Meeting Charleston

Today, I attended the Alumni Symposium. During freshman year, one of my classes had encouraged attendance to the (then in-person) symposium, but I was unable to make it due to a prior commitment. So, I was excited when Dr. Bowring announced that the symposium could count as our assignment to attend a tech meetup!

The theme of this symposium was telecommuting: challenges and opportunities. I was unfamiliar was this term, so when the theme was announced, I did a quick Google search. Telecommuting is the practice of working from home, making use of the internet, email, and the telephone. The panelists at the were all College of Charleston computer science graduates who had multiple years in the industry. Hence, they were able to recount their experiences with “telecommuting” before and since the pandemic.

One panelist whose experiences struck me was Megan Gould (class of ‘19). She cited Dr. Bowring as a mentor, which was cool to hear! Megan graduated the year before the pandemic hit and ran into a few roadblocks with the transition to telecommuting. She was used to being around people constantly, so the new lack of socialization took a toll on her. In addition, things that she enjoyed previously - such as the Grace Hopper conference - were no longer the same online. As time went on, she was able to adjust. Her company found a great way to mimic the in-office environment of intermittent chit-chat - a permanent Google Hangout room. She created other avenues for socialization. One example is a virtual lunch-and-learn she is using to both improve her speaking skills and prepare for an upcoming exam. The other panelists echoed similar problems with telecommuting, but I was inspired by her ability to adapt (and thrive) during the pandemic.

Outside of the telecommuting topic, an interesting question that surfaced during the symposium was the most valuable College of Charleston experience post-graduation. Not surprisingly, all of the panelists cited this class (and 362). They explained that understanding how Git and Github work was essential to their early careers. Also, they found that any experience which gave ability and challenge to present solid idea others could easily pick up on was extremely helpful. Paul Dierksheide (class of ‘20) found that presenting his ideas clearly and concisely in a professional environment has been one of the biggest challenges of his early career. I feel that a lot of the senior computer science classes here at the College (this class, CSCI 392, etc.) give opportunities to improve these communication skills via presentations.

Overall, I got a lot out of this event and I’m very glad that I attended. It’s always interesting to hear from people who were in our place not too long ago. Two of the panelists graduated in the past couple of years while one graduated in 2005. He had a bit of a different perspective. However, he noted that although the technology was different at the time of his education, it was the skills he gained that stuck with him. My next semester will be my last one, so I am beginning to look at post-graduation jobs. There was some valuable discussion towards the end of the symposium about job search and interview tips. The panelists suggested techniques from networking to cold-calling. I am now inspired to get my ducks in order for my search this summer and next semester by improving communication skills, organizing prospects, and networking!

• 2021 11
• 2020 22