Anshul Modh: Discovering His Passion for Technology Strategy

Anshul Modh entered Carnegie Mellon’s Master of Software Engineering (MSE) program seeking direction after earning his computer science degree a year early from the University of Texas at Austin. Though unsure of his exact interests, he knew he wanted to continue learning before beginning his career. The MSE curriculum, blending technical and business concepts, has helped Anshul find his passion: technology strategy. He aims to ultimately become a technology strategist, guiding businesses’ goals through strategic software implementations.

Courses like Product Management Essentials for Engineers and Business and Marketing Strategy led to Anshul understanding the “why” behind software practices and, he notes, “how the software development life cycle and good technical strategy play a key role in digital transformation, affecting the way businesses engage and deliver services to customers.” 

When the opportunity to become a teaching assistant for those business-focused courses presented itself, he immediately recognized the potential for continued growth and fulfillment. “I like bridging the gap for students between technology and the product/business perspective. The best way to master a topic is to teach it and that’s what led me to these roles as I got more interested in technology strategy and its execution.” He has enjoyed seeing how these perspectives shape students’ approaches to the studio capstone project and internships. Additionally, the opportunity to mentor students of various backgrounds has strengthened his communication and empathy. 

On this journey of self-discovery, Anshul has honed his leadership abilities significantly. He highlights serving as team lead for his studio project as instrumental in this area. Though one of the youngest students, he learned critical lessons about motivating teams, understanding members’ aspirations, and aligning everyone behind shared objectives. “I think one thing I underestimated before entering this program and starting the studio project is the importance of driving a positive team culture, one that motivates everybody and binds everyone’s goals during the studio project. That was a really important lesson.” 

The practical application of Anshul’s strategic insights extends into a “dream” elective offered by the Robotics Institute: Space Robotics. As a ground engineer for Iris, the first student-led private lunar rover, Anshul was heavily involved with designing the mission data pipeline, requiring him to rely upon architectural knowledge. “It's been really cool to be able to apply a lot of the skills that I've learned over the last year and a half and translate it to a real-world CMU project working alongside NASA and Blue Origin engineers. It's an honor to have contributed, even in a small way to this pioneering CMU initiative that involved hundreds of students and over a human century's worth of development hours of work.”

Outside of academics, Anshul has embraced golfing with studio teammates as stress relief. Beyond individual enjoyment, the weekly outings strengthened team cohesion. Anshul also has a personal connection to Pittsburgh through his father, who graduated from CMU and grew up in the area. Coming full circle has been professionally and personally fulfilling.

Anshul is grateful for the Director's Scholarship's recognition of his efforts, especially as one of the youngest students in the MSE program. Learning from experienced peers who challenge him intellectually has fueled immense personal growth. Through teaching, developing software for a moon rover, leading student teams, and forging industry connections, Anshul has charted a path toward technology strategy leadership. When he leaves the program, he will be equipped with technical knowledge and business acumen to make strategic contributions in the software field.