Thriving in Tech with an Unconventional Career Trajectory
summary
An unconventional path: philosophy degree, preschool teacher and yoga instructor before moving into field engineering at Jaybridge Robotics and robotics operations at Toyota Research Institute. Builds a lab truss and mocap system, supports Robocup At‑Home and the Amazon picking challenge, assembles autonomy systems in cars, unpacks 500‑lb robot crates wider than house doors, and adapts workflows with GitHub and 3D scanners plus sterilization protocols during COVID. Emphasizes finding allies and mentors, documenting inventory to demonstrate value, and continuous hands‑on learning.
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chapters (12)
- 0:00Introduction
- 0:37Speaker Introduction
- 2:27Where I am now
- 4:24Before Covid
- 5:32Covid
- 7:43How did you get here
- 11:58Challenges
- 15:31Finding Your Niche
- 17:58Ecosystem
- 18:24Qualities of a Robust Ecosystem
- 22:12Be Yourself
- 22:58Pay It Forward
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