Align MSCS '23
BS Education
University of Vermont
Align MSCS '23
BS Education
University of Vermont
Align MSCS '23
BS Education
University of Vermont
Align MSCS '23
BS Education
University of Vermont
In 2009, I went to the University of Vermont and received a bachelor’s degree in middle-level education with a concentration in mathematics and social studies. I taught middle school mathematics for two years and then worked in adult education for five years. In the junior year of my undergraduate studies, I considered changing my major to mechanical engineering or computer science. However, I was too far along in my program and would have had to stay another year. I wanted to graduate on time, so I finished my education degree.
In 2019, I was feeling the need for a change for a variety of reasons, and it seemed like a good opportunity to give a tech career a try. I began working at Dealer.com, a company that creates, maintains, and manages car dealership websites. They also provide digital retailing options, managed services, etc. I did tech support in a call center for them and I enjoyed the work, but I wanted to get into the programming side of things. I then decided I wanted to accelerate my path and looked into Khoury College of Computer Sciences.
The Align program provided an opportunity to take my career in a new direction. One of the unique aspects of Align is that the bridge courses are built into the program. This guarantees enrollment in the MSCS program upon completion (assuming all bridge courses are passed with an acceptable grade). As part of the MSCS program, financial aid can be applied to bridge classes. This significantly reduces the risk and financial barrier to the program. Many other Boston area programs I looked at would have required me to cover the costs of the bridge type courses and there would still be no guarantee I would be accepted into the program.
The Align bridge courses are challenging at times, but they do what they are designed to do. The fast pace of the courses is mainly what makes them difficult, but I was in the same boat as most of my cohort, so we struggled and succeeded together. That being said, by the end of the bridge I knew enough to perform along with normal-entry master’s students. One of the nice pieces about the bridge courses is that you see the same folks from your cohort over and over and start to get to know them. This group becomes a lifeline when going out into the full MSCS classes. Being able to continue to help each other academically and mentally is a great benefit. I recommend using all resources at one’s disposal when taking the bridge courses.
In 2009, I went to the University of Vermont and received a bachelor’s degree in middle-level education with a concentration in mathematics and social studies. I taught middle school mathematics for two years and then worked in adult education for five years. In the junior year of my undergraduate studies, I considered changing my major to mechanical engineering or computer science. However, I was too far along in my program and would have had to stay another year. I wanted to graduate on time, so I finished my education degree.
In 2019, I was feeling the need for a change for a variety of reasons, and it seemed like a good opportunity to give a tech career a try. I began working at Dealer.com, a company that creates, maintains, and manages car dealership websites. They also provide digital retailing options, managed services, etc. I did tech support in a call center for them and I enjoyed the work, but I wanted to get into the programming side of things. I then decided I wanted to accelerate my path and looked into Khoury College of Computer Sciences.
The Align program provided an opportunity to take my career in a new direction. One of the unique aspects of Align is that the bridge courses are built into the program. This guarantees enrollment in the MSCS program upon completion (assuming all bridge courses are passed with an acceptable grade). As part of the MSCS program, financial aid can be applied to bridge classes. This significantly reduces the risk and financial barrier to the program. Many other Boston area programs I looked at would have required me to cover the costs of the bridge type courses and there would still be no guarantee I would be accepted into the program.
The Align bridge courses are challenging at times, but they do what they are designed to do. The fast pace of the courses is mainly what makes them difficult, but I was in the same boat as most of my cohort, so we struggled and succeeded together. That being said, by the end of the bridge I knew enough to perform along with normal-entry master’s students. One of the nice pieces about the bridge courses is that you see the same folks from your cohort over and over and start to get to know them. This group becomes a lifeline when going out into the full MSCS classes. Being able to continue to help each other academically and mentally is a great benefit. I recommend using all resources at one’s disposal when taking the bridge courses.
In 2009, I went to the University of Vermont and received a bachelor’s degree in middle-level education with a concentration in mathematics and social studies. I taught middle school mathematics for two years and then worked in adult education for five years. In the junior year of my undergraduate studies, I considered changing my major to mechanical engineering or computer science. However, I was too far along in my program and would have had to stay another year. I wanted to graduate on time, so I finished my education degree.
In 2019, I was feeling the need for a change for a variety of reasons, and it seemed like a good opportunity to give a tech career a try. I began working at Dealer.com, a company that creates, maintains, and manages car dealership websites. They also provide digital retailing options, managed services, etc. I did tech support in a call center for them and I enjoyed the work, but I wanted to get into the programming side of things. I then decided I wanted to accelerate my path and looked into Khoury College of Computer Sciences.
The Align program provided an opportunity to take my career in a new direction. One of the unique aspects of Align is that the bridge courses are built into the program. This guarantees enrollment in the MSCS program upon completion (assuming all bridge courses are passed with an acceptable grade). As part of the MSCS program, financial aid can be applied to bridge classes. This significantly reduces the risk and financial barrier to the program. Many other Boston area programs I looked at would have required me to cover the costs of the bridge type courses and there would still be no guarantee I would be accepted into the program.
The Align bridge courses are challenging at times, but they do what they are designed to do. The fast pace of the courses is mainly what makes them difficult, but I was in the same boat as most of my cohort, so we struggled and succeeded together. That being said, by the end of the bridge I knew enough to perform along with normal-entry master’s students. One of the nice pieces about the bridge courses is that you see the same folks from your cohort over and over and start to get to know them. This group becomes a lifeline when going out into the full MSCS classes. Being able to continue to help each other academically and mentally is a great benefit. I recommend using all resources at one’s disposal when taking the bridge courses.
In 2009, I went to the University of Vermont and received a bachelor’s degree in middle-level education with a concentration in mathematics and social studies. I taught middle school mathematics for two years and then worked in adult education for five years. In the junior year of my undergraduate studies, I considered changing my major to mechanical engineering or computer science. However, I was too far along in my program and would have had to stay another year. I wanted to graduate on time, so I finished my education degree.
In 2019, I was feeling the need for a change for a variety of reasons, and it seemed like a good opportunity to give a tech career a try. I began working at Dealer.com, a company that creates, maintains, and manages car dealership websites. They also provide digital retailing options, managed services, etc. I did tech support in a call center for them and I enjoyed the work, but I wanted to get into the programming side of things. I then decided I wanted to accelerate my path and looked into Khoury College of Computer Sciences.
The Align program provided an opportunity to take my career in a new direction. One of the unique aspects of Align is that the bridge courses are built into the program. This guarantees enrollment in the MSCS program upon completion (assuming all bridge courses are passed with an acceptable grade). As part of the MSCS program, financial aid can be applied to bridge classes. This significantly reduces the risk and financial barrier to the program. Many other Boston area programs I looked at would have required me to cover the costs of the bridge type courses and there would still be no guarantee I would be accepted into the program.
The Align bridge courses are challenging at times, but they do what they are designed to do. The fast pace of the courses is mainly what makes them difficult, but I was in the same boat as most of my cohort, so we struggled and succeeded together. That being said, by the end of the bridge I knew enough to perform along with normal-entry master’s students. One of the nice pieces about the bridge courses is that you see the same folks from your cohort over and over and start to get to know them. This group becomes a lifeline when going out into the full MSCS classes. Being able to continue to help each other academically and mentally is a great benefit. I recommend using all resources at one’s disposal when taking the bridge courses.
I’m currently doing a co-op at TJX in Marlborough, MA. The co-op is predominantly remote, but I choose to go into the office once a week. The work I’ve done has mostly been with the Microsoft stack: Visual Studio, C#, Azure, Azure DevOps, Cosmos, .Net, etc. My team has been modernizing some of our internal tools. A big part of the work is migrating from a SQL database to Cosmos (Microsoft’s non-relational database). We are also implementing best practices like REST APIs, services (injection), etc. I have enjoyed working at TJX so far. They have a great work culture and very skilled employees. Everyone has been friendly and helpful as I’ve gotten accustomed to the work.
Regarding my future, I’m mainly interested in Software Engineering or development. I do have an interest in robotics and aerospace, but am open to a variety of work at this time. For many years now, I have been interested in space and NASA. I would like the opportunity to work for a NASA contractor or even NASA itself someday. It is nice to spend time working on a tool or program and know that someone will use it someday.
I’m currently doing a co-op at TJX in Marlborough, MA. The co-op is predominantly remote, but I choose to go into the office once a week. The work I’ve done has mostly been with the Microsoft stack: Visual Studio, C#, Azure, Azure DevOps, Cosmos, .Net, etc. My team has been modernizing some of our internal tools. A big part of the work is migrating from a SQL database to Cosmos (Microsoft’s non-relational database). We are also implementing best practices like REST APIs, services (injection), etc. I have enjoyed working at TJX so far. They have a great work culture and very skilled employees. Everyone has been friendly and helpful as I’ve gotten accustomed to the work.
Regarding my future, I’m mainly interested in Software Engineering or development. I do have an interest in robotics and aerospace, but am open to a variety of work at this time. For many years now, I have been interested in space and NASA. I would like the opportunity to work for a NASA contractor or even NASA itself someday. It is nice to spend time working on a tool or program and know that someone will use it someday.
I’m currently doing a co-op at TJX in Marlborough, MA. The co-op is predominantly remote, but I choose to go into the office once a week. The work I’ve done has mostly been with the Microsoft stack: Visual Studio, C#, Azure, Azure DevOps, Cosmos, .Net, etc. My team has been modernizing some of our internal tools. A big part of the work is migrating from a SQL database to Cosmos (Microsoft’s non-relational database). We are also implementing best practices like REST APIs, services (injection), etc. I have enjoyed working at TJX so far. They have a great work culture and very skilled employees. Everyone has been friendly and helpful as I’ve gotten accustomed to the work.
Regarding my future, I’m mainly interested in Software Engineering or development. I do have an interest in robotics and aerospace, but am open to a variety of work at this time. For many years now, I have been interested in space and NASA. I would like the opportunity to work for a NASA contractor or even NASA itself someday. It is nice to spend time working on a tool or program and know that someone will use it someday.
I’m currently doing a co-op at TJX in Marlborough, MA. The co-op is predominantly remote, but I choose to go into the office once a week. The work I’ve done has mostly been with the Microsoft stack: Visual Studio, C#, Azure, Azure DevOps, Cosmos, .Net, etc. My team has been modernizing some of our internal tools. A big part of the work is migrating from a SQL database to Cosmos (Microsoft’s non-relational database). We are also implementing best practices like REST APIs, services (injection), etc. I have enjoyed working at TJX so far. They have a great work culture and very skilled employees. Everyone has been friendly and helpful as I’ve gotten accustomed to the work.
Regarding my future, I’m mainly interested in Software Engineering or development. I do have an interest in robotics and aerospace, but am open to a variety of work at this time. For many years now, I have been interested in space and NASA. I would like the opportunity to work for a NASA contractor or even NASA itself someday. It is nice to spend time working on a tool or program and know that someone will use it someday.
