College Essay, Research Paper

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

computer 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.