In preparation for JPMorganChase's Ignite 24, employees at Manhattan and Jersey City Tech Centers heard from two distinguished technologists, Sangeetha Ramadurai and Sivaraman Latchapathi, about their career journeys, their roles at the firm, and how joining Ignite communities has positively impacted their engineer experiences.
Sangeetha is part of the data engineering team within Asset & Wealth Management, where she led an initiative to get instrument reference data on data mesh and integrate it with a broader data catalogue. This year, she is interested in exploring the world of AI/ML.
Sivaraman joined the firm 10 years ago as a database administrator, where he then became an infrastructure engineer and now an AI Research software engineer. He credits Ignite as a key factor in his ability to make the jump from infrastructure engineering to his role today.
Moderated by software engineer and Ignite member Ifeoluwa Lawal, Sivaraman and Sangeetha shared how Ignite captures and elevates the engineer experience at JPMorganChase.
Q: If you could only write in one programming language forever, which would it be?
Sivaraman: I prefer Python because of its simplicity and its machine learning related packages. It’s helped me a lot in my career in going from the database side to the programming side without having a computer science background.
Sangeetha: I learn by quickly trying something and failing fast. I’ve been impressed with a lot of new languages coming up recently, but if I had to pick one, it’d be Golang or Rust.
Q: How did you two hear about Ignite? How did you first get involved?
Sivaraman: Around 2018, I was looking for a language that could help automate processes, and that was Python. Someone told me about the Ignite Python Community of Practice, a group with the same interest and passion coming together to practice it and learn the language.
Sangeetha: As a new joiner during the COVID-19 pandemic, onboarding was 100% virtual. While trying to find a community with the limitations we had, Ignite captured my interest. I emailed the Ignite leads asking how I can help, immediately got a call from them, and the rest is history.
Q: As you got more involved, how did you build the networks you have today?
Sangeetha: There are so many ways to get involved with Ignite. You can join as a member and just sample the community experience. All we ask is for everyone to actively engage in the session. What’s even more impactful is when you put your Ignite contributor hat on and step up to a leadership role in any of the communities you’re in. You can even propose your own communities of practice if there’s a topic or skill you’re really interested in. We’ll help you launch it.
Sivaraman: I agree. When I joined, I was just starting to learn Python. As I continued to attend more sessions and engaged with community members, I started contributing more. You start building more trust with fellow community members while gaining more expertise on the subject matter, which can lead to leadership opportunities.
Q: Yeah, it is a natural progression. JPMorganChase has so many programs and opportunities dedicated to upskilling and community building. What makes Ignite stand out?
Sangeetha: Ignite has this very natural way of organizing itself; It’s like a playground for engineers interested in experimentation and innovation. For example, the Internet of Things (IOT) community enables members to experiment with their own devices, such as automating home technology using a mobile device, and then share their experiences with the group.
Sivaraman: We have so many experienced practitioners in our community, and through Ignite we can learn from them. When you build trust in your community, you foster an environment where incredible ideas are continuously being exchanged. It takes collaboration to the next level; you can start envisioning new products or tools.
Q: What is a unique community experience that has stuck with you?
Sangeetha: One session that made an impression on me was a virtual Kubernetes workshop hosted by the cloud community. Running a remote workshop was challenging, but we pulled it off. We started by gauging interest, providing prerequisites, and ensuring participants would be prepared. The workshop was structured into three sessions, an initial Q&A to address prerequisites, a hands-on breakout room session supported by expert practitioners, and a follow up session a week later to answer any questions. As an organizer and participant, I saw how effective this format was.
Sivaraman: I've been part of the Ignite ML community which has greatly informed my understanding of AI and machine learning. When I had trouble with a bearer token in our app, I quickly reached out to a subject matter expert within the community and resolved it efficiently. The kind of connections Ignite Communities of Practice provide are invaluable in the workplace, enabling swift problem solving and encouraging social learning.
Q: What type of sessions did Ignite 24 hold?
Sangeetha: Communities at 24 locations worldwide hosted 150+ sessions on the same day that covered both technical and more thought leadership topics. Here in the Jersey City and New York area, we had a lot of exciting sessions and global lightning talks on topics such as agile, cloud, AI/ML.
Sivaraman: We also had EaC, related topics. We learned about a lot of the innovative work taking place at the firm. There was a telemetry session that showcased how teams within JPMorganChase are embracing it. Every year I’m blown away by Ignite 24’s ability to inspire collaboration, innovation, and leadership across our tech community.
Ignite’s 230 global active communities drives personal and professional growth by encouraging leadership and fostering innovation. It offers participants opportunities to lead, learn, and contribute, positively impacting their careers and the JPMorganChase community. To learn more about Ignite 24, check out this blog post.
