Back to School & What I Wish I had Known as a Freshman

With it being back to school time, I was thinking about my first weeks as a college student, how much I didn't know, and "What I Wish I had known as a Freshman."  The What I Wish I'd known was a topic I discussed with company reps over my years at Virginia Tech. We ended up doing a panel for students on just that topic, but that's a post for another day.  

When I think about my first days in college now, I have the benefit of hindsight and knowing it all turned out okay, but I can still feel what I felt as a 17 year old, first generation college student. I felt lost, confused, and stupid. What advice would I give to that incredibly shy, 17 year old girl and to any other student starting or returning to college?

What I Wish I Had Known as a Freshman:

1)    You're not the only one feeling lost and confused, but it can certainly feel like it.  I had a major case of Imposter Syndrome long before I ever heard that terminology.  

• I didn't know exactly what credit hours were and what they meant. In all fairness, though, credit hours as a music major were similar to "Whose Line is it Anyway" because the work is never-ending and the credit hours don't matter.
• I didn't know that I'd have to audition at the beginning of the fall semester for placement into an ensemble. I didn't know that many of the other majors didn't take auditioning seriously and didn't spend hours practicing a piece to demonstrate their skills.
• I didn't know how or where to buy textbooks, or to crack them open to see if someone else had gone to town with a highlighter before I bought one. 

My advice: ask for help. You might find that others are thinking and wondering the exact same things as you are. 

2)    Walking your schedule before the first day? Do it.  There are lots of ways to get around a campus. Do you have two classes that are on the opposite sides of campus, that only The Flash could make in 10 or 15 minutes? Do you have a class in an offsite building?  Is your class in an old building with weird and hard-to-find stairways and classroom layouts?  Does your classroom building share a name with another building that is on the other side of campus?

See what transportation services are available on your campus. Bus? Campus Circulator? A tram system (Personal Rapid Transit)? Bikes or Scooters for rent? 

       

3)    Take those "ratemyteachers.com" sites with a grain of salt.  People have different learning styles. Faculty have different teaching styles. You will have great teachers and some that are not so great, just like K-12. Give those "tough teachers" a chance. You might find that their teaching and your learning style are a perfect fit. 

4)    Get to know your teacher and TA's. If you're reading this, you might not be old enough to remember the old Maytag repairman commercials.  The joke: Maytag appliances are so reliable, the repairman gets lonely. Ha! Get to know the people teaching and assisting your class. And if your faculty member makes a Maytag repairman joke, you'll be in on the joke!

But seriously, you may need a letter of reference somewhere down the road. Your faculty members need to remember you to write a letter; give them a good reason to remember you. 

5)    Yes, there are large classes, but if you sit in the front, you'll never know. There are pluses and minuses to taking small and large classes. You might end up in a small class because there is only one faculty member that can teach that particular topic and they've been teaching it the same way for 40 years. Or you take a large class, with 2000+ students, and discover one of the best teachers around. (Google The Plaid Avenger, if you're curious.)

6)    Get to know your advisor.  They are there to provide you with advice and guidance. If you can't figure out who to ask, start with your advisor. 

7)    It's your chance to learn new things, try new courses.  I don't know about you, but Underwater Basket-weaving sounds pretty cool.  Look for classes in topics that you've never had the chance to study. Look for special topic courses, for courses taught by experts in their field, and for courses taught by creative people who are on the cutting edge of their field.  (If you don't know who these people are, ask your advisor.)

8)    Get practical experience in your field.  Can you get an internship? Can you work part-time? Can you volunteer?  Make sure you really want to do what you think you do. You'd be surprised by how many people end up in a totally different career than what they'd planned in college.

9)    Start a resume and keep it updated as you go.  Don't know how to start a resume? See #10...

10)    Did you know there are places on the campus that are just for supporting students? 😀 Writing Center, Career Services, Tutoring, Services for Students with Disabilities. You are paying for your college experience, you should get the most out of it. 

11)    Have honest conversations with your parents, guardians, grandparents, or whomever is paying your tuition.  Tuition is only going to get more expensive. If someone is paying your tuition, you should be honest with them about your progress.  Maybe you're not ready for college. Maybe you'd like to do something else.  The sooner you realize that, the quicker you can get on the right path for you. 

12)    As one of our grads said, "Learn to do your laundry." Maybe you'll have the pleasure of seeing football players wearing practice gear that is slightly pink (from washing white pants with maroon shirts). Whether it was a player or someone hired to do it, I'm sure they learned that lesson quickly.  

Finally, get to know yourself and what you need.  How much sleep do you need to function well? Do you need help in a required subject, that you might have struggled with before? Do you study best alone or in a group? Do you need to run 5 miles before breakfast to feel completely awake and ready to go for the day?  

This is your time. Learn. Learn about yourself; learn about others different than you; learn what you need to do to be successful; and above all, learn to be a life long learner. 

Career Fair Preparation

It's that time of year: career fairs are coming.  Preparing for a career fair is somewhat like practicing and rehearsing for a musical performance.  Practice doesn't make perfect, only perfect practice makes perfect.  I, however, think perfection is overrated.

I've worked with students for 20+ years now and some advice is universal, regardless of major.

Being nervous isn't a bad thing.  Being nervous shows you care about what you are doing, to the point of being a bit worried about making a good impression.

Have an elevator speech ready and practice it on others.  Things I've suggested you include are: your name, your current academic level (sophomore or 2nd year), graduation date, and what type of position you are seeking.  If the person you are speaking to doesn't jump in, you should have some "color" to add to your pitch: "I just finished systems," "I have been working with Dr. XYZ on project ABC to research ...." or "I interned with ABC Company last summer and something I worked on is now in production."  The important thing is to be remembered for something good.  Recruiters often leave a career fair with a stack of resumes an inch high.  You want to be remembered for the right reasons.  You don't want to be the student who walks up to a recruiter, removes the sucker from his mouth, and says "Sooo, what do you do?"  True story.

Take a look at the companies coming to the career fair.  Research them and make a list of the ones you want to talk to, but keep in mind that you might not have a chance to get to all of them.  Some companies have a long line.  Is it worth spending your entire career fair in a line to talk to one company?  That's up to you, but I do encourage you to be flexible.  One of our grads admitted that there was one particular company he wanted to work for and got in line to speak to a recruiter.  That line snaked through the fair and wound by other companies.  A recruiter at one of those booths started a conversation with him.  He admitted he had never heard of their company and had no clue what they did.  They had a good conversation and set up an interview for later in the week.  He ended up at that company and is still there, several years later.

Have someone review your resume and consider having different versions of it Have someone else review your resume.  It could be your advisor or someone in your Career Services office.  If you have the opportunity to have someone in your industry review your resume, take it.  They can tell you specifically what they would look for and what draws their eye on a resume.  Consider making different versions of your resume that emphasize different things.

Take plenty of paper copies of your resume  However many copies you think you need, double it.  Many recruiters will take a paper copy of your resume and flip it over, making notes as they speak with you.  Being remembered for a good reason will help you and your resume rise to the top of the stack.

Yes, you may have to apply online Students think recruiters are blowing them off when they tell them to apply online.  As I've heard many recruiters explain, applicants may have to submit an online application to be considered.  Once you're in their system, recruiters can access your information and pull what is needed for further consideration.

Don't insult a company If you don't like a company and/or its products, you really don't need to make a point of letting their recruiter know that.  Yes, students have done this.  A student made a point of telling a company that they didn't like their business model because it released buggy software which caused headaches for users.  He was memorable, but for the wrong reason.  And about that....

The best recruiters I know have long memories Good recruiters remember students from semester to semester, year to year.  One recruiter remembered students from one year to the next so he could make an offer in the future.  You most likely won't stay with one company for 30 years and neither may the recruiters.  Again, be memorable for a good reason.

Keep in mind who you are talking to You might be talking to a person in the industry or you might be talking to a Human Resources representative.  Be able to talk about what you do in terms that anyone can understand.  It's the rare job that doesn't require you to interact with other people.  Being able to talk about technical concepts in a way that the average person can understand is a great skill to develop.

Don't ghost a recruiter If you're a college student (or even a seasoned employee), you may not always know how to talk to someone about interviews and job offers.  If someone is contacting you for a professional opportunity, you owe it to them to respond in a timely fashion.  If you are juggling multiple offers and interviews, say so.  If they are contacting you, they are interested in you and you should respond.  If you are no longer interested, tell them so, and they can move on to another candidate.  If you do everything in a professional way, you won't burn any bridges.  If you don't know how to have a particular conversation, consult someone in your Career Services office for advice.

Go to career fairs early and often Companies are competing for talent.  You may think you are "just a freshman" or you "only have completed a course or two."  For computer science students, companies will want to talk to you, interview you, and might make you an offer.  I've seen first semester freshmen, 4 weeks into their first semester, get an internship for the summer of the next year.  Even if you don't get an offer or an interview, you gain experience in speaking to recruiters and networking.

Keep trying Does this process ever get any easier?  No, but you can try to be as prepared as possible.  And remember, nerves can be a good thing.

21 years at Virginia Tech and $1.9 million

Today marks my 21st year at Virginia Tech.  Whether it's because of my religious upbringing or just being raised not to "toot your own horn," it took me a while to really put together a list of accomplishments.  To me, that's different than a CV or a resume; those just list what you've done in your job, not what you are most proud of.  

I posted a list of things last year for my 20th anniversary, but here's probably the greatest accomplishment in 21 years:

I finally took the time to calculate how much funding I brought in while I ran our corporate partners program.  I had estimated $1.4 million, based on the number of companies and the average dues for each year.  When I finally calculated the approximate amount, it was $1.9 million.  I brought in almost 2 million dollars in about 8 years.  Keeping in mind that the top level of dues was $7500, that gives you an idea of how many companies I worked with. 

I don't write grants or get funding for research.  I certainly don't look or sound like a development person.  But I knew our students and I knew what they needed, and I listened to what companies wanted and needed.  I then found creative ways of creating events and contact points that answered the needs on both sides.

Who would have thought that an introverted musician from southwest Virginia would end up working with technology companies in the United States to bring in almost $2 million for computer science students?  

Here's last year's post about my 20 year anniversary.

The Good in 2018

For most people, any given year probably looks like a highlight reel that could be labeled with "the good, the bad and the ugly" experiences from the previous 365 days.  When I started writing this, I got a bit stuck thinking about "the bad and the ugly." After more thought, I think both of those things are pushing me towards good in 2019.  At least, this early in a new year, that's what I'm thinking.

My highlights from 2018:

Seeing Michelle (and Barack) Obama on her Becoming book tour.  I was able to take my 80 year old mother to the event in DC.  Mom has gotten more interested in politics over the last two years and we've talked about it a lot since she moved in with me.  Being able to snag the tickets and make the trip happen in a way that she could actually enjoy it was great.  I also had an opportunity to drive her around DC to see a lot of buildings and landmarks she'd never seen before, including the White House.  I won't share what she had to say about our current president.

Attending a conference where it seemed like there was one Aha! moment after another.  Anyone who has attended a conference knows that sometimes there's a lot that is interesting and helpful; other times, not so much.   Don't get me started on the folks who know how to write a stellar abstract that is nothing like their actual paper or presentation.  The one idea from that conference that has stayed in the front of my mind: "The people around you should want you to be the best version of you possible."  Regardless of whether that's friends and family or professionally, that is a great thing to keep in mind.  If you have any interest in STEM and diversity, I recommend the 2019 CoNECD conference.  

Trying Instagram and Twitter.  I decided to try to do more with Twitter and Instagram, since that's what the young'uns (our students) do.  Of course, by this point, they are on to other things and Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are for the old folks.  Well, if the shoe fits...  There are lots of things to check out on both, but the thing I've enjoyed most is finding interesting people who recommend things of interest, especially books.  My "waiting to read" stack is usually quite a tall stack of books, but it's grown even taller over the last year.  I have a love/hate relationship with choosing the next book to read because I have so many I am eager to read.

Reading nonfiction and finding some new favorite authors.  See the above point about finding great books to read.  In 2018, though, I found myself highlighting and making notes in books like I've not done since grad school.  I've read a lot of thought provoking books and articles that have helped me make sense of things I've been struggling with.

Coming around to the idea that I deserve better in so many ways.  Still working on that one.

My grownup Christmas list

I know people make bucket lists, but that seems kind of morbid to me.  I'm going to call this my "Grownup Christmas List."  Since I've been connecting the dots in my own life, I've got a list of wishes for myself for the upcoming year.  I'm sure it seems selfish, but I've spent so much time taking care of others that I need to put myself first for a change.  (And even writing that is hard.)

I want to be happy.  Crazy thought that at 40+, I'm trying to figure out what truly makes me happy.  In the past year, I've realized what I really don't like and things that make me very unhappy.  That's as good a starting point as any, I guess.

I want to love and be loved

I want passion

I need creativity

I want to travel

I want to have a passport and good reasons to use it

I want to feel better, mentally and physically -- I'm tired of feeling sick and tired

I want to have the strength to continue to say no to things and people who aren't good for me

I want to use the talents and the brain that the Good Lord gave me, with the skills and creativity I have to do more and be more, personally and professionally

I want to find people who appreciate me for who I am and what I am capable of doing

I need to keep building my personal and professional confidence
I want to continue finding my voice so that I can speak up for myself and others, especially when others aren't being heard or can't speak up themselves.

I want to remember to be grateful for the many good things in my life

And finally, I want to try to be the person my best friends have always thought I was.  They seem to think I have a lot to offer if I'd only realize it.  

Life lessons after 40

I saw this recently and it really resonated with me:

Start over, my darling..
Be brave enough to find the life you want and courageous enough to chase it.  Then start over and love yourself the way you were always meant to.
Madalyn Beck

I originally started this blog to help others, to help them connect dots to resources and ideas they might not see elsewhere.  The last couple of months of this year have been challenging and even though I've had lots of ideas pinging around in my head, I wasn't sure anyone would be interested in my ramblings.  You hear about people who "hit rock bottom" and then made changes.  I think I hit bottom and dragged along on it for a while, but hopefully, things are starting to change.

I don't know if I'd call it a midlife crisis, but I sure do seem to have been on the receiving end of a lot of life lessons lately.  I've added a label for "life lessons after 40" since it seems that I'm connecting dots in my own life lately. 

To be making big life changes after 40 is nerve-wracking, but I'm hoping I can do it. 

Anniversaries and Accomplishments

Long time, no blog. 

Last month, I passed the 20 year mark with Virginia Tech.  Thinking back, I'm not sure I could picture myself where I am now, doing what I do.  There are days I feel like I'm very good at what I do and others, well not so much.  I think one of the best compliments I've ever gotten about my work is that "you just see what needs to be done and you find a way to make it happen.  Not many folks can do that." 

Tomorrow, February 21, marks my 18th year with the Computer Science Department at Virginia Tech.  These are the things that come to mind when I think of the things I'm most proud of from the last 18 years:

• Current -- Continue looking for new ways to help, support, fund, and enrich our students' academic experience.  I'm always looking for the "next big idea."  
• 2017 - 2019 -- Planning a regional Women in Computing event for students in southwest Virginia and surrounding rural areas of nearby states.  The Appalachian Women in Computing event (AppWIC) is scheduled for March 1 through 3, 2019 on the campus of Virginia Tech.
• 2017 fall semester -- piloted "VT-Shaped projects" to bring community service and outreach component to Sophomore Seminar, part of a planned revision to CS 1944.
• 2013 -- Created CS@VT end of year events.  Programmed and ran two days of events, culminating with an end of year banquet for CS faculty, staff, students, and company representatives.
• 2011 -- Brought the NCWIT Aspirations in Computing program to Virginia Tech.  Founding member of the VA/DC Affiliate with GMU and UVa.  Current chair of the Virginia Affiliate.
• 2010 -- Restarted departmental newsletter.  In addition to creating events, running them, and being the photographer, I wrote the stories for each event, posted them on our homepage, and then pulled together a hard copy newsletter each semester. 
• 2007 through 2011 -- Created the CS 1944 Sophomore Seminar.  
• Brought back Etiquette Dinners for our students.
• Boosted attendance at the CSRC career fairs by requiring 1944 students to attend the fair.  In addition to gaining valuable experience speaking with company reps, many students got internship offers very early in their academic careers. 
• Created additional interaction points for alumni, company reps, and faculty with our students. 
• May 2006 -- Took on our corporate partners program (CSRC) on top of my "regular" job.  I was interim director for 6 months and director by the end of 2006.  
• Started inviting more students to the lunch, growing lunch attendance from 30ish to 200+. I've heard a good number of students they got their first interview, internship or job because of who they sat with at a CSRC luncheon.  How many times have I heard "Thank you for seating me with Don Sanderson with Eastman, Steve Choquette with IBM or Keith Lang with Vanguard."  
• Grew the CSRC from 13 to 90 companies with a waiting list.  
• Fall 2014 -- Had the largest number of companies at a CSRC career fair: 87.
• 2007 -- Using CSRC funding, created first and only general scholarship fund for CS majors.  With yearly donations from the CSRC, grew the principal to $325,000. 
• 2005 -- With Terry Arthur, created the CS Ambassador program.  
• In 2000 -- Worked with Terry Arthur to find ways to manage nearly 600 advisees each.  We created an online Advising Handbook, but signing up for an appointment with one of us required students to pencil in a 15 minute time slot on the sheet of paper posted on our door.  Just the two of us, seeing as many students as we could at those peak times of the semester, and being relieved when we found that one of our work studies signed up for an appointment as Barney Rubble so that we could have a bathroom break.