A person or a robot, who are they?:

An interview with a Computer Scientist.

As an aspiring computer scientist, I myself have been wondering for quite a while, “what is it like to actually be a computer scientist”? Basically, what makes them “tick’, and what better way to discover this than to ask one directly?  It seems that computer scientists are like us ordinary people in multiple ways and in order to prove this I went out to seek an actual computer scientist.

During my search for a computer scientist I came across an individual by the name of Derek Chong. I found him through a close connection of mine who was able to set me up perfectly with his email and contact information.  After setting up the proper request email and scheduling a date to meet, the promised date had arrived quicker than I had ever expected. I must admit that I was a bit nervous as I arrived at the grandiose office looking building for it was colossal in size. I entered the building and I asked one of the workers if they could point me in the direction of who I was looking for and I was led upstairs. Finally meeting in person, I shook his hand and he sat me down in a nearby chair and thus I began to question him. Beginning with one of the basics, I asked him about his job and what does a typical work day consist of as a computer Scientist. He told me he usually begins by checking his email as it’s usually filled with a large amount of emails that build up over the night. This is his main source of communication used at his job, he tends to communicate with others and figure out ongoing projects after viewing his email.  After reading through them he then decides what project to work on ranging from various assignments. I was intrigued so I asked, “what types of projects do they usually have you work on?” and he told me of some projects requiring him to let a program run over night since how grand in size it can be. Then after it is executed he then bases his strategy on what results he got from it. I thought this would take a large amount of time, so I asked him how long his work shift usually spans from, but he told me a surprising answer and it’s just an average 8-hour work shift at most just like other jobs out there.

I then presented him with another question, “why did you choose this career path? Do you regret your decision and if you could would you change it?” He then smiled and laughed at my question at first before answering and said, “No this path was one I chose, and I wouldn’t change it for the world. Mostly because I have a lot of fun and I met a lot of cool people too” he said while laughing. In that short answer alone, I was able to firmly get a grasp and a bit of an understanding of what it’s like to work in this field. He reassured me that even though he says he has a lot of fun, it’s not all fun and games. I asked if there were times where he felt this job was very stressful and he replied with “of course.” That “of course” was not only an indicative of what it’s like to work here but pretty much any job out in the work force. Every job presents their own difficulties and stress however it’s our job as adults to be able to persevere and be able to overcome it. He explained that although he loved his job he does get a bit frustrated at times because of it, but he doesn’t mind because the fun experiences take over in his memory rather than the stressful ones.

I then asked him something that was more of a personal question than anything, and that was if he had any good advice to offer someone who wishes to pursue down the same path as him. When I asked him this I expected a basic answer such as “work hard” or “never give up” but instead I was provided with a much more descriptive answer than I had imagined I would receive. “I know sometimes the path is a long and rigorous one with many challenges and obstacles that will be thrown your way however I want you to know one thing. No matter how hard or tedious it gets it’s very important to never lose your will to keep pressing forward.” He told me to keep looking ahead to the future, to remember that it might be hard now but once you finish it, it’ll be all worth it in the future. “Once you get that dream job after working your butt off in college you can relax with all that spending money” he laughed while saying this. He wasn’t wrong, and I was happy to hear this from a professional, that I wasn’t alone in feeling this way while taking this path.

After shaking his hand and thanking him for his time, I felt a feeling of satisfaction and determination that I haven’t felt in quite a while. It was a good feeling to know that even professionals went through the same struggles that we are currently going through and feel the same way we do about stuff. It’s reassuring and helps me feel more confident about moving forward. This meeting was a great experience for me and I’m glad I went out to interview someone in my field for if I hadn’t then I feel as if I would not have gotten a good look into what’s to come in the near future for me and my career.

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