Growing up, I always liked building and fixing things. My Dad would try to fix things around the house, like the faucet in the bathroom. After some time, he would say, “Oh, I give up.” Then, I would go in, tinker around, and fix it! I really like being hands-on. When I was in high school, I enjoyed learning to program. I loved the sense of accomplishment when I created something and saw it come to life. The idea of coupling my joy of coding with problem-solving is why Computer Engineering is the perfect fit for me.
In 2004, I graduated from the University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Applied Science, specializing in Computer Engineering. I took mostly Computer Science classes in my last year of university, but I kept my degree on both the hardware and software. During my university internship, I was fortunate enough to work for two tech companies. These experiences were valuable as they brought relevancy to the degree I was working toward. Exposure to corporate life early on was instrumental in helping me figure out my career path. After trying both, software development was the direction I wanted to go—it felt limitless.
Now, I work at IBM as a Solution Quality Engineer, where I am part of the end-to-end testing of business analytics software. In other words, I am the last line of defense between mediocre and amazing software! Before the software gets to me, other engineers test the individual components of the software to make sure each part is working correctly. I test the software right before it gets to the customer and my role is to ensure we deliver a functional, high-quality product.
There is a lot of innovation and creativity in my job. It’s always great fun to figure out how to make the tests run more efficiently for different clients. Most of the time, I’m working on multiple products at once. It’s important to learn how to manage your time and prioritize what’s on your to-do list. I feel a great engineering program teaches you that.
One thing to note about engineering is how it can impact people’s lives. In response to the COVID-19 outbreak, IBM created a dashboard that shows the number of COVID-19 cases within the country and around the world. There are also other initiatives led by IBM, such as hackathons that try to find solutions to problems related to COVID-19. It’s motivating to know that what I’m doing and the company I work for have a positive impact on people’s lives. That’s what good engineering is all about.
“I loved the sense of accomplishment when I created something and saw it come to life. The idea of coupling my joy of coding with problem solving is why Computer Engineering is the perfect fit for me.”
-Angela Lo, Solution Quality Engineer
Interested in learning more about Angela Lo?
Listen to her speak on our recent SWE Diverse episode about how she balances work and mom life as Asian Pacific American women and lessons she has learned since working from home during this time.
Read more ‘Day in the Life’ articles:
- A Day in the Life of Environmental Engineer Renata Spinosa
- A Day in the Life of An Aerospace Engineer
- A Day in the Life of Chemical Engineer Rosa Rueda, Ph.D.
- A Day in the Life of Engineering Director Kalyani Mallela
- A Day in the Life of Software Engineer Emily Redmond
