Connecting College Students with Industry

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Kevin Leong on April 13, 2011 at 2:35pm

Hi Jason,

 

I'm a senior at UH in the ICS department and an intern at Ikayzo.

1. As far as what type of work I'm interested in, I'm not quite sure yet.  I've enjoyed a lot of the things I've done so far in school.  I also enjoy learning new languages and frameworks, and I've had a great opportunity at Ikayzo to do this (RoR, PHP, Wordpress, iOS).  I think robotics would be interesting (I like toys), but for now I'm just trying to expose myself to whatever I can.  I'm pretty sure I'll settle in on some things as time goes on.
2. Ideally, a small company would be nice because of the lack of bureaucracy.  It also has a nice feel in the right situation, where you see the owner and senior staff everyday and really feel like you're a part of the team.  A big company has it's benefits too, though: a wide range of products, lots of learning opportunities in a variety of fields, stability, nice perks, etc.
3. Prof Johnson's software engineering class definitely exposed me to some of the things that I see at work (version control, frameworks, unit testing) and really helped make a smoother transition for me at my internship.  Before my internship I didn't really know how life was like out in the 'wild.'  I can't say enough about how thankful I am that I got the opportunity to intern with Ikayzo.  The team there has been great to work and learn with.  Prepared for full-time positon?  Probably as an entry-level developer, although there's still a lot I need to learn.  I think that if the business community here can continue to offer internships to students or even short-term projects for students to work on, that will go a long way to helping us transition from school to the workforce.
4. No; I hope to work for at least a year or two and perhaps take courses part-time after that.
5. Definitely.  I grew up here, I love the beach, and I'd love to stay here, but I also realize that there are a lot more opportunities and more variety up in the mainland and it's something I definitely have to explore as an option.

Thanks for asking!

Kevin

Permalink Reply by Daniel Leuck on April 13, 2011 at 7:39pm

@Kevin - We've been very happy to have you in our internship program and we are happy you've found it fulfilling. We greatly appreciate that, as you pointed out, Prof. Johnson produces developers who are ready to work in the real world with knowledge of unit testing, source control, etc.

Permalink Reply by David on April 16, 2011 at 8:44am

1. What type of work would you like to pursue?

I'm open to any type of work.  Some areas include software engineering, game development, mobile computing, distributed computing, embedded systems, robotics, etc. 

 

2. What type of company would you like to work for (size, industry, type of culture, etc)

http://joelonsoftware.com/articles/fog0000000050.html

http://joelonsoftware.com/articles/FieldGuidetoDevelopers.html

These articles hit it spot on.  Regardless of whatever company I work for after college, they must have a great vision that I can relate to.  The basic things anyone would want is a pleasant environment to work in, interesting projects, fair market value salary, and room to advance their career.

 

3. Do you feel prepared for a full-time position? if not, what could we help you with?

I feel half to two-thirds of the way prepared for a full-time position.  Prof Johnson has done a good job of teaching us what it is like to develop real software.  This will make the transition easier and less of a shock.  On top of that, I will have some internship experience.

What local tech companies can do to help is offer ICS students more internships and opportunities, whether they are paid or unpaid.  I think I lucked out because I have something to do this summer, but I know A LOT of fellow ICS students who were unable to get anything at all.  Some of them have lots of potential but still cannot find opportunities before graduating.  A few of these are students who I would be confident in creating a startup with.

 

4. Are you considering enrolling into a masters program straight out of undergraduate school?

At this moment, no.  If I did not have any opportunities after I graduate, then I would consider a full-time masters program.  But I do intend to get a masters some time in the future, maybe company-sponsored and night classes.

 

5. Are you only looking at companies off-island?  If you are not considering a technology/software company on-island, why?

I am looking for companies on-island and off-island.  However, the tide is swaying in the favor of the Seattle-Silicon Valley-Southern California areas.  The biggest issues in Hawaii are fair market value salaries and room to advance one's careers.  Honestly, I've lived in Hawaii all of my life so the concept of working in paradise has a negligible effect on me.  I also think Silicon Valley has beautiful weather because it's always cool and sunny.

 

For the ICS seniors who will graduate this May and can't find anything, they will have no choice but to enroll in the master's program or go to the mainland.