26d • ✔️Classroom
Exercise 1: My road to quantum computing
My calling towards quantum computing came in bits(qubits? haha) and pieces before I was able to string them together into one cohesive mission. In one such story, I was 12 years old when I first started learning about computers. As I read that they are just manipulating “1s and 0s,” my first thought jumped immediately towards, “Why are we stuck with base 2? There has got to be something better.” This was before I knew what quantum was.
As a kid with hyperphantasia, my mind has always been filled with vivid scenes. I often daydream about highly advanced infrastructure that would help all humans prosper. Whereas other kids may have appreciated the fights and character development in sci-fi franchises like Star Wars, I was captivated by the control all the sentient species had over their dominion. I was so passionate about moving up on the Kardashev scale and wanting to contribute my efforts to such an enterprise. That belief still resides in me today.
It was those types of thoughts stuck with me as I was deciding what to do with my life after my sophomore year in university. I had chosen electrical engineering for its versatility and practicality, and there were too many desires pulling at me in so many directions. I thought about what drove me as a child, and what choices my innate self would make. Quantum computing actually came to the table after I reflected over those things with a trusted supervisor. We both went over the things that excited me in the classroom, such as analog circuitry, electromagnetics, and signals and systems, as well as the impact I wanted to make after starting my career. With experience in microwave engineering, and nanofabrication, along with my deep seated desires, quantum computing just felt so correct, like a relief across my body. That was the moment I knew that a career in quantum would be something I would love to put much of my energy towards.
I have read some of the other answers here and they are really methodical and analytical (in a good way!). I fear that my story may be too emotionally/whimsical to be taken seriously if I tell an interviewer or even others in general. However, this is more or less the story of how I decided I wanted to be a quantum engineer, so… thanks for reading!
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Exercise 1: My road to quantum computing
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