Presenters

Colin, Avo, Andrew, Mabel, Allison, and Nitya
Date Presented: 08/29/2022

Challenges with Computer Science classes

The class will always be tough so don’t give up
Follow your own path. Don’t look at what other people are doing and just focus on your own journey.
Don’t cut corners and only do half the work. Be motivated and finish all the work
Fighting against egos. CS people have egos and just avoid them
Go step by step. Learn the basics first and then gradually move on.

Why did you take AP CSA

CS can be applied anywhere
Knew some coding before so thought it would be an easy class
Helped see that programming is a skill that many people don’t have

What are some internships or jobs you can do?

Coda Ninjas
Internships at tech companies i.e Northrop Grumman
Join clubs
NETWORK: Talk to people and put yourself out there
TA’s or tutoring students

Overall Thoughts and Reflection

Overall, I think the presentation from the alumini was great and very informative. I was able to learn that computer science can be appplied anywhere. Right now many students have the image in their brains of the typical 9 to 5 job, where a CS person is just coding all day. From the panel I was able to learn that CS can be applied in different fields, such as Psychology, Machine Learning, or web design. I was also able to learn from today’s presentation that CS can be a struggle but you have to push through it. Everyone has their own path and journey and it is up to you if you want to look at other people or only focus on yourself. Also, you don’t need to know everything in the CS field. Companies won’t expect that from you but instead care about your problem solving abilities and if you are able to create a solution and then utilize those 2-3 months to create a final program or solution. This was pretty insightful as it allowed me to understand that understanding the big picture of problem is a lot more valuable. Lastly, the panel talked about how to land internships and jobs. Code Ninjas and tech companies are great places to look for. The only way is to just apply and put yourself out there through networking. All in all, to be successfull in computer science you need to persevere and put yourself in uncomfortable positions.