The Terrific Journey of A Talented Google, Twitter & Adobe Engineer – Daisy Modi
Daisy Modi is a generational talent who is most well known for her software engineering prowess. She has an immaculate resumé which includes stints at Google, Adobe and Twitter. Since a very young age, Daisy’s exceptional intellect was all too evident. She won several accolades and consistently surpassed several academic records. At present, she is a decorated engineer who currently works for the renowned social media conglomerate, Twitter. The Hype Magazine’s Life & Style correspondent, Charles Myambo (CM) had an interview with Daisy Modi (DM). Below are some excerpts from the interview.
Engineer @Twitter – “Daisy Modi”
CM: How did your journey in software engineering start and would you classify yourself as a child prodigy?
DM: I was introduced to coding in school as part of my school curriculum. Back then, it used to be one of my favorites, scoring subjects. Those were very small pieces of code, but I was always fascinated by the idea that a few lines can build an amazing software. When I started college with a major in Electronics and Communication engineering, I tried my hands on some projects involving both hardware and software and very quickly realized that I was much more interested in the software side of things. No, I don’t think I’m even close to being called a child prodigy and I don’t think you need to be a child prodigy to become a software engineer.
CM: Walk us through the process that culminated in you working for giants such as Adobe, Twitter and Google.
DM: Getting a job is never just about the day of the interview. It required a lot of days of working really hard and consistently trying to improve. But once you are able to make up your mind it becomes a lot easier. After I decided I wanted to get a job in software engineering, I spent a lot of time researching different software development technologies and what large software companies look for in a candidate. I was majoring in Electronics and Communication engineering and did not have a lot of subjects related to computer science or software engineering, so I would try to spend a few hours every week reading up on these topics and building basic projects. I also discovered competitive coding. I found it really fun to solve coding problems online and it was like a game where all players were competing for the best solution for a given problem. There were a lot of times when I started doubting myself and was worried that not having a computer science degree would close a lot of doors for me but once I cracked my first interview, there was no looking back.
CM: How would you describe your career growth during your tenure at Adobe and Google respectively?
DM: Both Adobe and Google have given me a lot of opportunities to grow, and I am very grateful for that. I have learnt a lot at each of these jobs that I don’t think I would have at any other place. Adobe gave me the opportunity to explore a lot of different technologies and to work on a large project single-handedly. When I joined Google, I didn’t expect it to be any different, but I was fascinated by the quality of work, even if it was for an internal tool. I got to work on some very interesting and challenging projects, and I learnt the best engineering practices and how important it is to keep trying to improve with every iteration.
CM: At present, you are a full-time software engineer at Twitter. What motivated you to this next major step in your career?
DM: Google is an amazing place and leaving Google was a very difficult decision for me. I had grown out of my role at Google and was looking for opportunities to grow at a company that holds similar values. I had learnt a lot at Google, and I wanted to take those learnings to a smaller organization with bigger challenges and more growth prospects. I had learnt the best engineering practices and standards, but I wanted to solve a bigger piece of the puzzle. I had always heard of Twitter as a very employee friendly company and when they opened their offices in Bangalore, I wanted to be a part of it.
CM: Your credentials are clearly exemplary. That said, what are some of the biggest challenges you had to encounter during your journey?
DM: The biggest challenge I have had to face was dealing with imposter syndrome when I joined Google. There are so many things happening in the world of tech that it is very difficult to keep up with everything and very easy to feel like a fake. When you work for a top tier company, you know how smart everyone around you is. Oftentimes we forget that we are in the same position because we also meet the same bar. One of the best ways to deal with it, I have found, is to get regular feedback from your manager to see how you are actually performing.
CM: Engineering is quite a male dominated industry. Considering that you are a woman who just happens to be one of the foremost engineers in India, what has your experience been like?
DM: I feel very grateful to be a part of the software industry. Being a woman in a male dominated industry is definitely challenging. I went to an engineering college with a ratio of 40 girls and almost 1000 boys in my batch. Initially the ratio itself made me feel very intimidated and a lot of things seemed really difficult, but I slowly learnt to navigate those issues. Compared to that, I have felt less intimidated due to my gender in my corporate jobs. Although companies are realizing the importance of diverse perspectives and there are multiple initiatives to help women feel more inclusive, I feel like we still have a long way to go. I have always been fortunate enough to work at such companies but fighting unconscious prejudice takes work. A lot of times I have felt the need to prove myself more than a male engineer in the same role even though I wasn’t sure if it was really expected of me.
CM: What role do you think young talents like yourself have in shaping the correct precedence for the next generation?
DM: My hope for the next generation is more women treading into new territory and paving the way. Our generation is already seeing good participation of women in the workforce, but I think we need to see more women at the top. The next generation will undoubtedly be smarter but our generation achieving great things and leaving a trail behind will definitely help them reach there sooner and achieve greater things.
TweetAbout the Author
Charles Myambo (@BigChaz14 on Twitter) is a columnist and correspondent for industry leader, The Hype Magazine. He is also well known for being a multiple genre #1 Amazon best selling author. In addition to that, Charles is a credentialed journalist as seen in Muck Rack & Press Reader and he is also a highly touted celebrity news correspondent. Moreover, Charles is an international celebrity host and interviewer who has been covered by some of the world's biggest publications. At present, his interviews have been covered by credible journalistic outlets such as Medium, Flipboard, Press Reader, Muck Rack and many others. He is also a columnist for huge African newspapers such as NewsDay, Daily News, iHarare, ZiFM Stereo (radio station), H-Metro, The Financial Gazette as well as several other European and American publications. (@charlesmyambo on Instagram)
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