🌟 Alumni Spotlight: Sneha Mahapatra! 🌟

Meet Sneha Mahapatra! She earned her M.S. in Computer Science from **#ManningCICS** in May 2023 and transitioned from Software Developer at Superluminal to Software Engineer at Microsoft. Through her journey, she’s experienced both startup hustle and corporate structure and she shared some key takeaways:

🔹 At a Startup – You're constantly switching between different roles. The learning curve is steep; you don’t have time to overthink, so you pick up new skills at lightning speed. There’s an immediate impact; whatever you build goes straight to customers without layers of approval. While this fast-paced environment fosters innovation and adaptability, it also comes with risks.  But for those early in their careers, it’s an incredible opportunity to gain diverse experience quickly.

🔹 In Big Tech – You work with large-scale systems developed and refined over the years. The structured environment teaches you the best practices for building scalable and maintainable software. There’s strong mentorship, with senior engineers available to guide you, and you’re part of a larger team where expertise is shared. You don’t have to figure everything out on your own, and if you have an idea, there’s a much larger audience to showcase it to. While the pace might not be as rapid as a startup, the opportunity to work on products that impact millions of users is invaluable.

💭 Thinking about startups or big tech for your next career move? Each offers unique experiences and opportunities choose what aligns with your goals!