My Role Beyond the Screen

“Hello! My name is Lisa Spencer. I am a sophomore in computer science at UIUC.” 

When I say this line, people immediately think I’m nerdy and introverted. People assume I want to code all day and be the best software engineer ever. While this may be true for some computer science majors, this does not apply to me. In reality, my interests extend far beyond algorithms and debugging. I enjoy connecting with others, discussing ideas, and improving the world at the intersection of technology and business.

I chose computer science because I love logic and patterns. The challenge of getting a computer to do what I want was exciting to me. Over the summer, I worked as a Software Engineer Intern. I felt stagnant at first because the learning curve was so sharp that I was only absorbing information and not outputting much progress. Then I started contributing. Delivering code that I had worked on that would be put to real-world use was incredibly satisfying. 

But I still felt like I was missing something. Everyday I would come into the office and be greeted by my peers. Then I would sit at my desk, plan the work for my day, and code. By myself. Staring at a screen. For eight hours. Admittedly, this description is a bit dramatic. I had a lunch break, a daily standup meeting, and the option to reach out for help at any time. But most of my work was meant to be done alone, as would be well suited for a stereotypical computer science student. 

I enjoyed being greeted every morning. It made me feel welcomed and wanted. I enjoyed attending daily standup meetings. It made me feel productive and fulfilled. I enjoyed learning about my coworkers’projects, receiving feedback about my project, and hearing about their weekends. It made me feel interested and connected. I enjoyed being asked for help by others. It made me feel challenged and involved. I enjoyed networking at intern events. It made me feel excited and happy. All of my favorite parts of my job had nothing to do with programming. They had to do with people. 

Once I had this realization, I decided I didn’t want to sit in front of a screen by myself for 40 hours a week for the rest of my life. I want to interact with people often in my job. This is a pretty broad career goal, but many computer science jobs do not fulfill this requirement. But I know that I would excel in a job that is people-oriented because I am energized by social interaction. I do my best work when I am busy, connected, and engaging with people. I also know that I want to help people. Helping people makes me feel fulfilled and gives me purpose in my work. And, of course, I still like the logic and patterns that come with computer science. 

These guidelines could take me in a lot of different directions, and all of them fall under Technology & Management. This umbrella has proven to be the perfect blend of technical and personal skills that would keep me challenged yet fulfilled. I could be a product manager. Or a project manager. Or a tech consultant. Or an intellectual property and technology lawyer. Perhaps I will someday hold several of these titles. I don’t know where I will end up 10 years down the line, but I look forward to exploring many career paths at the intersection of business and technology with my goals of working with people, helping people, and challenging myself as my guiding beacons.