Why I Have Decided to Apply for The Master of Computer Science Program at Colorado State University

“The more you know, the more you know you don’t know”. Taking inspiration from this quote from Greek philosopher Aristotle, I entered my undergraduate program. After completion of undergraduate studies, I started working in service-based IT industry and during which I have realized, the knowledge I gained from my studies in computer science did provide me strong fundamentals but it barely scratched the surface and is not going to offer me the leverage needed to achieve my career goals as the technology keeps progressing every day. As a technology enthusiast, I always intend to increase my awareness about the new technological trends.

As a student, I always enjoyed solving problems that challenged my analytical skills. A brief computer course taken during high school introduced me to the world of programming and data structures. I realized that the field of computer science could be the area where I could utilize my skills to the fullest and I enrolled into to undergraduate computer science program. During my undergraduate years, I enjoyed the lab work as I loved applying theory into the practice. I studied subjects such as database systems, computer architecture, distributed systems, network engineering which provided me an understanding of inner workings of the real-life applications and project life cycle.

After graduation I was recruited in an off-campus drive by Larsen & Toubro Infotech Ltd. Introduction to the corporate environment was an entirely new experience for me. Working in a large team comprised of supportive colleagues has boosted my confidence significantly which has enabled me to share my thoughts and present new ideas effectively to a large audience. My job has instilled a professional work ethic and has taught me to not linger on unavoidable setbacks and keep pushing forward.

I am currently working as a technical consultant. My work assignments involve oracle’s ERP applications which enable project centric organizations to establish core operational processes to carry out project lifecycle management and robust human resources functionality. As a technical consultant, my major role is to integrate the application with other applications to share data and services effectively while managing data structure, data format and transport disparities. Since the application I worked on was extensively customized to accommodate the demands of client, I prioritized my focus to the requirement engineering. During this phase I built a valuable and constructive relationship with clients and third-party system members. My efforts were rewarded with appreciation from my supervisors and clients for my ability to provide swift resolutions to technical issues and my diligent nature. I was one of the few team members selected for implementing the application upgrade. I worked with finance team to implement changes in finance application for Goods & Service Tax law which recently came into effect in India.

While my work has provided me a sense of accomplishment & satisfaction, it lacks the stimulus necessary for further growth. After working on application development from a purely programming perspective for last three years, I found my interest gravitating towards the infrastructure that goes behind network topology of distributed systems. I want to study the core concepts of distributed algorithms, factors involved in infrastructure design and the pitfalls that occur while implementing them. To break into this field, I began digging into available resources to build the knowledge in distributed systems design and patterns. I started brushing up my basic understanding of parallel programming, concurrency control and database systems which were covered during my bachelor’s course. But I realized that my efforts would be more fruitful if they were guided and hence I decided to pursue master’s program in an application-oriented environment.

After exploring various programs, I have decided to apply for the Master of Computer Science program offered at Colorado State University. Since the program contains wide variety of courses ranging from parallel programming, fault tolerant computing through distributed systems & advanced networking, I believe that I will be able to choose and focus on mix of modules that really capture my interest. The course-based nature of program offers solid foundation while being geared towards the application area. I reckon that my programming and debugging skills will be of value while studying for this master’s program.

I believe that curriculum of the Computer Science program at Colorado State University are in alignment with my career goals. Considering my academic background in computer science and professional experience, I am certain that I can make a valuable contribution to this program.