I am studying at the college of Staten Island for an undergraduate computer science degree. Combined with my microcomputer applications diploma from St. Catherine’s Business College in Ontario, this will qualify me for work in the business world. I am skilled in computer applications, programming, hardware configuring, connection, repair, and training non-computer personnel.
I graduated from St. Catherine’s in 1996, but did not seek work. Instead, I got married, settled with my husband in New York, and began to extend my education. I came to CSI hoping to learn more sophisticated programming and hardware design in order to expand my knowledge of commercial software application that I learned in Business College. I feel that with this knowledge, I would be better prepared to obtain the type of employment I would be seeking in the future. After graduation, I want to find employment at a small, dynamic company that is just setting up its computer system, or redesigning or reconfiguring its system.
At a large company, I believe, I would find myself part of a large computer staff, doing the same few things over and over. On the business scale, in a large company, one works on the computer aspects of a small corner of that company, and it is hard to get a sense of the business purposes of one’s work. I may be quite unhappy in a small corner of a large company, sitting in front of a screen all day entering codes and setting up scripts, and interacting with very few people. I would probably not stay in such a job very long. At a small company, on the other hand, one ends up doing a little bit of everything.
One learns not only about the computer aspects of the company, but even about its business operations. Insofar as I would someday like to go into compute consulting, or even some sort of entrepreneurship of my own, such small business experience is much more valuable, I believe. It would be especially nice if it was a small company that was using computers in a creative way. A small graphics design, advertising, or architectural firm would have fascinating, cutting edge uses of computers in visual design.
For example, an architectural firm would use computers to design buildings, colleges and houses. An advertising agency would use this technology to design their newspaper advertisements and television commercials. The ideal thing for me in such a company would be to start out as an assistant to the person in charge of all the information technology, and eventually, after sufficient experience, to assume a managerial position, there or elsewhere. I think I could learn much in such a setting, since computer knowledge in the abstract is not as useful as actual hands on experience, applying computers to solve problems.
I would also very much enjoy helping the non-computer people learn to use their equipment, and maximize their efficiency. Finding such a position depends of course, on how well I have developed my computer skills, and on the job situation in my field when I graduate. Computer technology and software is advancing so fast that future capabilities are simply hard to imagine. For instance, there might come a time when people have to gracefully step aside and robots would take over. It is a pleasure using such technology, and it is exciting to anticipate future developments.
It is a field in which one cannot sit on one’s laurels, but must continue to train and keep up with new developments. This is done through additional courses and degrees, technical literature and magazines, and attending shows that display the latest developments. It is by nature an exciting field that keeps one’s mind sharp.