Jessica Massie engineers a career change and finds her place in Align
Mon 08.31.20 / Hannah Bernstein
Jessica Massie engineers a career change and finds her place in Align
Mon 08.31.20 / Hannah Bernstein
Mon 08.31.20 / Hannah Bernstein
Mon 08.31.20 / Hannah Bernstein
Jessica Massie engineers a career change and finds her place in Align
Mon 08.31.20 / Hannah Bernstein
Jessica Massie engineers a career change and finds her place in Align
Mon 08.31.20 / Hannah Bernstein
Mon 08.31.20 / Hannah Bernstein
Mon 08.31.20 / Hannah Bernstein
What originally felt like a massive career change has slowly come into clarity for Align student Jessica Massie, who realized while taking her first cybersecurity class that her background in political science would actually help more than she ever expected.
Photo by Liz Linder
What originally felt like a massive career change has slowly come into clarity for Align student Jessica Massie, who realized while taking her first cybersecurity class that her background in political science would actually help more than she ever expected.
Photo by Liz Linder
What originally felt like a massive career change has slowly come into clarity for Align student Jessica Massie, who realized while taking her first cybersecurity class that her background in political science would actually help more than she ever expected.
Photo by Liz Linder
What originally felt like a massive career change has slowly come into clarity for Align student Jessica Massie, who realized while taking her first cybersecurity class that her background in political science would actually help more than she ever expected.
Photo by Liz Linder
In the summer of 2018, Jessica Massie was attending a friend’s wedding in Thailand. A recent grad in political science from San Jose State University, she was sitting on the beach staring at the ocean when she had a moment of clarity and decided to quit her job as a legal secretary to study computer science.
“We were sitting out there, and I was thinking very seriously about my future,” says Massie, who’s now in her third semester of the Align master’s in CS program at Khoury College’s San Francisco campus. “I wasn’t enjoying working at the law firm where I was working at as a legal secretary. I hated every minute of it. I was like, ‘I’m going to quit my job. I’m going to go back to school.’”
So, she came back from Thailand and enrolled in a local community college, where she took a year of computer science courses while searching for the right graduate program. When she landed at Khoury for her first semester in 2019, she knew it was the right place to be.
“It comes in hard, it’s very fast, but it’s really rewarding,” she said. “At no point have I ever felt that if I was struggling and I reached out, that they wouldn’t help me. You can always reach out for help. Everyone always has enough time to help you.”
Her career change had been a long time coming. Back in her undergraduate years at San Jose State, Massie remembers wanting to study computer science but feeling intimidated by the lack of women and people of color in the program. Instead, she majored in political science and thought about going into law, and she was eventually accepted to law school. But her heart wasn’t in it. After her beachside realization, she decided her path would take her elsewhere.
“I’ve always been interested in CS,” she said. “I’ve always loved that, and since it was a passion I already had, I wanted to follow it, even if it was just a little bit later.”
Massie said her initial interest in computer science came from her PC gamer days growing up. She played classic games like Fiesta Online and Aion, and even hacked her neighbor’s WiFi signal for fun. But after years of staying away from STEM and technology classes, she said her biggest challenge was feeling like she belonged where she was.
“The greatest obstacle is overcoming myself: ‘Hey, am I smart enough to do that?” she says.
At San Jose State, she was a member of the Alpha Phi Omega community service organization and won the Presidential Service Award for going above and beyond in her work. Massie loves volunteering her time and helping others — something she’s brought with her to Align.
She worked as a TA in the spring semester as everything went online due to the COVID-19 pandemic and ended up helping the students with their mental health and stress in addition to their academic challenges. In Alpha Phi Omega, students are taught mental health awareness, de-escalation training, and other peer mentorship strategies, and Massie was able to bring those past experiences into her work as a TA.
As an Align student, her enthusiasm and optimism are obvious, too. She struggled with her discrete mathematics class, since she hadn’t taken any math courses since sophomore year of college. But she’s quick to explain how she never did it alone: Through building relationships with professors and her TAs, she was able to catch up and stay on track. She cites the collaborative and helpful culture at the San Francisco campus as key to her success.
“I talked to my professors and I went to the TAs every day. Without their help, I would not have moved on,” Massie says. “They really put in the extra effort.”
What originally felt like a massive career change has slowly come into clarity for Massie, who realized while taking her first cybersecurity class that her background in political science would actually help more than she ever expected. While learning about issues like data privacy, genetic testing, and predictive AI, she realized the necessity of discussing the legal and ethical implications of new technologies parallel to the technical information.
Since then, Massie’s become particularly interested in cybersecurity, and she is considering utilizing Align as a transition to an eventual PhD program. She hopes to work in cybersecurity or a similar field one day, using technology to make the world safer.
“I want to use this cutting-edge technology to help protect others,” she says. “That’s what I want to do. I want to help others who can’t help themselves.”
Update 2/16/21
Since this story was published, Massie has been accepted into Northeastern/Khoury College’s computer science PhD program for the fall 2021 semester. With 3 courses left in her Align degree, she’ll be completing her master’s and beginning her doctoral studies simultaneously. She said she’s looking forward to moving to Boston, continuing to build her CS knowledge, and working with advisor Professor Christo Wilson.
“I’m excited to be a Husky again, dive into CS research, and see the beautiful Northeastern Boston campus in person,” Massie says.
In the summer of 2018, Jessica Massie was attending a friend’s wedding in Thailand. A recent grad in political science from San Jose State University, she was sitting on the beach staring at the ocean when she had a moment of clarity and decided to quit her job as a legal secretary to study computer science.
“We were sitting out there, and I was thinking very seriously about my future,” says Massie, who’s now in her third semester of the Align master’s in CS program at Khoury College’s San Francisco campus. “I wasn’t enjoying working at the law firm where I was working at as a legal secretary. I hated every minute of it. I was like, ‘I’m going to quit my job. I’m going to go back to school.’”
So, she came back from Thailand and enrolled in a local community college, where she took a year of computer science courses while searching for the right graduate program. When she landed at Khoury for her first semester in 2019, she knew it was the right place to be.
“It comes in hard, it’s very fast, but it’s really rewarding,” she said. “At no point have I ever felt that if I was struggling and I reached out, that they wouldn’t help me. You can always reach out for help. Everyone always has enough time to help you.”
Her career change had been a long time coming. Back in her undergraduate years at San Jose State, Massie remembers wanting to study computer science but feeling intimidated by the lack of women and people of color in the program. Instead, she majored in political science and thought about going into law, and she was eventually accepted to law school. But her heart wasn’t in it. After her beachside realization, she decided her path would take her elsewhere.
“I’ve always been interested in CS,” she said. “I’ve always loved that, and since it was a passion I already had, I wanted to follow it, even if it was just a little bit later.”
Massie said her initial interest in computer science came from her PC gamer days growing up. She played classic games like Fiesta Online and Aion, and even hacked her neighbor’s WiFi signal for fun. But after years of staying away from STEM and technology classes, she said her biggest challenge was feeling like she belonged where she was.
“The greatest obstacle is overcoming myself: ‘Hey, am I smart enough to do that?” she says.
At San Jose State, she was a member of the Alpha Phi Omega community service organization and won the Presidential Service Award for going above and beyond in her work. Massie loves volunteering her time and helping others — something she’s brought with her to Align.
She worked as a TA in the spring semester as everything went online due to the COVID-19 pandemic and ended up helping the students with their mental health and stress in addition to their academic challenges. In Alpha Phi Omega, students are taught mental health awareness, de-escalation training, and other peer mentorship strategies, and Massie was able to bring those past experiences into her work as a TA.
As an Align student, her enthusiasm and optimism are obvious, too. She struggled with her discrete mathematics class, since she hadn’t taken any math courses since sophomore year of college. But she’s quick to explain how she never did it alone: Through building relationships with professors and her TAs, she was able to catch up and stay on track. She cites the collaborative and helpful culture at the San Francisco campus as key to her success.
“I talked to my professors and I went to the TAs every day. Without their help, I would not have moved on,” Massie says. “They really put in the extra effort.”
What originally felt like a massive career change has slowly come into clarity for Massie, who realized while taking her first cybersecurity class that her background in political science would actually help more than she ever expected. While learning about issues like data privacy, genetic testing, and predictive AI, she realized the necessity of discussing the legal and ethical implications of new technologies parallel to the technical information.
Since then, Massie’s become particularly interested in cybersecurity, and she is considering utilizing Align as a transition to an eventual PhD program. She hopes to work in cybersecurity or a similar field one day, using technology to make the world safer.
“I want to use this cutting-edge technology to help protect others,” she says. “That’s what I want to do. I want to help others who can’t help themselves.”
Update 2/16/21
Since this story was published, Massie has been accepted into Northeastern/Khoury College’s computer science PhD program for the fall 2021 semester. With 3 courses left in her Align degree, she’ll be completing her master’s and beginning her doctoral studies simultaneously. She said she’s looking forward to moving to Boston, continuing to build her CS knowledge, and working with advisor Professor Christo Wilson.
“I’m excited to be a Husky again, dive into CS research, and see the beautiful Northeastern Boston campus in person,” Massie says.
In the summer of 2018, Jessica Massie was attending a friend’s wedding in Thailand. A recent grad in political science from San Jose State University, she was sitting on the beach staring at the ocean when she had a moment of clarity and decided to quit her job as a legal secretary to study computer science.
“We were sitting out there, and I was thinking very seriously about my future,” says Massie, who’s now in her third semester of the Align master’s in CS program at Khoury College’s San Francisco campus. “I wasn’t enjoying working at the law firm where I was working at as a legal secretary. I hated every minute of it. I was like, ‘I’m going to quit my job. I’m going to go back to school.’”
So, she came back from Thailand and enrolled in a local community college, where she took a year of computer science courses while searching for the right graduate program. When she landed at Khoury for her first semester in 2019, she knew it was the right place to be.
“It comes in hard, it’s very fast, but it’s really rewarding,” she said. “At no point have I ever felt that if I was struggling and I reached out, that they wouldn’t help me. You can always reach out for help. Everyone always has enough time to help you.”
Her career change had been a long time coming. Back in her undergraduate years at San Jose State, Massie remembers wanting to study computer science but feeling intimidated by the lack of women and people of color in the program. Instead, she majored in political science and thought about going into law, and she was eventually accepted to law school. But her heart wasn’t in it. After her beachside realization, she decided her path would take her elsewhere.
“I’ve always been interested in CS,” she said. “I’ve always loved that, and since it was a passion I already had, I wanted to follow it, even if it was just a little bit later.”
Massie said her initial interest in computer science came from her PC gamer days growing up. She played classic games like Fiesta Online and Aion, and even hacked her neighbor’s WiFi signal for fun. But after years of staying away from STEM and technology classes, she said her biggest challenge was feeling like she belonged where she was.
“The greatest obstacle is overcoming myself: ‘Hey, am I smart enough to do that?” she says.
At San Jose State, she was a member of the Alpha Phi Omega community service organization and won the Presidential Service Award for going above and beyond in her work. Massie loves volunteering her time and helping others — something she’s brought with her to Align.
She worked as a TA in the spring semester as everything went online due to the COVID-19 pandemic and ended up helping the students with their mental health and stress in addition to their academic challenges. In Alpha Phi Omega, students are taught mental health awareness, de-escalation training, and other peer mentorship strategies, and Massie was able to bring those past experiences into her work as a TA.
As an Align student, her enthusiasm and optimism are obvious, too. She struggled with her discrete mathematics class, since she hadn’t taken any math courses since sophomore year of college. But she’s quick to explain how she never did it alone: Through building relationships with professors and her TAs, she was able to catch up and stay on track. She cites the collaborative and helpful culture at the San Francisco campus as key to her success.
“I talked to my professors and I went to the TAs every day. Without their help, I would not have moved on,” Massie says. “They really put in the extra effort.”
What originally felt like a massive career change has slowly come into clarity for Massie, who realized while taking her first cybersecurity class that her background in political science would actually help more than she ever expected. While learning about issues like data privacy, genetic testing, and predictive AI, she realized the necessity of discussing the legal and ethical implications of new technologies parallel to the technical information.
Since then, Massie’s become particularly interested in cybersecurity, and she is considering utilizing Align as a transition to an eventual PhD program. She hopes to work in cybersecurity or a similar field one day, using technology to make the world safer.
“I want to use this cutting-edge technology to help protect others,” she says. “That’s what I want to do. I want to help others who can’t help themselves.”
Update 2/16/21
Since this story was published, Massie has been accepted into Northeastern/Khoury College’s computer science PhD program for the fall 2021 semester. With 3 courses left in her Align degree, she’ll be completing her master’s and beginning her doctoral studies simultaneously. She said she’s looking forward to moving to Boston, continuing to build her CS knowledge, and working with advisor Professor Christo Wilson.
“I’m excited to be a Husky again, dive into CS research, and see the beautiful Northeastern Boston campus in person,” Massie says.
In the summer of 2018, Jessica Massie was attending a friend’s wedding in Thailand. A recent grad in political science from San Jose State University, she was sitting on the beach staring at the ocean when she had a moment of clarity and decided to quit her job as a legal secretary to study computer science.
“We were sitting out there, and I was thinking very seriously about my future,” says Massie, who’s now in her third semester of the Align master’s in CS program at Khoury College’s San Francisco campus. “I wasn’t enjoying working at the law firm where I was working at as a legal secretary. I hated every minute of it. I was like, ‘I’m going to quit my job. I’m going to go back to school.’”
So, she came back from Thailand and enrolled in a local community college, where she took a year of computer science courses while searching for the right graduate program. When she landed at Khoury for her first semester in 2019, she knew it was the right place to be.
“It comes in hard, it’s very fast, but it’s really rewarding,” she said. “At no point have I ever felt that if I was struggling and I reached out, that they wouldn’t help me. You can always reach out for help. Everyone always has enough time to help you.”
Her career change had been a long time coming. Back in her undergraduate years at San Jose State, Massie remembers wanting to study computer science but feeling intimidated by the lack of women and people of color in the program. Instead, she majored in political science and thought about going into law, and she was eventually accepted to law school. But her heart wasn’t in it. After her beachside realization, she decided her path would take her elsewhere.
“I’ve always been interested in CS,” she said. “I’ve always loved that, and since it was a passion I already had, I wanted to follow it, even if it was just a little bit later.”
Massie said her initial interest in computer science came from her PC gamer days growing up. She played classic games like Fiesta Online and Aion, and even hacked her neighbor’s WiFi signal for fun. But after years of staying away from STEM and technology classes, she said her biggest challenge was feeling like she belonged where she was.
“The greatest obstacle is overcoming myself: ‘Hey, am I smart enough to do that?” she says.
At San Jose State, she was a member of the Alpha Phi Omega community service organization and won the Presidential Service Award for going above and beyond in her work. Massie loves volunteering her time and helping others — something she’s brought with her to Align.
She worked as a TA in the spring semester as everything went online due to the COVID-19 pandemic and ended up helping the students with their mental health and stress in addition to their academic challenges. In Alpha Phi Omega, students are taught mental health awareness, de-escalation training, and other peer mentorship strategies, and Massie was able to bring those past experiences into her work as a TA.
As an Align student, her enthusiasm and optimism are obvious, too. She struggled with her discrete mathematics class, since she hadn’t taken any math courses since sophomore year of college. But she’s quick to explain how she never did it alone: Through building relationships with professors and her TAs, she was able to catch up and stay on track. She cites the collaborative and helpful culture at the San Francisco campus as key to her success.
“I talked to my professors and I went to the TAs every day. Without their help, I would not have moved on,” Massie says. “They really put in the extra effort.”
What originally felt like a massive career change has slowly come into clarity for Massie, who realized while taking her first cybersecurity class that her background in political science would actually help more than she ever expected. While learning about issues like data privacy, genetic testing, and predictive AI, she realized the necessity of discussing the legal and ethical implications of new technologies parallel to the technical information.
Since then, Massie’s become particularly interested in cybersecurity, and she is considering utilizing Align as a transition to an eventual PhD program. She hopes to work in cybersecurity or a similar field one day, using technology to make the world safer.
“I want to use this cutting-edge technology to help protect others,” she says. “That’s what I want to do. I want to help others who can’t help themselves.”
Update 2/16/21
Since this story was published, Massie has been accepted into Northeastern/Khoury College’s computer science PhD program for the fall 2021 semester. With 3 courses left in her Align degree, she’ll be completing her master’s and beginning her doctoral studies simultaneously. She said she’s looking forward to moving to Boston, continuing to build her CS knowledge, and working with advisor Professor Christo Wilson.
“I’m excited to be a Husky again, dive into CS research, and see the beautiful Northeastern Boston campus in person,” Massie says.
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