In this episode, featured not-expert is Karun Thankachan. Karun is a Sr Data Scientist at Walmart and a past data scientist at Amazon. Resources: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karunt/ Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction + Background 01:56 Completing 18k bookings on TopMate 04:03 Common Pitfalls in Job Applicants/Mentees 07:59 Breaking into Data Science 10:22 HOW To Use LinkedIn for Networking and Building a Portfolio 12:18 Karun's journey and background thus far 15:58 MS in Data Science from CMU - expe...
Jan 29, 2025•1 hr•Ep. 45
In this episode, featured not-expert is Atal Agarwal. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Support the Ready Set Do podcast: 1. Buy me a coffee: buymeacoffee.com/AJpppY42zy 2. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ready.set.do 3. Twitter: https://x.com/ReadySetDo_ 4. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/namanpandey0796/ 5. Get cashback EVERY time you buy anything onl...
Jan 23, 2025•35 min•Ep. 44
In this episode, featured not-expert is @TheAJSound . Arjun is an IT-professional turned singer/producer/songwriter known for his hit indie songs. Join us for an intimate journey through the life of a musician who traded corporate stability for artistic passion. From navigating YouTube and original music creation to channeling heartbreak into creativity, our guest shares their breakthrough journey and practical insights into brand building in the digital age. The conversation explores love, rela...
Jan 22, 2025•1 hr•Ep. 43
In this episode, featured not-expert is Emma Jackson. Emma is the creative director at The Idea Farm - https://www.youtube.com/@thejourney-tif, which is a marketing consultancy with over 50 years of history that seeks to help businesses crack the code of digital marketing in today's privacy-first world. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Support the Ready Set Do po...
Jan 15, 2025•56 min•Ep. 42
In this episode featured not-expert is Supreeth Reddy. Supreeth is the co-founder of Serene AI, which is an sleep-tech startup. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Support the Ready Set Do podcast: 1. Buy me a coffee: buymeacoffee.com/AJpppY42zy 2. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ready.set.do 3. Twitter: https://x.com/ReadySetDo_ 4. LinkedIn: https://www.linked...
Jan 08, 2025•48 min•Ep. 41
In this episode, featured not-expert is Zhanna Biletska. Zhanna is a Chicago-based artist whose work has been featured on many prominent galleries and art conferences. The topic for today’s discussion is how to sustain a comfortable livelihood thru the pursuit of art. If you’re like me, you’ve definitely marveled at some of the exquisite beauty artists and painters can produce, but at the same time have probably scratched your head about “where is the money?” As the old meme goes, “Born to make ...
Jan 01, 2025•47 min•Ep. 40
In this episode featured not-expert is Aashka Patel. Aashka is the founder of various initiatives all focused on AI regulation, including her podcast @onairwithaashka , while also being a freelance bug bounty hunter for Anthropic. The topic for today’s discussion is AI Safety and Regulation - what exactly it means, why its important and what the average person of the world can do to play their part. We also go over some of the most critical risks that are already becoming prevalent, including th...
Dec 25, 2024•49 min•Ep. 39
In this episode, featured not-expert is Farah Fallah Toosi. Farah is an Engineering Mgmt student at Purdue with extensive experience as a program slash project manager professional in organizations such as Apple and Capital One bank - having many coveted certifications in her belt including Scrum, Safe and Agile Product Mgmt. Our discussion today is centered around the PM roles - product, project and program management. We go over exactly what each of them entail, the overlaps and differences, a...
Dec 18, 2024•1 hr•Ep. 38
In this episode featured not-expert is Vishwas Shanbhag. Vishwas is the head of Revenue Strategy at VerSe. The subject of today’s discussion is AdTech. Vishwas takes us thru the fascinating and cash-strapped world of ad tech and the engineering marvels it takes to serve personalized ads to users within 200 ms. We also go over some innocent and otherwise things companies do to track and store your data, exactly how cookies and tracking pixels work and why it can be risky to allow third party cook...
Dec 11, 2024•59 min•Ep. 37
In this episode featured not-expert is Rohan Gautam. Rohan is the author of the book Romeo, Juliet and Hitler; an up-and-coming stand-up comic and is about to drop his first non-fiction venture as well. We discuss Rohan’s adventure of writing his first fiction book with over 50k words, and he takes us through his bias to action philosophy that got him there. We then discuss Rohan’s foray into the nerve-wracking world of stand-up comedy, what to expect at your first open mic, how to improve and c...
Dec 04, 2024•47 min•Ep. 36
In this episode, featured not-expert is Nikhil Pentapalli. Nikhil is a Sr Machine Learning Engineer at Adobe, working with building cutting-edge Generative AI features on Adobe Acrobat. Nikhil references his experiences and learnings from working with document intelligence for almost 5 years to walk us thru the best ways for current students and professionals to get hired for their first job as machine learning engineers. We also deep-dive into the best strategies to set oneself apart by buildin...
Nov 28, 2024•1 hr•Ep. 35
In this episode featured not-expert is Ratik Dutta. Ratik is a Marketing Ops Assistant Manager at SEED Global Education, which is a role he recently started after returning to India - having finished his Masters in Marketing degree from Purdue University in the US. Ratik takes us through the realities of a move back to India after a Master’s in the US - the reverse culture shock, prospects of getting jobs and perception of foreign grads, and somewhat paradoxically, settling back into one’s home....
Nov 20, 2024•58 min•Ep. 34
In this episode, featured not-expert is Tom Shannon. Tom is a co-founder at Omnia, which is a one stop-shop for deploying XR content at scale. Another way to think of Omnia is simply the YouTube for XR creators and brands. Tom walks us thru the specific problem Omnia solves, and showcases some stunning use-cases of Omnia that is currently used by realtors in Chicago. We also discuss what the next era looks like with devices such as Apple Vision Pro and Meta Quest and how Omnia makes it possible ...
Nov 14, 2024•31 min•Ep. 33
In this episode, my guest is Sanjeev Sharma. Sanjeev is a principle engineer at SpaceX and perhaps one of the most illuminative flag bearers of what the American Dream looks like in practice. We begin with Sanjeev’s time with the Indian Railways in the early 90s, and he walks us thru the extremely socialist hangover India was just beginning to recover from at the time and exactly what that was like on the ground-level. During his decade with the Indian Railways, Sanjeev contributed to some of th...
Nov 07, 2024•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 32
In this episode, featured not-expert is Trishita Recs. Trishita is an award-winning playback singer and songwriter whose work has been featured on Netflix, HotStar and Zee5 among other notable places such as live events and concerts. Perhaps like most of you all out there, one of my longest-standing loves in life has been my love for music. However, I’ve always been fascinated by what its like to produce music. Trishita walks us thru how she was exposed to the world of music as a child though si...
Oct 30, 2024•59 min
In this episode, featured not-expert is Pritesh Jagani. Known more commonly as Yudi J online, Pritesh has built and grown his youtube channel to over 280k subscribers - leveraging his knowhow and lived experience to share amazing insights on how to succeed in the US during and after getting your Masters degree . Yudi J shares the exact blueprint he followed to amass such a huge following - covering not just the highs but also the lows that are part of the journey but that not nearly enough creat...
Oct 23, 2024•59 min•Ep. 30
In this episode, featured not-expert is @AdvityaGemawat . Advitya works on Responsible AI at Microsoft as a Machine Learning Engineer 2. I am extremely stoked to present this incredibly nuanced discussion on the ethics and responsibilities that come with building mass-market generative AI tools. We discuss the technical foundations of Advitya’s career that brought him to this cutting edge of technology, and also go over how GenAI tools by big tech navigate critical concerns such as privacy, ethi...
Oct 16, 2024•1 hr 10 min
In this episode, featured not-expert is Hemant Pandey. Hemant is a Sr software engineer at Meta and has extensive experience as a SWE in companies like Salesforce, SAP, Tesla and Amazon. We go over a day in the life at Meta, Hemant’s career journey that saw him make timely jumps to bigger and better opportunities, tech stacks used at big tech, how to break into software development as a beginner, qualities of 10x engineers and many other fascinating topics. We also discuss what current students ...
Oct 09, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 28
In this episode, featured not-expert is Mayya Perova. Originally from Moscow, Russia, Mayya recently graduated from a Masters of Arts degree from DePaul University but for the purposes of this episode - we’ll be deep-diving into how Mayya kickstarted her DJ career from scratch. We go over the onset of Mayya’s musical pursuits, how she learnt mixing - which is the fundamental skill every DJ must learn, and how she landed her first gigs. Currently Mayya is one of the hottest DJ-ing prospects in Ch...
Oct 03, 2024•55 min•Ep. 27
In this episode, featured not-expert is Unnati Deshwal. Unnati is a fresh MEM graduate student at Cornell University, which is an Ivy League school. She also got admits from Purdue University, University of Illinois, and many others! I always thought that its borderline impossible to get into an Ivy League program unless you have the top 1% profile and/or a ton of work experience from a flagship name-brand big tech or otherwise company. Turns out, even if you have a fairly academic profile in te...
Sep 25, 2024•48 min•Ep. 26
In this episode my guest is Melissa Grabiner. Melissa is a global HR and talent acquisition leader. Melissa is within the top 1% of Job Seeker Coaches on Topmate and has been ranked among the most widely followed LinkedIn Creators Worldwide. Thai discussion is for anyone that is willing to learn how to take simple and actionable steps to accelerate their professional growth. In addition to LinkedIn optimization, Melissa goes over job searching, networking and interviewing tips that she continual...
Sep 18, 2024•48 min
In this episode, my guest is Prof Viswanath Pingali. Prof Vishwanath is a professor specializing in Game Theory and Microeconomics at IIM Ahmedabad. We begin our discussion by going over Professor Viswanath’s experiences with getting his PhD from Northwestern university and his first stint as a teacher. We go over how to become an IIM faculty, things that surprise most MBA students at IIM ahmedabad, things that IIMs do well and could be better at, the future of business education, how to teach e...
Sep 11, 2024•45 min•Ep. 24
In this episode, featured not-expert is Sai Kumar. Sai is the Lead Data Analyst at Blue Cross Blue Shield of South Carolina. Coming from an electrical engineering background, Sai managed to not only get into a top Data Analytics program at University of Connecticut, but also break into his current position without having any prior work experience whatsoever. I believe anybody who is currently in the job market can immediately appreciate what a gargantuan task that is - and Sai breaks down for us...
Sep 04, 2024•48 min•Ep. 23
In this episode, featured not-expert is Soundarya Balasubramani. Soundarya is a founder at unshackled.club and the author of two books - Unshackled and Admitted. Today’s discussion is for anyone who wants to write and publish a non-fiction book today, although we do briefly touch on Soundarya’s next novel which falls into the realm of some fiction as well. We go over the steps to write your first book, choices for how you want to go about publishing, marketing as well as setting up and executing...
Aug 29, 2024•45 min•Ep. 22
In this episode, featured not-expert is Maya Mishra. Maya is a Masters student at Purdue University that has cracked the internship code. She secured offers from Amazon, Tesla (Engineering Program Manager), Walmart (Product Manager), HP (Summer), ABB (Fall) & Unilever (Fall) - and got interview call-backs from: Rivian, Volvo, Eaton, AMD, Schneider, Teksystems, Accenture, Eli Lilly, Honeywell, ServiceNow, Bosch, Carrier & Rockwell Automation. This discussion has every single thing you nee...
Aug 22, 2024•54 min•Ep. 21
In this episode my guest is Parth Vijeyvargiya. Parth is one of the biggest study abroad creators coming out of India, and arguably the first of his kind. Having followed his content on YouTube for many years now, it was just an unbelievable experience to learn all the tricks of the trade from the man himself. #studyabroad #mastersinusa #readysetdo #msinusa #purdueuniversity #vlogger #singhinusa #contentstrategy #contentcreation101 #content #linkedin #instagram #youtuber #contentcreator We discu...
Aug 15, 2024•56 min•Ep. 20
In this episode, my guest is Dr. Aditi Paul. Dr. Aditi is an ex-tenured professor, published author, and founder of Dr. Paul & Co., where she helps Indian immigrants take charge of their immigration journey - by means of securing the EB1 visa, which she holds; and other talent visas. We discuss: - Aditi’s journey moving from STEM field to non-STEM field for higher education - Getting her Doctor of Philosophy degree in Communication - Breaking Bad - How her research paper on dating, after bei...
Aug 07, 2024•59 min•Ep. 19
In this episode, featured not-expert is Tushar Gupta. Tushar is a Senior Product Designer at Microsoft, having over 3 years of experience working on Microsoft AI capabilities for Edge browser. We discuss: - Tushar’s reasons for studying MS in Human-Computer Interaction at Georgia Tech - HCI Curriculum at GA Tech and what one can expect to learn there - Experiences with Product Design at Google and Microsoft - Comparison of first months as a Product Designer vs 3 years later - Difference between ...
Jul 31, 2024•54 min•Ep. 18
In this episode my guest is Prateek Behera. Prateek is a co-founder at gradCapital, which provides funding for college students in india whose projects can change the world. If you’re a student and have an idea you’re building towards, gradCapital will invest $40k for 4% in you. We discuss: -How Prateek and his co-founder started gradCapital. -The journey so far across multiple rounds of raising investment funds. -How they shortlist projects to invest in. -Their contribution to Zepto’s meteoric ...
Jul 24, 2024•41 min•Ep. 17
In this episode, my guest is Melissa Weinmann. Melissa is a huge travel enthusiast, with her current tally of countries and territories visited being 44 at the time of recording. Having explored most of this by herself, over the years Melissa has learned a multitude of travel hacks and tools that anyone can leverage while planning out their next trip. We discuss: -Melissa’s experiences in Europe, Melanesia, and Southeast Asia during her time with the Peace Corps. -The instagramization of travel ...
Jul 17, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 16
