Hi everyone! Currently I am a second-degree BCS (Bachelor of Computer Science) student in the latter half of my studies. My first degree was in Asian Culture and Language, with a concentration in Japanese studies, also at UBC. After pursuing a career in public relations/marketing for a couple of years, I decided to explore alternative career options, and enrolled in an introductory software programming night class at BCIT. Despite having a fear of science/math and always having thought of myself as an “arts” person, I found myself more intrigued and engrossed in my homework for that class than I had ever been in any of my jobs after graduating, and made the decision to go back to school.
I have just finished an 8-month co-op at a software company and it was one of the most rewarding, challenging and engaging experiences I’ve had. Suffice to say, this is probably the last time I’ll have to go back to school!
In my co-op I had the opportunity to explore different applications of computer science and tech-related career options. I enjoyed the methodical thinking and problem-solving in my programming tasks, but also welcomed the opportunities I had to engage / communicate with end-users and ensure that we were delivering the right product / solution. With my arts/business background, I found myself drawn to user experience research and product management — areas of the tech industry that are more people-oriented and require a lot of empathy.
This degree has been one of my toughest endeavours to date, but I haven’t been able to look back!