Friday, March 3, 2023
College. It's approaching and it's approaching fast. It's that turning point in everyone's lives where you're forced to embark on a path and kind of just stick with it.
Well, not exactly. You can drop out, transfer, change your major, etc. - but in the heat of things it certainly FEELS monumental.
Anyway, I plan on majoring in computer science, for a few reasons.
1) It's very logical and procedural. I am someone who loves math and problem-solving. I like clear-cut answers instead of grasping at straws, or stretching for a truth. In addition, I love data and analyzing data, and I don't find myself getting bored looking for a bug or flaw in my code or what not.
2) I like typing.
3) Usefulness. The field of computer science is so broad, and there's so many practical applications and tangible benefits to be gained from studying it.
4) Fun. Sure, it may be a bit of a grind, but that's the adrenaline of it! I would love to attend a Hackathon, or design a game or website, or engage in some other creative outlet.
5) Money. Of course, money is a factor. It's basic, but the field is popular for a reason.
To be honest, I don't know much about the major. And throwing myself into a field for four years sounds somewhat terrifying. Not that I don't think I'll be able to handle it, or that I won't enjoy it, but it's the fact that it's a commitment and I'm spending 4+ years of my life on it when I could be spending my time on something else.
But whatever. Life is about winging it, right?
Anyway, by majoring in computer science, I could be a software engineer, or a game developer, or an information security analyst... all of those sound good.
One famous person already in the field is Dr.Fei-Fei Li.
Dr. Fei-Fei Li is the Sequoia Capital Professor of the Computer Science Department at Stanford University, as well as the Co-Director of Stanford's Human-Centered AI Institute. She's also a member/the director of various other institutions, such as the Stanford Artificial Intelligence Lab from 2013-2018.
She was part of Google Cloud, AI4All, and ImageNet.
Her professional education includes a B.A. degree in physics from Princeton University, and a PhD degree in electrical engineering from Caltech. She did not have to get an internship/post-doc degree to get her job.
Overall, I quite liked her career path. It was very straightforward down the education progression line. Dr. Li just continued learning and learning and advancing her studies.
I chose this person primarily because I liked her name and her profile image when she popped up on Google. In addition, her bio is PACKED with achievements, appointments, and awards.
In 5 words, I would describe Dr. Fei-Fei Li as intelligent, ambitious, confident, innovative, and successful.
After researching Dr. Fei-Fei Li, I'm genuinely interested in becoming a computer science professor. I love learning, I like working things out until they make sense, and I already teach for volunteer work every weekend (albeit karate). Hmm... Only time will tell.