My journey as a computer science engineer

My passion for Computer Engineering didn’t begin in my childhood. Even though from primary school, maths and physics were my favourite subjects, I couldn’t see myself in STEM. When I think about it now, the main reason was the gender stereotype, which unfortunately had a huge influence on girls like me. I was expected to follow a career that is more “feminine” and requires less time. 

But in high school, I attended a STEM camp for young girls, which was a major turning point in my life. Not only did I get hands-on experience in creating software products, but I discovered a community of like-minded female engineers. I was inspired by their stories, and their progress spurred me to become a computer engineer. 

They soon became my female role models. I found out how my knowledge and interest in STEM could be beneficial for society and understood how STEM professionals can transform society through innovation and sustainable solutions. 

So I combined my passion for programming and my desire to make an impact on society and decided to major in Computer Engineering at university. And today here I am. I would never have imagined how studying Computer Engineering would transform my perspective on life and career. I feel that I have gained confidence and discovered what motivates me by learning from academics and meeting fellow students from all around the world. 

After my second year of university, I had a unique opportunity to put my knowledge into practice and work on a real project at a huge company. I was an IT intern at Morgan Stanley for almost seven months. During the internship, I worked with senior software developers on adding new features to applications for our customers. I got an insight into how the IT team works on a software product, expanded my professional network, and now I look forward to using this experience to move on to the next step professionally.

After finishing the seven-month internship as a software developer, I now know better where I want to progress in my career and am looking for a new job. Since computer programmers are in high demand, there is a strong possibility that I will soon find a new position suitable for me.

I can say that a Computer Science degree helps you to be a part of the technological changes in the world and teaches you how to learn and apply your knowledge to unseen situations. What I particularly like is that the ongoing development of the field means that you are always learning and developing. Having a Computer Engineering degree means that there are so many fields you can go to – from developing apps that solve a daily problems to scientific research, development, transport, banking and communications. It is a dynamic field where everyone can find their place but also has fun while doing so. 

However, there are days when I do not have enough energy to study or some things in my career do not work out as planned, but all these failures or rejections become my motivation to continue. Lessons, discomfort, and disappointments were always what I was most grateful for. The most important thing I realised is that hard work really pays off, especially in this field. No matter your gender, as a computer engineer you can achieve great things through perseverance and discipline.