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Selene Bance talks about the benefits of the program

Posted by Rebecca Rawcliffe on October 2, 2017 in Undergraduate, Women in Tech, Students

“I was always interested in math and science at school but it took me a while to discover that Computer Science was for me.”

Final year Bachelor of Computer Science student Selene Bance started out in Engineering, but after taking a closer look at Computer Science and the job prospects available in the field decided to make the switch and come to Dalhousie.

“There’s such a wide variety of things you can do with a Computer Science degree and so many different industries you can be involved with,” says Selene. “I have the flexibility to explore different career paths after graduation.”

“I’m glad I ended up here, as it turns out I really like it and it’s a great fit for me.”

Selene recognizes that misconceptions about what Computer Science actually is and the experience needed to study the programs, led her to initially thinking that it wasn’t for her.

“I initially never considered Computer Science because I didn’t have any background in coding,” Selene explains. “When I actually got into it, it turns out I wasn’t at a disadvantage from lack of experience. There are a lot of practical skills you gain through experience outside of an academic setting too, but there’s lots of time in an undergraduate degree to work on your own projects, get experience through the co-op program, or get involved in other ways.”

The skills and experience Selene has been able to develop through studying Computer Science are setting her up for promising future after graduation.

“I was personally surprised at how much I like Computer Science in general. Fundamentally, I like problem solving, and it enables me to do a lot of that. It’s nice to be able to do something academically that can actually be fun. Even if I didn’t want to do this for a career, there’s so much that I can use even in day-to-day life. It’s a really interesting subject.”

“I’ve done 3 co-op terms that have all been great. I think the co-op program has been important for cementing that Computer Science was the right choice for me. There are so many options for what you can do with this degree, so it was valuable to have some time to explore a variety of industries and see what I’m interested in. I worked with a lot of great people, and very knowledgeable people, who taught me a lot, and I learned a lot that applied when I returned to school as well.”

Selene will graduate in 2018 spoiled for choice as to what to do next.