SEED Interview with Kara King
SEED Interview
As part of the SEED project, I recently talked with Kara King, a SAP developer at FirstEnergy. In this interview, Kara told me that students should be open to learning new programming languages. Kara also said that software engineers in industry face the challenge of eliciting requirements from business stakeholders. Finally, she stressed the importance of professional networking, encouraging people to pursue internships throughout their undergraduate education. Read Kara’s responses to the three SEED questions to learn more about her unique perspective on the engineering of software in industry.
What is the greatest challenge that you face when working in your field?
The greatest challenge I face as a developer at FirstEnergy is communicating with business stakeholders. As a developer you must take business requirements and turn them into code — however, many times the business clients do not even know themselves what they want in their desired product!
What is one point of advice that you can give to people who plan to enter your field?
Networking is a huge advantage when searching for a job. I still network in my current job in case I have a desire to “test the waters” in a different part of my company. Also, take advantage of internships — they get your foot in the door!
Do you have any questions about this interview? Or, do you have a response to Kara’s ideas? If you do, then I hope that you will contact me to share some of your thoughts. Or, do you want to be updated when I publish new interviews in this series? If you do, then please subscribe to my mailing list.