How Faculty of Computer Science Shape Me
“A university should be a place of light, of liberty, and of learning” — Benjamin Disraeli (Former Prime Minister of UK)
One of the highlights in my life so far is when I got accepted into a university. Specifically to the faculty of computer science (Fasilkom) at the University of Indonesia (UI). It’s where I spent four years of my life, studying computer science major.
In the span of those years, there are several experiences that I learned along the way. I’m not talking about the lectures or the professors, I’m talking about the experiences that I personally felt within those grueling 4 years of my life. I feel that those experiences are contributed to shaping me, making me who I am today — become a part of me. I don’t know whether these are also happening on other campuses as well, I’m just saying that these are what happened on my campus.
So on this occasion, I would like to share my story of when I was still an undergrad. I would like to share several experiences that I think it’s so cool, and I’m glad I get to experience them. It’s also to express gratitude to my once-beloved institution 🔵 🔴 🖥
1. TRY (TRy it out Yourself)
One of the experiences that I felt the most is the TRY (it’s my own personal term 😜) atmosphere. I felt that most of the students are very eager to learn and get ahead of themselves. They were exploring technology even though they haven’t got to the respective subject. At that time, I can point out my friends who are interested in game development. They are already “tinkering” with things related to game dev, although the course itself will only be available in the 3rd year. Yeah… I remember y’all the residents of the “long table”.
I can see some of my friends who already try to make simple Android apps only armed with Java knowledge from “Programming 101” and “Data Structure and Algorithm” course in the first year. I can see web enthusiasts playing around with Laravel or CodeIgniter, popular web frameworks at that time. There is no session about web frameworks in the web dev course (we wish!).
The professors didn’t teach all those things in the class, we were just simply curious and want to try it out ourselves. The class only teaches us the basics, then we continue exploring the subject ourselves.
Some might said it’s a “threatening” environment, cause you’re surrounded by a bunch of “ambitious” people. You might feel like you’re useless if you don’t do anything. On the other hand, it also creates an atmosphere where you don’t need to be afraid to be judged for trying something, for getting ahead of the courses. Cause most people are doing so!
It also creates an environment where you can have a healthy discussion about technologies and almost like having a “private forum” where you can ask for tips 😁 It also pushed me to “do try and create something” which I ended up doing. Starting with my own difficulties in finding a suitable laptop — plus my love of web development, I create my own laptop search engine. I make a whole story about it, you can read it here:
2. We are family
Another experience that I felt is the warmth of the kinship. Some might say “camaraderie”? “intimacy”? or “solidarity”? Idk. Since the faculty’s orientation, the new batch of students is forced to get to know each other. You need to at least know your friend’s name from the same year by a minimum. Yes… we have to remember at least 200 names. But thanks to that, we manage to build a good camaraderie that will help us personally during our years of study from just simply knowing the name of our friends.
One thing that I learned since I was exposed to the IT world, is that nobody can’t make technology alone. Google isn’t made by one superhuman, Facebook is not just Mark Zuckerberg. Even great libraries are usually open-source which is maintained by a community. The point is, you can’t work alone in the software development world. You need a team. And that’s what I felt during my studies in the faculty.
Problem-solving is our routine to solve lab assignments, and everyone seems to support each other. It feels like I’m not a solo player. The ones that already finished were helping the ones who haven’t finished yet. We often exchanged our solutions with each other to get the optimal solution to a problem. I even remember one time one of my friends created test cases that are gonna help us pass the black-box testing.
The Computer Olympic star students often give us clues or approaches to solving a problem based on their competitive programming experience.
The fondest memory that I remembered is when we finished our mid-term exam of web programming where we have to create a website with a spec in a span of 10 hours, basically a hackathon. When the countdown reaches zero, we celebrated by yelling in the middle of the night (10 PM) and high-fiving each other.
This experience has taught me the importance of the spirit of collaboration. It reminds me that you don’t have to fight alone, and there are always people to support you, helping you. I am also glad that we had those vibes rather than competition vibes. In my opinion, collaboration is one of the important aspects of the working world. It is more healthy and it builds you up.
That’s all the experiences that I’ve been through, and I feel like it shapes me to become who I am today.
It teaches me to not be afraid of trying something out, even if no one hasn’t taught you yet. It’s a culture that I think is really important to face the world of IT that is constantly changing. We mustn’t afraid to leave old habits, and embrace new emerging technologies.
It teaches me the value of collaboration which I think is more than competition (something that I feel is really enforced in modern schools). You are not working alone, you must be a part of a team in your work. It teaches me how to become a team player in a community that I’m currently in.
So for those of you who want to pursue a career in the IT field, I can guarantee you — Fasilkom is a great place to start!
Last but not least, I would like to say thank you to the faculty I was once studying in. Thank you for letting me experience those kinds of things and instill values that I will hold onto for a very long time.
Hope you enjoy the story!
Cheers 🍻 — Ferzos
Bonus
