Name
Cole Johnson
Which degrees did you earn from CAS?
Undergraduate
Major(s) or area(s) of study
Mathematics (Statistics and Data Science) and Computer Science
Graduation year
2023
Who is your employer, and where are they located?
Google, I work out of their Seattle office
What is your job title and what kind of work does it involve?
Software Engineer, my day to day responsibilities include writing and reviewing code, writing technical documentation, and working with product and UI designers.
What sparked your interest in your major(s) or area(s) of study?
I’ve always loved math throughout K-12 education, but the two classes that really stood out were AP Stats and intro to computer science. Ever since then I’ve been trying to combine these and found Data Science. The idea of finding patterns in complex data sources through machine learning, visualizations, etc is fascinating and has become all I want to do.
What do you see as the value of your major(s) or CAS degree?
The combination of hands on coursework combined with an education in the Raikes program provided the perfect foundation for industry success. I think my time in proofs highlights this the best as we spent every day in small groups working out problems on the white board. This close communication and problem solving was the closest symmetry to my professional career.
Were there any other people, activities, or events from your time at UNL that helped you get to where you are now?
The Raikes program definitely a cornerstone of my college career, but I believe everything I experienced contributed to where I am now. Internships, D1 athletics (only for a semester), Club athletics, Fraternity life, Alumni networking, etc.
Tell us about the path you took to get to where you are today in your career and how you applied your education in your major(s) or area(s) of study to get here.
Once graduating I took a position as a technical program manager at Microsoft. While this position helped develop my software skills in professional communication and understanding how these large corporations operate, it wasn’t a technical enough position for me, so I enrolled in an online masters in computer science program specializing in machine learning at Georgia Tech. This helped me transition to my current role at Google. Some of the biggest applications of my undergrad coursework are in my masters program, the foundation I received in statistics has proved critical in my success. Additionally in my professional career all group work and how to be a team player has helped.
What are your future professional goals?
I am now taking graduate coursework at both Georgia Tech and UT Austin for masters in computer science and data science, respectively. I hope to eventually return to academia full time and pursue a PhD in Data Science. In the meantime I will continue working at Google.
May 29, 2026
