17 Feb 2015

That could be me in x years!

Today was the 9th Annual Alumni Symposium. There was a great turnout this year compared to the last time I went (2 years ago). This can probably be attributed to us being required to go for Software Engineering, but I think it’s great and students should be going regardless.

The CS Alum panel this year had a good balance of very recent (last May) grads, and individuals who graduated over 10 years ago. I appreciated this balance, as the more…seasoned individuals brought something different to the table while the fresher graduates could relate to the students a bit easier.

For the most part the introductions were good, I wish some of them would spend a bit less time selling their own companies and more time talking or advising the students. I wasn’t really hearing much that was new to me, however most everyone had something beneficial to contribute.

Following introductions was a Q&A session. I wish more people had asked questions, it seems like most were content to just sit there and allow everyone else to ask the questions. I asked my initial question about open source projects and how to get into them. A lot of people usually have this question, or at least some hesitation in joining open source projects, so I hoped that the presenters could provide some sort of inspiration regarding it. I didn’t really get the answer I was fishing for, but I suppose it was better than nothing.

A couple people asked how to learn a new language or framework, and again I was disappointed with the answers. In general I didn’t hear a lot of encouragement to actually write code. This surprised me somewhat, my approach has always been to learn by doing; implement a small application in a new framework or implement a basic data structure in a new language. Small steps that help you learn the basics of a language while providing the satisfaction of completing a task.

I suppose I was disappointed on the focus of what happens after school. I know that’s the scary part for most of us (me included). Interviews and getting your first job is absolutely important and terrifying. However we’re in school now and I feel that too many students are content to do the bare minimum to get their degree. I think we should be taking advantage of the time and resources we have here to further our knowledge to the best of our ability before graduating.

Lastly there was a lack of sympathy regarding those who were scared about interviewing for the first time, or who were experiencing impostor syndrome. I asked a few questions about it during the networking phase and was quite surprised at the answers I received. A couple of people just talked about how much it wouldn’t matter after the fact. “Once you’ve got your first job it won’t seem like such a big deal.” This is absolutely true, I’ve been terrified out of my wits before doing certain things (such as studying abroad), and after it’s done it seems silly to be scared. However, that doesn’t take away the fact that it will be scary at first. I think it would be much more constructive to teach people how to deal with that fear, and how to use it to help them.

I was also disappointed with the responses regarding impostor syndrome. Most people I’ve talked to have felt it at one time or another, or still feel it. It’s a thing, it exists, it’s not exclusive to smart or stupid or males or females. However it’s not often discussed, and I think that’s a shame.

Overall I suppose I wasn’t impressed. I preferred the one I went to previously, but perhaps that’s because I was younger and the advice at the time seemed more relevant. That’s not to say this one was all bad, the speakers did have some great advice (I particularly liked the questions that should be asked during an interview). Generally it felt like there was a bit of a disconnect between the presenters and the students.

Laura Barber at 3:07PM