Sophia C., Engineering Director for Community Incubator (Facebook Dating, Local Communities, College Communities), has been at Facebook for more than nine years. She’s worked on a range of products including Developer Tools, Open Graph, AR/VR, and Profile. We caught up with Sophia to hear about the themes that have stood out along her career path and how embracing her authentic self empowers her to shine.
How did your early experiences shape your sense of belonging?
The way you carry yourself is largely shaped by how others treat you and how you see yourself in the world. When I reflect on my early years, a few formative moments stand out.
“The way you carry yourself is largely shaped by how others treat you and how you see yourself in the world.”
When I was in high school, I walked into my Intro to Programming class in my cheerleading uniform and my teacher laughed, saying, “I’ve never seen a cheerleader take programming before!” At that moment, I doubted whether I really belonged in the programming class. When I got into MIT and one of the smartest boys in my high school didn’t, he commented that I only got in because I was a girl. I doubted whether I was admitted to MIT on my own merits.
Sophia in high school, where she studied programming and was a member of the cheerleading team.
Later in my career, when I worked in gaming, I was the only female engineer of nearly 100 engineers. It wasn’t uncommon for me to hear about project decisions that were made in the men’s bathroom or at the gym. I accepted not being in the inner circle and rather than trying to inject myself in discussions, I spent the next few years heads down as an engineer building what I was told to build.
Each of these experiences contributed to feeling like I didn’t truly belong and in turn, affected my confidence. Without self-confidence, I wasn’t empowered to take risks and be bold in my early career. I played it safe and stayed quiet rather than asking for more and pushing the limits of what I was capable of.
Looking at your career path, is there anything specific you would have done differently?
The first software engineering internship I got was at a well-known technology company. I did well, and at the end of the summer I was offered a return internship offer. I accepted on the spot. The next summer, I got another return internship offer and I accepted again. This happened two more times, and by the end of my college experience I had interned at the company four times. I didn’t do the same internship four times because I loved working there. I did it because it felt safe.
Interning at the same place for four summers is my biggest career regret. I wish I would have had the confidence to apply to different companies, live in different places, and learn new technologies, rather than staying in one place out of fear of the unknown. It’s common to stay on the same project, team, or with the same company because it’s the easiest path, but only by exploring do you figure out what you really want to do with your career.
Did you have moments of imposter syndrome, and what did that feel like?
I came to Facebook crippled by imposter syndrome. Even though the attention from Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg was a big factor in my decision to join, it also made me feel like there was a giant spotlight on me to be a rockstar engineer. I didn’t speak up much, but it wasn’t because I didn’t have ideas or opinions. It was because I still didn’t have the confidence.
“I didn’t speak up much, but it wasn’t because I didn’t have ideas or opinions. It was because I still didn’t have the confidence.”
At Facebook, I was expected to have a voice and help lead strategy for our team. My career playbook of being a heads-down, quiet engineer wasn’t going to cut it. When I look at the feedback I received early on, I see a consistent theme: my colleagues wanted me to voice my opinions and become more involved in setting direction. They also saw my potential and believed in my ability to make an impact.
Would you say there was a definitive turning point in your career?
Facebook feels like the place where I grew up. I went from being the quiet engineer who never spoke in meetings to giving keynotes to crowds of over 700 people. I went from feeling complacent as a junior engineer to managing up to ensure my path to a director.
I found my core values of investing in people and found my passion for creating a community focused on diversity and inclusion. I’ve transitioned between being an engineering manager and an individual contributor twice. I led a team of over 100 engineers across three sites and bootstrapped a new team in New York City. And, I was honored to give the keynote at Facebook’s Women in Engineering Day in 2019.
Sophia delivered the keynote speech at Facebook’s Women in Engineering Day in 2019.
How did you get outside of your comfort zone to grow?
People who meet me now are often surprised to hear early stories about how I lacked confidence. The change didn’t happen overnight, but I slowly learned how to speak up for myself through the relentless support of advocates and allies here at Facebook. From making a career change to management when I was three months pregnant and learning how to scale a team to pushing me to get executive coaching, my advocates’ gestures made a huge impact on my self-worth.
Once I recognized how much the people around me believed in me, I began believing in myself. I started voicing my opinions, became more proactive, and started to be my own advocate. The loop reinforced itself, and the more authentic and confident I became, the better I did at my job.
Women often unnecessarily credit others for their success, so I want to be clear that the point of my story isn’t that my advocates got me to where I am. I’m grateful for my advocates because they helped me find myself under the layers of self-doubt and the years of not belonging. Once I finally had the opportunity to be my authentic self, I found my way to shine.
