Arun Kumar
Current Occupation: Software Engineering Manager
Graduate University: Maharishi International University
Answers from the Mentor:
1. What led you to pursue your current career sector?
I started my journey in Computer Science because I was drawn to problem solving and building things from scratch. As an iOS developer, I loved the craft writing clean Swift code, architecting scalable mobile features, debating UIKit vs SwiftUI, optimizing performance, and seeing something I built land in users’ hands.
Over time, my focus expanded beyond just the code. I became more interested in why we were building something, not just how. I started thinking about system design, product impact, growth metrics, experimentation, and cross-team collaboration. I enjoyed mentoring engineers, reviewing architecture decisions, and unblocking teams more than just shipping my own tickets.
The shift to Engineering Manager felt natural. My impact was no longer limited to the features I personally built it multiplied through the team. Instead of optimizing functions and view models, I began optimizing people, processes, and outcomes.
Coming from an iOS background gives me strong technical credibility. I understand tradeoffs, mobile constraints, release cycles, CI/CD pain points, and architectural decisions at a deep level. But as a manager, my role evolved into creating clarity, aligning engineering with business goals, driving experimentation, and building an environment where engineers can do their best work.
I moved from writing code that scales to building teams that scale.
2. If you could give one piece of advice to graduate students exploring career options, what would it be?
Optimize for learning, not title: Choose roles with strong mentorship, ownership, and real problems to solve.
Go deep first: Build strong technical foundations in one area before trying to lead. Depth creates credibility and options.
Follow your energy: If you love solving technical problems -> grow as an individual contributor. If you enjoy mentoring and aligning teams -> explore leadership.
Experiment early: Lead small projects, mentor others, and take ownership to discover what fits you.
Your early career is about building skills and clarity the right path becomes obvious once you know what truly energizes you.