He said, “The way I think about it is that the nature of the work may change. There's a lot of things in software engineering that are somewhat ‘rinse and repeat’ and can be somewhat rote at times. AI might help, and there is going to be more that we can do from an efficiency and productivity perspective.”
Second, Sabnis emphasized the importance of adapting. “I hadn’t done much with AI at all before 2022…and it was important for me to build up that skill set recently. Adaptation is really important.”
He noted that “It's important to know that a lot of people come into software engineering through other paths on my team. There are folks who started out in mechanical engineering or with pre-med. And then they just decided, they like software.” Sabnis pointed to team members with non-software backgrounds who learned enough to join Google’s sustainability or health teams. “We have meteorologists on staff who became software engineers. They are able to still focus on weather and have that deep expertise in weather. But they learned software engineering well enough to be a software engineer at Google.” He added that having skills related to software can provide additional opportunities.
The fellows were especially interested in his move into management at Google. “Did you want to go into management, or was it just a way to take your career to the next step, and how did you prepare for that?” one of the fellows asked. Sabnis responded: “I had been a software engineer for about 15 years, when my manager left and they asked me if I wanted to manage.” Sabnis said that “I had no desire to manage” and declined. Later, “I was offered another opportunity and decided to take the plunge, appreciative that Google allows its employees to ‘dip their toe in the water.’“ That allowed him to continue doing the technical work that he loved while also picking up initial management responsibilities.
“I found out that I really enjoyed it, and some of the concerns I had about management were actually an opportunity for me to learn more and to practice my communication skills, to figure out how to think about setting up teams for success. And I found a lot of joy out of learning this new skill that I never really wanted to do.” Those part-time management responsibilities continued over the next 10 years or so, and only in the last four to five years has Sabnis stopped coding entirely.
Asked what his day-to-day work was like, Sabnis described his current workplace setting as a highly collaborative, team-driven environment. “We really want to make sure that we're bringing together team members with diverse strengths and different perspectives.”
In reply to another fellows’ question – “If you had one habit from your high school years that you could change, what would it be?” – Sabnis said, “I completely undervalued the importance of liberal arts and sciences and communication. I really enjoyed my STEM classes, and I focused on that. Then, at the University of Illinois, I could take all the STEM classes that I wanted to. I had very little English and history. Then you enter the workforce and realize just how important communication is.…I had to build up presentation and verbal communication skills. I just didn't think about those things too much when I was in high school or in college.” He cited giving talks in front of a large group and teaching undergraduates as examples of when those skills would have been helpful.
Asked for advice about how to get involved in the software field and how to stay competitive, Sabnis recommended “doing projects on your own and trying to solve some problem that you're interested in.” Referencing his own experience, he said “When I started in computer science, l was coding some games when my parents first got a computer. Later on, I was really into March madness and built my own NCAA scoring app and system. You do these fun things, and you learn.” He added, “It's great to just try and do something yourself, and run into surprises you didn't anticipate. When you're in an interview, you'll be able to draw on that, and it will come through that you have this depth. Definitely start with just tinkering.”
Sabnis encouraged the fellows to take advantage of leadership opportunities. “I've reviewed a lot of resumes, and what stands out to me is when people are proactive and take initiative. They have clear teamwork and communication skills. Make sure you're strong in the foundational things that you're learning in school, and then take on leadership, take on communication.” He urged the fellows that no matter what, “Take initiative on something that you're passionate about.”
The Sandra Lee Heyman Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established in memory of Sandra Lee Heyman, a long-time mathematics teacher at the elementary, middle school, high school, and community college levels. The 18-month long Fellowship is aimed at promising high school students who have the opportunity to meet with STEM leaders, visit prominent institutions in the Washington, D.C., area, and access peers and mentors to support career exploration in STEM fields. There are multiple ways to support the Fellowship program, and donations to the Foundation are tax deductible.