It has been a little over 3 years since I started my post-baccalaureate at OSU and as I am starting my final term in the program, I can’t hold myself from thinking my journey so far! Within the last 3 years, I have switched 2 companies, changed 3 roles, survived a pandemic (somehow I managed to get myself to the hospital twice, while everyone else in my family had barely any symptoms), while at the same time studying for the program and juggling between work and family.
Looking back I can definitely say that is all worth it and that I couldn’t have been where I am today professionally if I hadn’t joined the program. That been said however, there are some things that I wish I knew ahead of time. So here are my last 3 years overview in hindsight:
- Use the program to gain foundational knowledge and build on top of that. What I mean by that is that the program is great for teaching you how to think as a computer scientist and teach you the fundamentals, however, you need to spend time on your own building small projects and learning new technologies. Especially, in tech where things are moving so fast, you can’t really only on what you learned during a semester. Codewars and Leet Code are some great resources to build on your education from the class, but don’t stop there and start growing your GitHub portfolio.
- Time management is crucial. Okay perhaps not everyone has to deal with a demanding job and family at the same time, but even if you don’t have these responsibilities at this point of your life, planning ahead of time is very important. Some classes tend to have longer deadlines and you don’t have to use all of the time the professor has given you; however, taking advantage of the buffer time will pay off in the future.
- Algorithms and Data Structures. In my opinion these are the two foundational classes of this program. They have been crucial to my success at work and helped me not only improve my code but also help others. It is remarkable how easily you can forget some stuff if you are not using them frequently and from what I have seen, engineers who have either spent a lot of time in product management or have been working on specific tech stacks for a long time, they tend to forget crucial details. This is where you can make the difference particularly if you have everything fresh in mind but you should also spend time reviewing past content.
- Create your support network. This is common across so many aspects in life. When you are dealing with classes and you have a tight work schedule having a group of people that can help you see things clearly and motivate you across the finish line is half the battle. This program can be stressful, intensive, demanding and sometimes depressing but if you have a good support network around you, there is nothing that can hold you back.
In conclusion, the last 3 years have been very interesting, educational and inspiring. No matter what the challenges, I am glad I joined the program and I am also glad that I am close to the end. It has been a great journey that I would always recommend to anyone who wants to make a change into a tech role.
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