Life = ComputerSystems;

Hi, I’m Angela, the Part II Computer Systems blogger for 2019!
If you’re reading this with no clue about what computer systems engineering (CSE) is, you join the club of my parents, extended family, friends, and practically anyone who hasn’t done the degree (yes, I’ve had a lot of practice trying to explain to people what I’m doing with my life).

The reasons I’ve heard for choosing computer systems include:
– Interest in the programming and electrical side of robotics
– Enjoyed ELECTENG 101 and ENGGEN 131
– Hardware programming sounds cool
– Got rejected from software (r.i.p) but still want to do software development
These reasons vary in complexity, but In my series of posts I hope to show you why all of these reasons are valid through the specifics of what we study, and the careers CSE can lead to.

But who am I? I struggle to describe myself beyond my life as a CSE student because I forget I even have one. On top of being a CSE student, I’m involved in a lot of university clubs so that I can spend a non-zero amount of time not studying without feeling guilty (soft skills are important right?). I have managed to forge a life out of nothing by attending 6-8pm meetings through clubs such as:
Robogals – Hosting robotics workshops for kids to fuel my maternal instincts
Life Beyond Lectures – A club where we discuss various life topics so I can remember there is more to this world than computers (I forget this a lot)
Biztalk Toastmasters – improve my public speaking skills so that I don’t calcify during interviews and presentations

If you’d like to know more about CSE or university clubs, feel free to message me on facebook. If not, most of us CSE students never thought we would have picked it, so keep an eye out for my subsequent posts anyways just incase it turns out something about CSE floats your boat!