FCS News

Learning in the classroom is only the beginning.  Computer Science students hoping to gain a better understanding of life in the ITS world now have a new well of information to draw from.

They’re being encouraged to pick the brains of experienced professionals in their field.

How?

The Faculty of Computer Science has just launched their new 2014 FCS Mentorship Program. This initiative will connect students with a Dal Alumnus working in the ITS industry.

Volunteer Alumni will share their experiences in the working world, and provide one-on-one support and advice to students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.

“I didn’t recognize the importance of a mentor until I was a number of years into my career,” says Ian Bezanson, President and Founder of BITS Interactive, a local web design and development company in Halifax.

“Having the ear of someone who has traveled a similar path to the one which you’re about to embark is invaluable.  A mentor can offer advice and often a reality check, based on their experience. This can often help to avoid costly mistakes and navigate some of the tougher waters of your chosen career.”

Bezanson is one of over 20 Alumni who have volunteered to participate in their year’s Mentorship Program.

From larger companies such as IBM, Microsoft and Amazon, to local companies here in the Maritimes, Alumni from all over North America have signed up for the program.  Many say they feel the mentorship initiative will not only help students gain a better understanding of the working world, but also open their eyes to the many career options available.

“While my former classmates and I all graduated with the same degree, we all work in different parts of our field,” says volunteer Alumni Marc Comeau.  “I think it’s very valuable for students to learn about the different kinds of jobs we all do and also learn about how we made the transition from our degree to our current roles.”

Comeau is the Director of Dal’s Library Information Technology Services.  He says there are certain steps students should take that will help guide them towards successful careers.

“I see the Mentorship Program as a great chance to help those who are in the position I was in some time ago,” he says.  “It’s easy to see myself in them and I know I would have benefited greatly from speaking to someone early on.”

Many other Alumni in the program have also agreed that they wish they’d had a mentor while in university.

“I know what it’s like to come out of University without a strong sense of what you really want to do with your life,” says Bezanson.  “After a number of years of making mistakes, along with a share of wins, I wanted to help current students to understand that things will work out and that making mistakes is okay.”

Jason Cross is another CS Alumni volunteering in this year’s Mentorship Program.  Cross, who now works as a software engineer in Seattle, says the program will help motivate students in their studies.

“If students can see other graduates with successful careers, it will help them realize how attainable having a successful software career is,” he says. “The core aspect of motivation is that specific skills learned in school actually are applicable and valuable in the workforce.”

Cross says that although he did well in the Computer Science program at Dal, he wasn’t sure he had the necessary skills required for a successful career in the ITS industry.

“Srini had an alumnus come speak to my class and it really opened my eyes and made me realize that the gap between being a computer science student and a computer science professional was much smaller than I thought,” he says.

“I see the mentorship program less about opening doors through creating connections and more about learning from someone else's experiences.”

Students wishing to sign up for the 2014 FCS Mentorship Program can do so through a new program called Equals6.