After graduating with his bachelor’s degree in electronics and communication engineering, Karthik Dinakaran spent six years working in IT roles. With all the on-the-job training and experience he gained, he was ready to take the next step in his career. So he and his family moved from India to Seattle so he could study in City University of Seattle’s Master of Science in Computer Science program.
“I’ve always been skilled with technology,” Karthik said. “I like coding and have a keen interest in software development.”
After researching schools, Karthik chose CityU because the program matched what he was looking for, and he found university faculty and staff particularly helpful.
“CityU gave me a clear picture about course design and explained expectations,” Karthik said. “That was the main reason I wanted to get into CityU. They observed my education and work experience, and there was no delay [in getting enrolled]. It made me really impressed with the university.”
Studying computer science at CityU
Now that he’s a student, one of his favorite parts of the program is gaining real-world insight on what it’s like to work at some of Seattle’s local tech companies from the university’s practitioner faculty.
“One of my instructors was teaching the course like a real work team and we had to manage real solutions,” Karthik said. “He shared his experience at Microsoft, and it allowed us to understand how the industry will be.”
Just as teams collaborate on projects in the workplace, he’s found group assignments to be an enriching part of the program.
“One of my favorite projects was software testing,” Karthik said. “Our professor was developing code and I was a team leader and led software testing as a team unit. He was greatly impressed with our final presentation.”
In addition to the experience gained from the group work, he also finds the opportunity to connect with students from diverse backgrounds valuable.
“I love to meet new friends,” Karthik said. “You can meet people from different locations all over the world, so you get to learn a lot of other cultures.”
Balancing work and life
Karthik is balancing school along with family life, which can be challenging at times, but he says the university’s flexibility makes it manageable.
“CityU offers a lot of flexibility and you can balance courses around personal commitments,” Karthik said. “When I am talking about CityU to friends, that’s the main feature I tell them. CityU is more flexible with study. You can choose your subjects and interest areas.”
One of Karthik’s main interest areas is software development, and he’s looking forward to exploring career opportunities after he graduates.
“I want to stay in Seattle because it’s an amazing place, and would like to continue toward a career in software development,” Karthik said. “I’d like to seek a position that will help me combine my work experience and master’s program so I can use it as a bundle in my future career.”
Learn more about City University of Seattle’s Master of Science in Computer Science program online, or by requesting more information.
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