Internal Mobility’s mission is to create a career destination for employees, empowering them to explore diverse opportunities and expand their skills. SoFi’s Gig Program provides employees with hands-on knowledge to gain practical experience in various areas of the business, supporting their career growth and aligning with their professional goals. Employees who are selected based on career alignment and relevant skills dedicate a few hours per week to contribute to projects, participate in 1:1s, shadowing, and training outside their primary role.
Meet Rohit Jain. He’s a Senior Software Engineer that has participated in not one, but two different Gigs with us! He participated in a Marketing Machine Learning Modeler Gig in Q2 2023 then returned in Q4 2023 for UX Web Prototyper Gig.
Learn more about Rohit’s full experience on how he used the Gig Program to elevate his career at SoFi.
What motivated you to participate in the Gig Program?
Rohit: The Gig Program presented an incredible opportunity to enhance my skills and gain exposure to areas outside my regular responsibilities. I’ve been fortunate to tackle complex and impactful problems in my current role, and the program offered a unique way to keep my work fresh by exploring new challenges and expanding my technical expertise.
I have been passionate about machine learning (ML) since my graduate studies at Penn State, where I specialized in ML and focused on it in my thesis. Participating in the Machine Learning Modeler Gig, I applied this passion by collaborating with data science and marketing teams to optimize strategic decision-making, identify effective marketing channels, and improve resource allocation at SoFi.
The program also appealed to me because it emphasized skill development allowing me to focus on training and career growth. Presenting my contributions at the end of the gig was another motivating factor as it gave me a platform to showcase my contributions and share insights with my colleagues.
I am so glad you decided to participate! What made the Gig Program stand out from other career development experiences?
Rohit: The Gig Program stood out because of its emphasis on skill enhancement and hands-on learning. Unlike traditional training programs, it provided a practical platform to explore new domains, collaborate with different teams, and directly contribute to meaningful projects.
What truly set it apart was the opportunity to align my interests with SoFi’s goals. The Machine Learning Modeler gig allowed me to combine my passion for machine learning with SoFi’s mission to better serve our members. It was also unique in its approach to career development that it prioritized motivation, career alignment and relevant skills.
The program’s structure, including the final presentation of work, made it particularly impactful. Sharing my insights and outcomes with colleagues not only highlighted the value of my contributions but also encouraged knowledge sharing and cross team collaboration.
What similarities did you notice between the Gig and your current role?
Rohit: The Machine Learning Modeler gig had significant cross-functional relevance to my current role as a full stack engineer. While my role often focuses on backend systems, data flows, and frontend UI development, the gig introduced me to new ways of leveraging data to solve business problems. Building ML models for the data science & marketing teams gave me insight into how data science can drive impactful decisions, which aligns with my backend work in designing scalable and efficient systems.
The process of analyzing data, understanding business goals, and implementing solutions was similar to how I approach engineering challenges at SoFi. For example, both require collaborating with cross-functional teams, ensuring compliance, and balancing technical requirements with business needs.
The Gig Program allows hands on experience for employees interested in exploring different teams; How has your experience in this Gig elevated your career?
Rohit: Participating in the Machine Learning Modeler gig elevated my career by deepening my understanding of data science and its practical applications. Revisiting my ML skills in a real-world setting helped me gain confidence in working with data driven models and analytics, which are increasingly relevant in engineering roles.
The experience of contributing to SoFi’s marketing strategy was particularly rewarding because it showed me how my technical skills could influence high level business decisions. It also reinforced the importance of scalability and accuracy in engineering solutions, lessons I’ve carried into my current projects.
Okay, last question to keep it light: If you had to pick a theme song for your life, what would it be?
Rohit: Oh that’s a difficult one, I would likely think about some bollywood song but if I need to pick an english song, that would be Sunflower by Post Malone.
Rohit, your Gig experience is truly inspiring to future employees interested in taking the leap and participating in the Gig Program. Thank you for sharing your incredible story!.
The individual featured is a SoFi employee. Their personal experiences, obviously, do not take into account your own specific objectives, financial situation, and needs. Results will vary.
©2025 Social Finance, Inc. All rights reserved.
