Ignite Our Catalyst Ignite Our Catalyst

Laura McInnis is a resident doctor, a former competitive figure skater, and an Olympic weightlifter.

On this episode of Ignite Our Catalyst, Laura talks about her experiences applying to and going through medical school, the reactions she faces as a young, female doctor, and imposter syndrome as a medical professional. Laura also shares how being a competitive athlete has impacted her personal and professional life.

Jay is an alumnus of the world-renowned Computer Science Program at the University of Waterloo, a software developer, a Muay Thai fighter, and a powerlifter/weightlifter.

On this fourth episode, Jay discusses his experiences as a STEM undergrad at UW and what it was like to switch programs halfway through his degree. He also shares what he does as a software developer, how he has such a calm temperament, and his thoughts on diversity in the workplace.

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Show Notes:

2:05 – Jay serendipitously found the University of Waterloo.

4:35 – NASA’s Curiosity Rover inspired Jay to pursue engineering.

6:05 – Perhaps his nomadic genes helped Jay to not feel homesick when he moved from Saudi Arabia to Waterloo.

8:11 – Mentally preparing for the workload and having a busy high school schedule helped Jay manage the undergrad workload.

11:48 – Software engineering wasn’t what Jay thought it was and found computer science to be a better fit.

15:15 – Multiple means to the same end. Jay was able to work in jobs that a software engineering or a computer science degree could prepare him for. Figuring out your passion and pursuing it, is more important than sticking with something you don’t enjoy just because you “don’t want to quit”.

26:15 – A software developer builds up the blueprints for how a product will be modified or fixed.

36:00 – Context-switching is one of the harder parts of the job – being able to manage multiple responsibilities and switching back and forth between them is inevitable and can be challenging.

40:00 – Jay attributes growing up in a single-mom household for his calm temperament. Reflecting daily on what he’s thankful for also helps.

49:00 – “Being lazy” might help with managing stress. If it’s not important to you, learn to brush it aside – why put in extra effort on something that isn’t meaningful.

52:25 – In tech, there is a fewer number of black employees but Jay has never explicitly felt that this inhibited his career or well-being.

56:12 – There are broader social factors at play when it comes to diversity in the workplace. It’s not just a matter of hiring practices but also the number of people in a particular group who are interested in the career to begin with.

1:04:00 – Part of going through life is persevering and dealing with hardship and adversity.

1:09:00 – Final words of wisdom: work on communication skills, have a learning mindset, be patient, find purpose and joy in what you do, and have hobbies.