Jacob graduated in Computer Science in 2018. Today, he works as a consultant at STRONGMINDS, where he is part of their Software Craftsman program.
It wasn't until the end of 3rd year of high school that I figured out what I wanted to study. I'm glad I chose Computer Science as the education has given me a solid foundation in IT. It's great that you don't specialize in just one area but gain a broader understanding. Additionally, you also acquire a lot of practical knowledge, which has been great since my tasks vary a lot today. The foundational understanding I've gained helps me quickly adapt to and handle the tasks I'm given.
A few months before I had to submit my thesis, I got a part-time job at STRONGMINDS. I wanted to apply my knowledge from computer science to see what I wanted to work with. I enjoyed being at STRONGMINDS, so when they offered me to start as a consultant after my graduation, I accepted. For me, it worked really well to try out a company before finishing my education. Actually putting your skills to the test in reality is one of the best things. It helped me a lot, and I felt more confident in what I wanted to work with.
After my graduation, I became part of STRONGMINDS' graduate program, which involves having a mentor; a more experienced colleague who supports me and helps develop my learning. My foundational understanding has served as the basis I continue to build on at STRONGMINDS. When I'm sent out to a client, I have my mentor with me, which is nice because I can always seek advice from him. I'm only left to myself if I feel capable of handling the task on my own. Additionally, my mentor is always involved to ensure, also in relation to the given company, that what I do is of high enough quality. In my graduate program, it's not expected that I know everything from the start. I have the time to develop my talents, while they also know that I have a good foundational understanding. It's been great working in a smaller company where I know all my colleagues and get closer to them – I can always ask them for advice.
During my education, I discovered that I enjoyed working with machine learning, and it's been great to try it in real life. As a student, cyber and security didn't really catch my interest, but when I worked with it as part of my job, I found it extremely exciting. It's fun working as a consultant, and I've discovered that sometimes things are even more exciting in practice.
