One Year at College Board

I can't believe I've been at the College Board for a little over a year already. Between having two kiddos in grade school and a job that challenges and rewards me daily, time really does fly. Be forewarned, this post might come off like I'm drinking the CB KoolAid 🧃, but it's a little hard not to when an organization genuinely takes great care of its people and treats them like, well, people.

Growth as an Engineer and as a Person

Over the past year, I've been lucky to grow not only as an engineer, but also as a human bean 🫘. I've learned a great deal from working with truly talented engineers, managers, and product owners. I've been mentored by brilliant folks, had the chance to contribute to complex systems that operate at an incredible scale, and have had the opportunity to teach others and share my unique perspective. The work never feels monotonous; there's always something new to learn, a fresh problem to solve, or someone to support.

One of the most memorable experiences this past year was attending the bi-annual Pencil's Down conference (Or is it semi-annual? I can never remember. The one that means every two years). It was meaningful not just for me, but for my wife and kids too. We got to explore Philadelphia together as a family, a city none of us had ever visited. (It was also the furthest east any of us has ever been, don't judge us for how little we travel 😅) I connected in person with teammates I'd only known through a screen, and got to hear from students about their experiences with our organization's products. The whole trip blended professional connection with personal enrichment, and it reinforced for me how working as a software engineer is about so much more than solving purely technical challenges.

Overcoming Fear and Anxiety Leading Up to the Hackathon

More recently, I had the chance to attend the annual Hackathon. This was a fantastic opportunity that, for me, came with quite a bit of personal challenge. I'm naturally a bit of a hermit (let's be honest, a lot of a hermit), and the thought of traveling to an unfamiliar place and mingling with hundreds of colleagues had me more than a little anxious 😬. I definitely spent about ten minutes the first morning in my hotel room taking deep slow breaths to calm my nerves to try and avoid flooding the entire ballroom with my armpit sweat.

I had to keep reminding myself that, given this was going to be a room full of mostly engineers and technical workers, many others were likely feeling similar anxiety. I had to quiet the part of me telling me that I had nothing to offer, that I'd bring little to the table, or that I was just downright unlikeable 👿. I wondered if my teammates would be way smarter than me or think less of me for not being a golden god of coding. But I did my best to set that aside to focus on showing up, being helpful where I could, and trusting that everyone brings something unique to the table, including me. I tried to focus more on what I could learn from my teammates than remain hung up on whether or not they could learn anything from me or like me as a person.

To my relief, I met a lot of smart, kind, and approachable people. Conversations mostly flowed easily, not just about code and tech, but about life in general. We connected with each other about our families, hobbies, interests and shared values. That human connection made the experience infinitely more enriching than a purely technical exercise. The hackathon environment itself was incredibly supportive, in that it was an invitation to experiment, try new things, and be okay with failure. Knowing that the challenges were to stir the pot on potential future real-world solutions, I followed a mantra of "this is the one you throw away," which was liberating and took the pressure off, clean coding be damned. (You do not want to see how ugly my CSS rules were to get that lipstick on the UI 💄)

I got to bump elbows with some of the senior leadership. They were refreshingly down-to-earth, and I was especially impressed when they made a point to thank the hotel staff during speeches. That kind of awareness and humility speaks volumes to me about the character of a person.

Hackathon Takeaways

While I can’t dive into specifics, I had a blast exploring some new tools and building a solution with the team over the course of only a few days. We didn't win any big prizes, but we built something genuinely cool, something we were proud of, and we all stretched ourselves in the process.

One area I'm planning to reflect more on is how we presented our project. I'd crammed for the exam by reading "Own the Room" a day before heading to the event, and think it helped a tiny bit to be aware of some tools and techniques, but I will definitely need some more chances to work those muscles before the information really sticks and I can flex them 💪. When engineers present a solution to other engineers, we tend to lose sight of some of the more social/psychological factors that go into making a persuasive business presentation, so that's something I'd like to improve on not only for the hackathon events but in general.

Looking Ahead

By the end of the hackathon, I was so mentally and socially exhausted, I gave myself a day to decompress and recover. Even so, I'm already looking forward to the next one and other events like it. I hope I get the chance to attend again next year, with fewer nerves and more confidence to help others attending for the first time to feel welcome and encouraged.

All in all, the hackathon was a truly rewarding experience. I'm grateful to have been a part of it, to have pushed myself outside my comfort zone, and to have met so many wonderful people along the way. I encourage any engineer who has never attended one to give it a shot the next time the opportunity arises.

Conclusion

Over the past year at the College Board, I've grown both technically and personally, thanks to meaningful work and a supportive team. Attending the Hackathon pushed me out of my comfort zone, but I walked away with new connections, new skills, and a lot more confidence. It was a rewarding reminder that growth often happens when you show up, try, and trust that you belong.

Here's to another year 🍻