Carson Lipscomb
- Software Engineer
- Uber
School Information
School: University of Washington
College Major: Engineering
Years at College Works: 2014
Career Information
Working For: Uber
Title: Software Engineer
Industry: Software
Brief Description of Duties / Responsibilities:
Fleet Infrastructure Engineering Team Leading the initiative to modernize synthetic and product benchmark qualifications for cloud compute prediction and validation.
What Has Been Your Proudest Accomplishment Post-CWP?Landing a job with Microsoft post-internship. They gave me an offer I couldn’t refuse, and ecstatic-ally excepted.
College Works Career Impact
In one sentence, what has CW meant to you?
College Works Painting gave me the confidence in myself and my future, and encouraged me to be proactive to attain any and all of my goals.
How did your CW experience impact your career? Immediately after graduation? Now?
After College Works Painting I tried confronting many software companies for internships. This internship made me stand out from the rest: it was a conversation starter and is what landed me basically all of my interviews. Without College Works Painting I’m sure I wouldn’t have gotten the call back from Microsoft, so I owe College Works Painting a large credit to my career. College Works Painting changed me as a person, pushed me out of my bubble, and influences me every day.
What do you want to tell your clients about what it meant to work with them and how it has helped you get to where you are today?
I told them that my future depended on painting their home. And that each house would be like a work of art that I would scrapbook and show off. I think showing passion and deep interest is always important for talking with people.
What was the greatest lesson you learned from your CW experience?
Waiting is the worst possible thing for your future. What I mean by that is everything. Don’t wait to talk to your boss, don’t wait to make up with your girlfriend, don’t wait to peruse your dreams. And especially don’t wait to communicate to your clients (which I definitely learned). Waiting loses time and worsens the situation. You never want to lose a window of opportunity.
How have the friendships and networks you built during CW affected you?
My VP provided me a recommendation that allowed me to study abroad, and always gave me support no matter where I went. My district manager still checks in on me and we encourage each other. I still talk to my fellow interns. It’s definitely given me a family to support myself.
If you had to come up with a one line slogan for CW, what would it be?
This is tough, Work hard, play hard?
Advice
What advice do you have for potential CW participants? Current CW participants?
Don’t be afraid to try something completely new and push yourself to your limits. Once you prove to yourself that you aren’t weak, you will never disappoint yourself. That basically goes to potential and current: you have to be ready to work for your future.
Many college students struggle to choose between an internship specific to their target industry or doing CW. What advice would you give them on this subject if they wanted to enter your career field?
If you want to become a successful Computer Scientist you cannot be that one guy on the couch who’s eating potato chips. College Works Painting basically made me stand out by breaking that societal expectation of who a computer scientist is. Even in the engineering world, having experience in leadership, people skills, and time management means you can rise above the rest faster. Every employer is looking for someone motivated above someone that is intelligent. But in the best case you can be both.
What’s your best advice for someone interested in entering your career field?
Don’t be afraid to have an awkward conversation, ask for more, and never settle for less. I was denied by Microsoft, and decided to confront the recruiter again for a second chance. Then, I landed the internship which landed me the job of my dreams.