“I Always Like to Set Goals for Myself so that I Stay Hungry” – Sonjay Lake, Google Software Engineer and MAXX Alum
By MAXX Potential
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Sonjay Lake worked as an Apprentice for a little over a year, reaching a Level 4 Apprentice status while gaining valuable on-the-job tech experience before he exited MAXX Potential to work at Google as a Software Engineer.
What were you doing before MAXX Potential? What drew you to pursue a career in technology?
I was in college before Maxx Potential and joined shortly after graduating. I don’t have a degree related to tech, but I knew I wanted to pivot to this industry after taking a few senior level electives in college. That unlocked my passion for solving problems using technology.
Can you talk about what you’re currently working on? What are some of your job responsibilities?
I can’t go into too much detail, but I work on Search Ads Infrastructure. I am working on a migration project of one infrastructure service to another. My day-to-day responsibilities include working on my main project, handling on-call alerts, collaborating with my fellow team members, and contributing to my company’s community in various ways.
What’s the most rewarding thing about your current role?
Getting to work with brilliant people on challenging problems that have an impact worldwide.
How do you keep your skills up to date? What’s the best way to learn new concepts, technologies, programming languages, etc.?
I always like to set goals for myself so that I stay hungry and am pushed to keep growing in my field. I like to tinker with random things to make sure I have the right mindset for programming/tech, even outside of work. The best way for me to learn is by following along with guides to get the basics and then trying to do my own side project so that the knowledge can be engrained.
What’s the best piece of advice you can give to someone early in their IT career or looking to get their start?
Stay curious and just be open to taking unorthodox opportunities if you can.
Interested in becoming or working with a MAXX Apprentice? Attend Career Lab or explore MAXX Business Solutions!
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