Meet Kairan Quazi, the 14-year-old “kid wonder” who will work for SpaceX as a software engineer. He will graduate this week from Santa Clara University’s School of Engineering. Then, he will be the satellite firm’s newest and youngest team member. Quazi has been expressing his enthusiasm for the job to various news outlets!
Kairan Quazi’s story offers a peek into the lives of young geniuses and prodigies. Many people envy their intelligence, but only a few understand their struggles. Quazi had to fight against outdated age stereotypes to start his career.
His story inspires everyone to reach for their dreams no matter their age. This article will discuss how Kairan Quazi landed one of the most coveted tech roles ever. Also, I will cover his life before he landed a job at SpaceX.
How did Kairan Quazi become the youngest SpaceX software engineer?
The Bay Area teen genius received his high school diploma from California at age 10. Soon, he will graduate from college with honors in engineering and computer science as a 14-year-old.
He applied for 98 jobs, but only three companies offered him one. Worse, LinkedIn’s job recruitment platform restricted his account because he was too young for the platform.
Quazi shared a screenshot of the company’s message on Twitter and ranted about it. He said, “@linkedin just sent me this notice that they are deleting my account because I’m not 16.”
“This is the illogical, primitive nonsense that I face constantly. I can be qualified enough to land one of the most coveted engineering jobs in the world but not qualified enough to have access to a professional social media platform that’s critical to my career path?”
“@LinkedIn showing everyone how aggressive some tech company policies are. Can anyone please help me access a decision maker @Linkedin?” Also, he elaborated on his job-seeking experience to USA Today:
“The rejections would come literally within hours of the recruiters seeing me on the Zoom interviews, so I never even got to meet the hiring managers at these 95 companies. All three offers were from companies where the leadership values matched the talent acquisition process. Nobody winced at my age.”
Surprisingly, SpaceX was one of them, which has notoriously difficult requirements. He picked Elon Musk’s company because it aims for “radical innovation and collaborative impact.”
Quazi added, “They draw people who are similarly driven by radical innovation and collaborative impact. SpaceX has something like a 0.2% acceptance rate for applicants. So the fact that their hiring managers believe I have the potential to be among the top engineers in the country is humbling.”
Kairan Quazi’s life before SpaceX
Photo Credit: usatoday.com
SpaceX’s upcoming youngest software engineer spoke in full sentences as a two-year-old. According to Mirror, he already understood complex mathematics by age six.
He was also reading the “Weapons of Math Destruction” book, which discussed the effect of data algorithms on societal inequalities. As a result, the Santa Clara City Council recognized his achievements.
He waved off rumors his rapid academic advancement was ruining his childhood. “For the people out there that I think are concerned that my childhood is being destroyed, I’m really here to tell you that that’s just not true.”
The UK news outlet interviewed Quazi’s college classmates. Jordan Randlemamn thought, “Wow, this dude is really short,” before realizing Quazi’s age.
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Still, he became one of the SpaceX software engineer’s friends. Jordan commended Quazi by saying, “It’s absolutely incredible how well he’s managed to integrate into SCU and make tons of friends.” Contrary to popular belief, the young prodigy had a more difficult life before studying in community college.
“It was physically painful for me to sit through classrooms trapped, existentially bored, for hours and months — and eventually years — on end, and not learning at the level that I physically, intellectually, and emotionally needed. There is nothing noble or dignified about a childhood spent that way.
Kairan’s mom, Julia Quazi, told USA Today she and her husband were beyond proud of their son. “We are elated that he ended up with SpaceX,” she told USA TODAY. “We know their hiring bar is set really high. Once again, he proved us wrong,” she said.
Conclusion
SpaceX will soon have a 14-year-old software engineer. Kairan Quazi will start his career once he graduates from Santa Clara University on Saturday.
Believe it or not, the young genius has not met SpaceX CEO Elon Musk. He told USA Today, “I haven’t met Elon yet, but I think his hiring philosophy is infused in the entire talent acquisition process.”
They would likely meet soon once he starts his first days as a SpaceX employee. You can learn more interesting digital trends at Inquirer Tech.