Q&A with Kylie Taitano
Kylie Taitano, Software Engineer at Intuit ProConnect Group (B.S. in computer science ‘14)
What is your background?
Eight years ago, I never would have thought I’d have a career in technology. Computer science was actually my backup major when I applied to UC San Diego. I had zero experience with programming, so going through the major was admittedly tough. I’m glad I stuck it through, and it helped that I had the support of the UC San Diego CSE community and all the friends I’ve made along the way. Since then, I’ve been working at Intuit as a software engineer on the ProSeries team — it’s a tax product for accountants that is built on the same platform as TurboTax.
What is your favorite part of being on the CSE Alumni Advisory Board?
Something I really enjoy about being a member of the Alumni Advisory Board is that I’m able to stay connected to what’s going on in the department. The one thing I miss most about being a CSE student is our community — I interacted with so many people through tutoring and as a member of Women in Computing. Being on the alumni board with people who are equally as passionate as I am about UC San Diego CSE is an awesome way to stay involved.
What has been your proudest accomplishment in a leadership role?
I’ve partnered with Girl Scouts San Diego over the last three years, hosting several coding programs and workshops for their troops. One program that stands out to me was a competition called the Technovation Challenge. The competition is twelve weeks long, in which thousands of girls all over the world are challenged to design a mobile app that solves a problem in their community.
The girls I worked with had a few obstacles in the beginning: they came from all over San Diego, so they didn’t know each other; they were each in a different grade in high school; and they were completely terrified of programming, because they didn’t have any prior experience with it. The problem they landed on that hit close to home was the California drought, so they decided to create an Android app aimed at educating teenagers about water conservation. To our surprise, they ended up winning the regional competition and advanced to the semifinals! The most rewarding part of the whole thing was experiencing firsthand their mindset and attitude change about technology. They were completely different girls by the end of it. You would never have known that they didn’t code before because their confidence and skill level went through the roof.
What is a major goal that you would like to accomplish in the year ahead?
Along with two other amazing women, I’ve co-founded an organization called Code With Her to unite girls and their community through technology. We’ve had a lot of success this year hosting multiple coding workshops around San Diego. My goal for next year is to connect with the various women in tech networks around San Diego to partner together on these workshops. I think it’s important for these young women to interact with students studying computer science and women in industry, so they can have role models to look up to.
What career advice would you be interested in sharing with a CSE alumnus who is new to the job market?
My advice is: opportunities open up when you do. When you’re in school, there’s structure that tells you when you advance to the next level. After graduation, I quickly realized that it’s easy to box yourself into a role, to be comfortable with what you’re doing, and that no one is around to tell you what to do next. I’ve grown personally as a software engineer by taking on roles and job duties outside of my comfort zone by my own volition.