I'm an Engineering Leader at Google with over a decade of experience in technology, and have led efforts across multiple engineering teams to deliver impact at scale. I specialize in driving technical strategy and de-risking multi-team initiatives by building bridges between stakeholders. I enjoy translating ambiguous product visions into clear, reliable engineering execution, ultimately bringing delight to user in their every day life. Most importantly, I love crafting environments where people, teams, and products blossom.
Their story
Google Software Engineer - A come to Jesus moment
13 min
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Key quotes
“There's no specific degree that is needed for being a software engineer even at really established companies like Amazon, Google.”
Kuan Peng, Software Engineer / Engineering Manager at Google
“I think my one vice is to find ways to start coding. Once you learn some way to code, it's really important to put that into practice.”
Kuan Peng, Software Engineer / Engineering Manager at Google
“You have to question your own perception of how good you really are. Until you have that, the confidence is more — you're sort of covering up for your insecurity.”
Kuan Peng, Software Engineer / Engineering Manager at Google
“Don't be that jerk coder who may be brilliant at coding but cannot work with anybody.”
Kuan Peng, Software Engineer / Engineering Manager at Google
“If you have this mindset that hey, I just really want to learn, I want to get really good, then it doesn't matter where you go. You just need an opportunity to be able to learn, to be able to produce, to be able to practice the craft.”
Kuan Peng, Software Engineer / Engineering Manager at Google
Career highlights
You don't need a CS degree to break into software engineering — but you do need to learn to code somehow.
Kuan says even top companies like Google and Amazon don't require a specific degree. He's worked alongside people who came through coding bootcamps and online courses.
Start building things as soon as you learn even a little bit of code — apps, websites, whatever.
He says putting code into practice is the fastest way to grow. Even a simple calculator app on the App Store counts as real experience.
Your reputation at work matters — showing up with effort and being someone people can trust is just as important as your technical skills.
Kuan was honest about developing a reputation for being lazy early in his career at a startup. He made a conscious decision to change that when he joined Amazon and then Google.
Confidence without self-awareness is just covering up insecurity — stay humble and keep questioning how much you really know.
When he moved from Amazon to Google, he realized the skills he was proud of didn't automatically transfer. He had to rebuild and relearn.
Communication and being a good teammate matter as much as being a great coder.
Kuan specifically warns against being 'that jerk coder' who's brilliant but can't work with anyone. Soft skills are non-negotiable in this field.
Software engineering rewards curiosity and effort — and the pay reflects that, from ~$100K entry-level to $500K+ for senior engineers at big tech.
He points to Levels.fyi as a resource students can use to research real compensation data at specific companies.