I have always liked puzzles. As a kid, I enjoyed solving,
100, 200, even 1000 piece puzzles with my dad, mom, and
brother. I liked how the pieces fit together, each piece
having an impact on the final picture. Get one piece wrong
and the entire final picture is incorrect.
Computer Science is very similar. Each small variable,
method, class, or object plays a role in the end
functionality of the program. When I code, I think of
how each aspect of the program serves a purpose in terms
of getting the anticipated end result. My brain simply
works like that, connecting every small detail to the big
picture. And, just like that, a young kid who loved doing
puzzles became a computer scientist.
I remember as a child sitting in the backseat of the car and
listening to the radio. Every now and then, my parents would
turn on the news and I would hear some reporter blabber about
the "Dow", or the "S&P", and sometimes the "NASDAQ".
Later, in high school, we did a stock market simulation. This
kindled my interest in the markets, and I started paying more
attention to the financial news. By college, I knew that finance
was something that I wanted to pursue. The idea of monitoring
markets and valuing companies was very interesting to me and was something
I wanted to continue to learn in college. Now, I am a sector head in the prestigious Blue
Hen Investment Club and manage my own portfolio on the side. Talk about
a bullish trend.
Many people have great ideas. However, why is it so often
that those ideas get lost due to fear of starting a business
or the lack of knowledge on how to start one? It may take an
engineer to make the product, but it takes a businessman/woman
to sell it.
I realized this and thought "what's stopping me from taking on
both fields?" Nothing. I have a passion for both, and pursuing
both has allowed me to see the many connections between the
seemingly different fields. Hopefully, somewhere down the road,
I can use my computer science knowledge to create a product and
my finance knowledge to give it to the world.
Whether we're talking about applying for a new job or moving to a different home, fear can cloud someone's thoughts. What I have found personally beneficial is to look past the fear because underneath the "costume", you might find a new opportunity for growth and learning.