Alex Korzec

I recently found an old paper I had written in elementary school that said, “When I grow up, I want to be either a video game programmer… or a point guard for the Detroit Pistons.” (I had a Grant Hill Trapper Keeper that held all my Pokemon cards.) I’ve known for a long time that Software Engineering was the craft I wanted to take up, but even still the path to get there has been full of exciting twists and turns.

I started at Brown University as a Computer Science major, but watched my love for music grow. After taking music classes, being a DJ and a Music Director at 95.5 WBRU-FM, and playing in a band with classmates, I decided to add a second major: Electronic Music and Multimedia. It was an intriguing and unique department, and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to explore it while I had the chance!

Suddenly, I was outside of my comfort zone, especially in theory classes, surrounded by skilled musicians with years of training. In this environment, I found one of the most important lessons I took from college. In most of my studies, I had been (over-)relying on natural talent. In the absence of it, I realized the only way to succeed was through hard work, and lots of it. I locked myself in practice rooms, went to office hours, and got feedback on assignments before turning them in. I finally understood the quote: “hard work beats talent, when talent fails to work hard.”

I tell people that I learned more about Engineering in my first year as a full-time developer than I did throughout all of college and high school. More importantly, I learned how to learn, especially in small startups where I wore multiple hats. Every time I took a topic I knew nothing about, and turned it into one I at least knew something about, the process became less scary.

I’ve gravitated towards a few leadership-developer hybrid roles over the years, and delighted in helping my teams succeed on more than just an individual basis. But a while back, I came to view Software Engineering not as a major, or as a job, but as a craft that requires continual study and practice. I’ve decided my prime directive right now is to hone my craft, while offering servant leadership wherever I can along the way!