massachusetts institute of technology
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A Day in the Life of...

Bhuvana Husain

B. S. Computer Science, MIT

Senior Lead Program Manager

Joined Akamai in 2004


I'm a Senior Lead Program Manager at Akamai, working for the Senior VP of Engineering. I've been doing project & program management with development & engineering groups for almost 8 years since I graduated from MIT in 2000 with my S.B. in Course 6-3 (Computer Science). My responsibilities in my current role are quite wide-ranging - I work on everything from compliance projects to recruiting initiatives, from status tracking to meeting facilitation & notetaking. Much of my work includes process improvement - this can involve documenting process steps so they're clearer to everyone involved, efforts to decrease the time spent on a process to improve the efficiency, or work to improve the quality of the results from a process. A large percentage of my responsibilities also include cross-functional communication & coordination - I have to make sure everyone is speaking the same language and that expectations are clear to everyone involved.

The work environment is great - there are lots of smart, passionate people working at Akamai, including lots of MIT alumni in the Engineering group. The hours are variable but aren't usually too crazy unless there's a big deadline or an important meeting coming up soon. And I definitely have a life outside of work - I spend time with friends from Akamai, friends from previous jobs, and friends from school.

Honestly, I chose to work at Akamai because of the people, the work, and the culture. That may sound like a trite answer, but it's really true. When I interviewed here, I was impressed by everyone I met and was interested in what they were doing. At Akamai we're solving cutting-edge technical problems and making the Internet work better - I don't think many people can say that about their jobs. Anyone who uses the Internet - whether it's to read the news, make a purchase, or watch a video - is using the Akamai infrastructure to quickly & reliably get that content. And the culture at Akamai is very dynamic and fast-paced; people are open to new ideas, there are lots of hallway discussions, and there's still time to focus on individual tasks.

I did have a couple other jobs at consulting companies before this one, doing project & program management with development & engineering groups. I also did internships while I was at MIT, including one with a mid-sized product company, one with a smaller startup company, and a summer doing research at LCS (now CSAIL) for my UROP. My MIT experience has been extremely valuable during my career; knowing how to think critically & analytically has been very useful.

I would encourage every MIT student to do a UROP if possible - it's great work experience to have on your resume, and it's very good to have exposure to some of the smartest professors and graduate students in the country. I'd also advise students to pursue summer internships at companies - it can be very useful to have some commercial work experience as well as academic work experience, since there are definitely differences in the processes & approaches used in each setting. Finally, I'd recommend that students take advantage of the numerous networking opportunities offered at MIT and other universities. The student, faculty, and staff population at MIT is full of fascinating people who you might never meet at another time in your life!

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