Computer science is a field that attracts many young students, who are interested in the rapid advancement of science and technology. Despite the genuine passion that they have, students in the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) field are often looked at as nerdy and antisocial by the rest of the campus.
There is, however, a deeper story to the lifestyles of these programmers aside from that they spend their nights in the underground Soda Hall lab. Today, as systems and data communications is the second fastest growing industry, there is so much to be expected from these engineers and how they could influence this society through the ever-growing field of technology.
In this first video we look at what it means to be a programmer and a student in the EECS department at UC Berkeley. In the next two weeks we will be profiling some of these programmers.
Part 1: Compiling the Programmers
Part 2: Eric Zhang
Eric Zhang is the co-founder of Flotype, a start-up company that is rapidly attracting attention in the programming community. He talks about dropping out of UC Berkeley to become an entrepreneur in the tech industry.
Part 3: Kate Jaihee Lee
Kate Jaihee Lee is a sophomore in EECS, who originally had some doubts about pursuing EECS as a major. She shares her experiences of being one of the rare females in the field and discusses some of the challenges and shortcomings of being an EECS major at UC Berkeley.
Part 4: Tom Magrino
Tom Magrino is graduating as an EECS major at UC Berkeley and plans to pursue a graduate degree in computer science, focusing on security in computer systems. He shares some wisdom he gained through his college experiences, and expresses his passion for teaching.
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There actually seems to be a fair amount of anti-EECS sentiment in the first video…what’s that about? Haha, Eric Zhang is right when he says that about half of EECS is an exception to the stereotype.
I’m *really* impressed by The Daily Californian’s Alice Oh’s recent video journalism documenting the lives and characters of Berkeley’s EECS majors and faculty. I’ve never seen anything like it (and maybe that’s because I’ve never seen any Daily Cal videos). Most stories about EECS are usually content only covering the stereotypes, but I really appreciated seeing the other sides of the students’ and faculty’s stories that make the Berkeley EECS department, community, and experience so special. Also glad to see the shift in practice/emphasis that more closely matches what’s going on in Sillicon Valley as well as entrepreneurship, in general.
I always remembered how painful it was to be an EECS major. Thanks to these videos, I’m now also reminded how proud I should be, what a special experience it was, and what amazing opportunities were provided for us to learn and grow. I couldn’t agree more with most everything that was said.
EECS Pride 4-eva!
P.S. If anybody knows Alice Oh’s twitter handle, I’d love to follow her and/or send her kudos directly. Thanks, and GO BEARS!!
A google search for “alice oh daily cal twitter” reveals @missonederland:twitter