About Me

A look into my life and journey as a software engineer!

Kevin Lu

My Journey

As a software engineer, I believe having a growth mindset is one of the most important skills to have. The ability to embrace mistakes, continuously learn from them, and adapt to changes will help one go far in not only software engineering, but any pursuit in life.

My journey began with an introduction to Java class at my local community centre, when I was still studying in elementary school. Though after I completed the class, I didn't touch programming for a while as I wanted to do other things such as hanging out at my friend's swimming pool, or playing countless video games with my friends like Pokemon, Roblox, Minecraft, Maplestory, League of Legends, etc.

In high school, I started a few simple HTML/CSS projects out of interest, as I built a few projects back in my Java class which I thought was cool and I wanted to do more. This quickly evolved into a deeper exploration of JavaScript and modern frameworks like React.

From then on I was eager to learn more and pursued software engineering thourgh various means, in chronological order:

  • Self-teaching new technologies
  • Competing in hackathons
  • Gaining experience as a frontend software engineer in organizations
  • Building personal and collaborative projects
  • Taking computer science courses
  • Applying concepts learned from those courses
  • Explcitily planning my software engineering career through research and goal alignment
  • Actively preparing and applying for internships by:
    • Improving my resume, cover letter, and LinkedIn profile
    • Developing this website
    • Learning more technologies and addapting to AI developments
    • Practicing technical interviews, including LeetCode problems, system design, data structures & algorithms, and behavioral questions
    • Expanding my professional network

Education

University of Toronto

Bachelor of Mathematics | Sep 2023 - Jun 2027

Focusing on mathematics and it's applications in computer science.

Active participant in the badminton interhouse league, Outdoor Recreation club, Society for Innovation at the Intersection of Natural and Artificial Intelligence, and Association of Mathematical and Computer Science Students. Making new friends and developing relationships with my professors, balancing both my math studies and self-teaching software engineering on the side.

Beyond Software Engineering

When I'm not programming, I have many other interests I spend time on. I enjoy playing badminton, keeping up with Formula 1, rock climbing with friends, working out, running, checking stock news, eating good food, managing my NBA fantasy team, reading manga, and most importantly, being with the people I love.

Looking Forward

As I continue on my career path, I'm excited about opportunities to contribute my skills to meaningful products that impact users' lives. I am planning to:

  • Deeper dive in AI
  • Contribute to open source projects
  • Attend conferences and read research papers
  • Engage in research and collaboration
  • Work in an environment where I can grow and enjoy the product I help develop