Ethical and Professional Issues

How should the computing and technology community work towards creating a welcoming, diverse, and inclusive community? Is this a moral imperative or a laudable goal or unlikely wish? I believe that diversity is an important factor in basically all environments whether professional, personal, or other. In a world full of so many different kinds of people with different ideas, beliefs, and lifestyles, being inclusive, inviting, and open is of paramount importance for many reasons. Having representative populations allows for the best, most innovative, and morally sound work to get done. In tech, diversity is of extreme importance. In an industry that impacts literally every single person living on earth, I believe that the people designing, implementing, and selling tech products should represent the population being served. If a product is for a certain group of people, it simply makes sense for those creating that product to have some common ground with said group to...

What is your overall impression of the hiring process in your chosen industry? Is it efficient? Is it effective? Is it ethical? I’ve had a somewhat limited experience with the general hiring process in the tech industry. My first (and so far only) real experience really going through it all was at the beginning of my sophomore year. I applied to Google’s Engineering Practicum program, designed specifically for freshmen and sophomores. The hiring committee was made aware of my current course work (at that point it was basically a month and a half of FundComp) and tailored my two technical interviews accordingly. I was asked pretty basic questions, all of which I was able to answer fairly well. I ended up getting an offer and interned at Google in New York that following summer. After that internship ended, I was given a return offer without having to interview again, and accepted without hesitation. After another summer at Google as a full SWE intern, I was able to bypass intervie...

What is your identity and how does it impact how you see the world and how the world sees you? I feel like I’ve been aware of personal identity, what it means, and why it’s important for a long time. Growing up, I was never super into sports and other commonly masculine areas. This made it sometimes hard to fit in and truly be myself. As I and the people around me have grown up, though, it’s gotten better. People begin to truly accept themselves and be okay with others being different. Personal, emotional identity permeates every facet of my life, and in college I’ve begun to think about a more professional and scholarly identity as well, specifically as it relates to computer science and my career ahead. The classic computer programmer, at least in pop culture, is a fat, greasy, uber nerdy man who lives in a basement and pounds Mountain Dew. I very much do not subscribe to this stereotype, and I don’t believe most of my peers do either. While I do very much identify as a “nerd...

What does it mean to be an ethically responsible person and is that something you strive for? Defining what it means to be ethically responsible isn’t something one can do objectively with complete certainty in the “correctness” of their definition. Being ethical is subjective, and depends on what you view as right and wrong. Even though I feel like I “know” (at least to some extent) what it means to be ethically responsible, I am constantly questioning what I am doing and why, reframing my views to try and be my best. I would never go as far as to say I know I am right, just that I am doing the best I can with what I know. For some, ethics come from a higher power. The core Catholic Social Teachings explicitly lay out a pretty compelling foundation for “living a good life and being a good person.” For someone who identifies as Catholic, looking to these seven teachings is a great place to grow in their “goodness.” As someone who does not strongly identify as Catholic, even I can...