As a project of the International Student Advisory Committee, the career profile series aims to bring insight into the unique professional experience and career pathway that international students at Cal have been through. Former McKinsey intern, now Ph.D. Candidate in Computer Sciences and Apple research intern

Can you provide us with a brief background of what opportunities you were involved in and how you arrived to your current position as a graduate student?

I am originally from Taiwan and began my undergraduate journey as a student at National Taiwan University. Through my university, I dabbled with several opportunities and eventually interned with McKinsey and Company, a global management and consulting firm. The application process was quite simple and straightforward. The interview process however was another obstacle since it included five rounds of interviews ranging from technical questions to case studies which are designed to test your knowledge and ability to solve challenges. I am grateful for the learning experience of interning at a consulting firm I realized it was not something I was immensely passionate about so I began pursuing 

What made you pursue Computer Science?

For me, I was always aware of the current job market and I wanted to balance it with my passion. Computer Science is one of those majors that is the trend in Taiwan, many people major in it and the demand from the tech industry is also high. My experience in consulting had consolidated my passion for computer science. More importantly, I wanted to focus on research and work towards my goal of developing a useful product for the mass market. Knowing that I wanted to do research, I made sure that I was active in the research field during my undergraduate years that would provide the basis for graduate school and future internship opportunities.

What was your plan once completing your undergraduate studies?

 I served in the military for a year. This also gave me the time to research and apply to a graduate program which best suited me, hence why I am pursuing a PhD at UC Berkeley. While completing my dissertation, I was able to work for a summer with Google as a research Intern for their photo app. This was a perfect opportunity for me to showcase my skills in coding and aligned perfectly with the type of research I currently conduct in my studies. Being a graduate student also enabled me to get scouted by Apple! I was offered an internship for next summer to be a research intern for them as well. I guess writing so many papers does pay off! (laughs)

Do you have any general advice to offer to current undergraduates?  

Make sure you know what you want. Plan for your future, research what speaks to your interest but make sure it aligns with prospective careers that will be financially stabilizing. And perhaps what you’re studying won’t provide you immediate financial security upon graduating, if that ends up being the case, look into graduate programs to give you more depth and recognition for what you do love to study. Also, in terms of interviews for future jobs, make sure you come fully prepared. This includes taking the right courses and also keeping up with current affairs and news to offer insights into present trends; this 

will benefit you and make you stand apart from the rest of the applicants. I can’t stress enough about the importance of being prepared especially if you know there is a case interview or coding challenge, it’s something you want to practice. A good first impression may get you into the door to a full time offer. The earlier you begin researching for what path you will take, the better off you will be once graduation is around the corner since you’ll have a plan already set in motion!

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