Our Techdren team consists of many brilliant individuals who all happened to meet in college. Although our team ranges in fields of work, our common interest in computer science and education has allowed us to use those interests to make a change.
Computer Science Education Week is otherwise known as CSEdWeek. It is an “annual call to action to inspire K-12 students to learn computer science, advocate for equity in computer science education, and celebrate the contributions of students, teachers, and partners to the field. This week is held in recognition of the birthday of Admiral Grace Murray Hopper (December 9, 1906), who invented the first compiler and coined the term “bug” (an error in a program) after removing an actual moth from the computer in 1947” states the CSEdWeek.
To understand what Computer Science Education Week meant to our team we sat down and interviewed CEOs Anna Matich and Ashley Bladen.
Interviewer: First off, Why did you choose to major in computer science?
Ashley: I have always been passionate and interested in technology. I started coding in high school and, it helped me gravitate towards a technical major. I always thought that getting a CS degree could put me in the right direction for getting the best-suited tech job for me post-grad.
Anna: It was a bit of a bumpy road before I decided to pursue a computer science major. However, I have always been interested in technology and quickly became my family’s go-to tech support due to that interest. In high school, I took one computer science class where we programmed in Scratch and Visual Basic and can remember enjoying the feeling that you get when a program works. During my time at Champlain, I started with a major in Digital Forensics and ended up keeping this major alongside my Computer Science one. While I enjoyed my digital forensics classes I quickly found myself wishing the curriculum included more programming classes. After taking a couple of Champlain’s entry computer science classes I was hooked and decided to add it as a second major during my 2nd year at Champlain.
Interviewer: You both went to the Grace Hopper Celebration, how did that experience impact you?
Ashley- Going to GHC empowered me in so many ways. I was surrounded by powerful, smart, and encouraging women who showed me that I truly belong in the tech community. I also realized how much I could do with my degree other than being a software engineer. The experience pushed me to strive for bigger and better things for myself and I could not thank Scott Stevens and Champlain College enough for sending me.
Anna- Being able to attend the Grace Hopper Celebration was such a wonderful experience and has had such a large impact on my career in computer science. Through the celebration, I got to meet and interact with so many powerful, inspired, and inspiring women. Hearing their experiences, stories, and overall passion for technology was so motivating and empowering. Also through the celebration, I interviewed and got an internship with Workday which has since turned into my current full-time position as a Software Application Engineer.
Interviewer: How do you think Computer Science and Social Justice can work together?
Ashley: CS and Social Justice can work beautifully together and I don’t think enough people see that. Techdren in itself is a wonderful example of what can happen when you put the two together. Since Computer Science can be taken in so many directions, there are an unlimited amount of ways to find solutions to most Social Justice issues – especially in a world where being connected is so important.
Anna- You can do so much with a background or foundation in either computer science or social justice. As our world becomes more reliant on technology it opens up more concerns on how this technology affects social justice issues, but it also can open up opportunities to work together with social justice to create a better world. Techdren is just one example of how computer science can work with and be enriched by social justice.
Why do you think Computer Science Education Week is important?
Ashley- I am a huge advocate of getting children interested in STEM at a young age and continuing to support them as they grow. #CSEdWeek is a perfect example of bringing awareness and educating people on how important access to STEM education is along with what you can do with STEM education.
Anna- I believe that there are a lot of misconceptions surrounding STEM majors and specifically Computer Science and the best way to clear up those misconceptions is to educate people on how it works. So I think it’s wonderful that CSEdWeek is around to educate and inspire people!
What are some tools that you would recommend for someone who wants to learn more about Computer Science?
Ashley- I love Crash Course’s Computer Science videos. I am a visual learner and their videos have helped me understand so many different topics that I needed a little help on. They give you the information in a way that is super easy to digest – I highly recommend checking it out!
Anna- There are so many different areas of Computer Science that you can get into. I would recommend checking out the variety to see if there is one that you find more interesting than others. For example, there is the traditional programming that most people picture when they talk about computer science but you could also look into data science or QA testing. I consider problem-solving one of the bases of computer science and there are many fun ways to start learning more about that. It’s never too early or too late to start learning about Computer Science. My Tuesday with Techdren Series goes over some mobile programming games that can help get younger students involved and learning the basics of computer science.
What is your best piece of advice for someone thinking about majoring in computer science?
Ashley- Do not give up. It is easy to get frustrated or overwhelmed by the material and concepts. Just take a step back and know that you belong and you can accomplish anything to set yourself up to. Also, surround yourself with great people; it is important to have a strong group of people supporting you.
Anna- Do not let fear or uncertainty stop you from trying if you have no computer experience going into the major that is just as valid as if you have been programming from a young age. Do not be afraid to ask questions or work with others to solve a problem. Computer science is something that can be extremely frustrating until it clicks and magically the program starts working. If that feeling of joy you get from solving the problem and creating something that works outweighs all of the frustration that can build up when debugging then computer science might be for you. I sincerely think that it is never too late to try something new, so if you want to try computer science jump in and try it out. If you’re already in computer science and you’re not enjoying it there are tons of related or adjacent fields that you may find interesting as a computer science foundation enables you to go in many different directions.
Make sure to check out the Computer Science Education Week site to learn more about the events and follow Techdren on all of our social media sites to learn how to support our mission.
