Post-Grad, Work

Its hard to believe that five years have passed since I first started my computer science degree at UofT.  For the past five years I’ve declared Bahen to be my home-away-from-home; and for five years I’ve slaved away for a piece of paper that certifies me an official nerd (aka a computer science diploma).

In retrospect, my time at UofT can be best described as bittersweet.  My fellow classmates will agree with me when I say that the computer science program is an emotional roller coaster of extreme highs and lows.  This is not a program for the weak of heart.

Indeed, it has always been my position that the computer science program is one of the most difficult undergraduate degrees at UofT.  Its difficulty does not lie solely in the material; but with the dastardly schedules produced by a unique combination of assignment-heavy CSC courses and  midterm-heavy A&S courses.  As a UofT compsci student, it is not unusual to have a solid month where at least 3 assignments or midterms are due every week.

Sometimes, the intense course loads and the Bahen all-nighters can bring out the very worst in people.  But, strangely enough, it is also by suffering together that I’ve met great friends and formed long-lasting relationships.  In many ways, that makes the suffering all worth while.

When Derek and I were in first year, we were in utter awe of the sheer nerdiness of the 4th year students.  In fact, we swore to each other that we would never become “one of them”.  Fate must have a cruel sense of humor.   In my last few years at UofT, I have become geekier than I could have ever imagined: I’ve started a blog, I’ve become a DCS Ambassador, I write code projects for fun, and I’ve trash-talk industry professionals at tech conferences.

And now that my university days are over I need to start focusing on my future career.  Unfortunately, I won’t be working in software development, but instead I will be taking up a position as an assistant product manager for Cast Software Inc.

Don’t bother reading the website, even I find it hard to read.  Here’s the summary: Cast is a Toronto-based company that makes pre-visualization software for lighting designers.  Ever been to a Cirque du Soleil show?  Companies like Cirque du Soleil use Cast’s software to setup/stage their lighting effects before the stage is even built. They have three products, WYSIWYG (this is their flagship product for lighting designers), Vivien (a derivative of WYSIWYG, designed for event planners, wedding planners, etc.), and Black Box (motion tracking system, I’d explain, but you’d have to be a theater geek to appreciate it).

This will be my second time at Cast; 2 years ago I worked for them as a QA Analyst while I was on PEY.   This time around, they’re looking for someone to help out with project management, and I seemed to fit the bill.

In my mind, this job is a very good opportunity to get my feet wet in the management side of producing software.  One of the most common complaints that I’ve heard from managers is that programmers “speak their own language”.  As a programmer, you can become an incredibly desirable asset if you can understand the relevant technology stacks while maintaining a clear focus on the business model.  In my mind, this position at Cast will help me become a programmer who can bridge that gap between programmers and businessmen.   That’s the plan anyways; I won’t find out how well that works until I start on July 5th.

And even though I’m not being paid to code, I’ll still be working away on whacky projects in my free time.   That means I’ll still have plenty of topics to blog about in the future, so Pi/Pi is here to stay!