#30 - Indranil Gupta: Immigrant Computer Scientists, Music, & the Value of College

Indranil Gupta is a Professor of Computer Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where he focuses on distributed systems. In this episode of the UIUC Talkshow, Dr. Gupta shares his experience as the host of the Immigrant Computer Scientists podcast, an exploration of the personal stories of distinguished Computer Scientists from academia and industry, who immigrated from their home countries to the US. Dr. Gupta also discusses his passion for music and his admiration for his parents, as well as his insights on teaching and the future of education. As an immigrant himself, Dr. Gupta reflects on the cultural shock of immigration, the psychological effects it has on individuals and the drive that many immigrants have to shoot for the stars. He shares his personal experiences and the lessons he&#39;s learned along the way, including how to navigate the challenges of planning for the future. Throughout the conversation, Gupta offers his thoughts on short-term vs. long-term projects, the importance of getting started and learning along the way, and why small projects can often lead to big things. He also reflects on some of the surprises and insights he&#39;s gained from running the Immigrant Computer Scientists podcast. This episode of the UIUC Talkshow is an illuminating conversation with a brilliant mind who has much to share about his experiences and insights into the world of computer science, education, and the immigrant experience. This is the UIUC Talkshow and this is our conversation with Dr. Indranil Gupta. EPISODE LINKS: Indranil Gupta&#39;s Website: http://indy.cs.illinois.edu/ Indranil Gupta&#39;s UIUC Website: https://ece.illinois.edu/about/directory/faculty/indy Indranil Gupta&#39;s Twitter: https://twitter.com/indygupta Indranil Gupta&#39;s Podcast: http://csimmigrant.org/ OUTLINE: 0:00 - Introduction 0:36 - Immigrant Computer Scientists Podcast 8:30 - Audio Engineering 10:01 - How the Sabbatical led to the podcast 13:10 - Surprises from running the podcast 22:17 - Music 26:55 - Short-term vs Long-term projects? 31:20 - Small projects become Big Projects 34:11 - Get started and learn on the way 37:28 - Teaching 44:35 - What would Indranil Gupta change about education? 51:56 - Free Access to Indranil Gupta&#39;s courses 54:04 - College Education 1:00:47 - Is Going to College an Insurance? 1:04:06 - Regrets 1:09:34 - Indranil Gupta&#39;s Dad &amp; Planning 1:15:15 - You Can&#39;t Plan for Everything 1:17:30 - Indranil Gupta&#39;s Mom &amp; Women Biases 1:26:06 - The Cultural Shock of Immigration 1:32:55 - Timestamp of Immigration 1:36:01 - Why Immigrants Shoot for The Stars 1:41:10 - The Psychological Effects of Immigration 1:45:03 - The Progress of The UIUC Talkshow 🚥Overrated or Underrated Section 🚥 1:50:58 - 🥁 Napster 1:51:46 - 🫳 Peter Thiel 1:52:08 - 📙 IIT Madras 1:53:20 - 🏛️ The Colosseum 1:54:52- Closing Words SOCIAL: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uiuctalkshow Twitter: https://twitter.com/uiuctalkshow TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@uiuctalkshow Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3ezoc4xJa4DrGq7N4lhqQn Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-uiuc-talkshow/id1611427075 Full episodes playlist: <a href="https:/