From Deep Dive to Google: How this CNM Grad Landed a Cutting-Edge Job at One of the World’s Most Prominent Companies

Shihlin Lu has always loved technology. 

“I love knowing that you can have an innovative idea and build a product that can almost immediately affect billions of people’s lives around the world,” she says.

To put that passion to use, she enrolled in a CNM Ingenuity Deep Dive Coding Bootcamp. Coding clicked for her even though she came from an architecture and environmental science background, and she immediately found a way to help local businesses.

She started at BlueInk Technologies as a software developer where she helped them create documents that could be digitally signed for real estate transactions. Next she moved to Xpansiv as a software engineer on their front-end team. At Xpansiv she worked on software that helps people better understand the complex supply chains we use to create and deliver global products.

“That was a great project because it focused on creating more sustainability and having a positive environmental impact across the world,” she says. 

In 2020 she moved to Silent Falcon, a drone manufacturing company that had pivoted to software. There she helped build a new software system from scratch that allows drones to use machine learning and data visualization to scan airport runways and taxiways and assess them for damage. With that software, the drones are able to shrink an otherwise manual process that might take eight months into a much shorter time frame.

At Silent Falcon, Shihlin also developed her leadership skills.

“I got to lead a small team of engineers and work with sales and operations to create a product that can scale to airports around the world,” she says. “I was definitely pushed out of my comfort zone, but it was also a great experience.” 

Finally, just weeks ago, Shihlin landed a position at Google where she’ll be working as a Technical Program Manager. She’s beyond excited.

“This is the second time I’ve interviewed for a job at Google and I feel very lucky for the opportunity,” she says. 

At Google, Shihlin says her goal is to learn as much as possible, but to also contribute in a large way.

“So far I’ve worked at a series of smaller companies so I’m really looking forward to seeing what kind of impact I can make at a larger, established organization,” she says.

Learn more about the CNM Ingenuity Deep Dive Bootcamps here.