Bristy’s triumphant journey from MIT to Google

Bristy Sikder. Photo: Courtesy

A Computer Science and Engineering graduate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Bristy Sikder is a Senior Software Engineer at Google. Before that, she had applied to 18 foreign institutions, and got accepted to 14 of them, including Harvard, Princeton, and Oxford University.

Bristy always aspired to study at a well-reputed university. She won a bronze medal at Asian-Pacific Informatics Olympiad in 2013. She was the champion of the National Informatics Olympiad, and a runner-up in Bangladesh Mathematical Olympiad the same year. She was also a bronze medalist at the International Olympiad in Informatics in 2012.

She enjoyed the collaborative environment at MIT, and picked some PhD courses, whenever she got the chance. During her first year at the university, Bristy interned at Google, and eventually, went on to work for companies like Quora, Yugabyte, Deepmind, Bridgewater, and Rubik Inc.

These early experiences helped her gain valuable insights to secure a position that is otherwise reserved for older engineers.

Bristy was fascinated by the career opportunities and workplace dynamics at Google. "I wanted to excel at something which is different from mainstream options, and Software Engineering seemed fun. The risks and rewards were well-balanced," she said.

In 2020, she started the platform Journeys in Tech, where she hosts talks with Bangladeshi women from different backgrounds who have built successful careers in technology.

"Girls underestimate their capabilities and are afraid of failing. They also do not have enough role models. However, life is about choosing your challenges and playing safe is not always the best choice," asserted Bristy, addressing the underrepresentation of women in STEM fields.

In the future, she hopes to start her own company.

The author is a freelance journalist who likes reading, scribbling, and blogging.

Email: [email protected].