Samantha Graham
“I want to be on the front line of the technological evolution – computer programming, web design and even game development.”
Samantha did a semester of Pure and Applied Science at CEGEP before transferring into the Computer Science Technology Program. There’s no doubt about it, Samantha Graham is enthusiastic about her program. And with the exciting job opportunities available to her in programming or web design, it’s no wonder Samantha is happy to have found her place and is highly motivated about life and her future. Samantha will be pursuing a degree in Computer Science at Concordia University.
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Anna Filina
At only twenty-four years old, Anna Filina has already graduated from Vanier College in Computer Science, worked as a game designer, been a lead front-end developer, and became her own boss. Now an IT Consultant dispensing consultation and support to clients like Têtes à claques, YELLOW, Phonetastic and Praized.com, Anna could not be better. She even finds time to co-organize the not-for-profit international Web and technology ConFoo Conference in Montreal and predicted that “geek chick” would be the new all.
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Dominik Laskowski
In 2009, Dominik Laskowski emerged a graduate from John Abbott College, winner of the Governor General’s Academic Medal, and an engineering scholarship from Hydro-Québec to attend McGill University. Dom was also made valedictorian of his graduating class. Still in tow with the never ending exams inherent to University life, Dominik hopes to one day work in developing better operating systems and search engines for the future.
All of this overachieving was bolstered by his decision to study Computer Science Technology in CEGEP instead of taking the usual pure and applied route. It was there that Dominik was first exposed to the cool things people could to do with computers, besides making video games.
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Emmanuel Laroque
Having graduated from Dawson College as recently as 2009, Emmanuel still recalls how surprisingly prepared he felt to meet the challenges of the real world. Work came quickly. He landed his first contract within a week or two of graduating, upgrading analytic code and getting paid handsomely to do it. Today, Emmanuel Laroque is working full-time at Proximo Systems: “This is the job I went to school for. I’m programming C Sharp in a .NET environment, and loving it!” Happily in the planning stages for his upcoming wedding, Emmanuel is amazed at how easy the transition from student to professional was. Independent, young and in love, he lives in Montreal.
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Mladen Dekic
“I wanted to study Computer Science since I was 10 years old,” says Mladen Dekic, a Heritage College graduate. Mladen’s first job out of school was for E-Smart where he worked as both network administrator and a .NET and SQL developer. “I am currently working for the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Medicine as a web programmer, and I must say, I really enjoy my job.” And why wouldn’t he? With full benefits, a laid back work environment, and loads of new faces popping up every semester, the campus life is sure to keep him feeling young. Mladen loves the flexibility of his profession and appreciates that he is free to explore different industries in a full-time capacity or on a consultation basis.
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Alfredo Murillo
Alfredo Murillo spent his high school years studying in Venezuela, an experience which provided him with an outsider’s perspective on the CEGEP experience. He entered the Computer Science program at Dawson College three years ago, and despite the different backgrounds of all the students, “people started to open up pretty fast.” Alfredo made a lot of friends in the program and found part-time work at a convenience store to facilitate his fun. After graduation Alfredo plans to enter university immediately to acquire even more knowledge, saying that, “because the program prepared me to work right away, I’ll probably end up being head of the class.
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Svitlana Shulga
Known to her friends and coworkers simply as Lanna, Svitlana Shulga immigrated to Canada from another powerful nation in 1999 to begin a new life. After completing high school in Montreal, Lanna enrolled in the Computer Science Technology Program at Dawson College, confident in the notion that “computer knowledge would always be an asset, even if something changed along the way.” And although many other things did change: love bloomed, friendships prospered, families grew; Lanna’s choice to choose a career in Computer Science Technology never wavered, not for a moment. She works for IKEA (the job she landed while still undertaking her internship) in their wholesale HQ, developing applications and managing databases for the design powerhouse.
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Adam Delfino
“The hands-on courses were my favourite, but it was PHP programming that really appealed to me.”
Adam Delfino didn’t know exactly what he wanted to do after high school. What he did know was that he loved all things web. When he entered Computer Science Technology at CEGEP, he only had a basic notion of what it had to offer. Adam wants to attend university after graduation to broaden his horizons, and he looks forward to having an edge on students who didn’t get the focused training he enjoyed in CEGEP.
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Maria De Los Angeles Garcia Carrasco
“If you’re an ambitious and smart girl, don’t hesitate, just sign up for Computer Science in CEGEP and enjoy the ride.”
Maria displays a true enthusiasm for technology, describing computers as “necessary” and “super fun”, while maintaining that technology is not just for boys. Currently working hard to complete her DEC, Maria enjoys her Java and SQL courses most, solving problems on the fly, and working in the labs to remove the kinks and bugs from her programming projects. She funds her extracurricular adventures working part time at Montreal’s fastest-growing IT and business company. Upon graduation Maria plans to continue on at Ecole de technologie supérieure (ETS) de l'université du Québec
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Stephane Plante
Now celebrating ten years working with the same company, Stephane Plante says that Dawson College was “instrumental in providing the fundamentals that set the grander stage for concepts and learning both in the classroom and in the field.” The internship he got through school led to a decade’s worth of camaraderie and success working “alongside a small but brilliant team in an energized company atmosphere” at Nuance, the innovative people at the forefront of voice recognition technology. When asked what Computer Science in CEGEP has to offer high school students, Stephane chuckled, “anyone who likes using computers for Facebook, YouTube, or gaming is already halfway there!”/p>
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Donata De Luca
Donata originally wanted to study Fine Arts in CEGEP. But after attending an open house event at John Abbott College, she stumbled on a tour of the Computer Science department. Upon visiting with the teachers, learning about the program, and being blown away by the facilities, she realized that she could apply her passion for design and creativity “through programming and web design while securing a job immediately after graduation.” Her internship led straight to some steady contract work. Donata now works as an IT consultant for Universal Technology, using a combination of her analytical and creative talents to execute special projects for Montreal’s business community.
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Ellie Coelho
We think Ellie says it all with this quote: “Once I graduated [from Dawson College] I had a lot of job choices to consider such as database administrator, software programmer, web designer and developer, computer technician, and network administrator. Any of those jobs were needed in a wide range of environments like education, business, government and entertainment. The diversity of job opportunities is one of the best things about graduating from Computer Science Technology.” Ellie used her training to score an amazing part-time job as a web developer programmer for A.G. Media Group while studying full-time at Concordia University. She will be celebrating yet another graduation by the time you read this.
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Sandy Thompson
“I like the idea of a three-year program with a stage at the end, allowing me to either start working right away or continue my education in university.”
Sandy Thompson decided at a very early age that he was going to one day make video games. He did his homework to find out how to achieve that goal the fastest way possible and obtained a DEC in Computer Science Technology. From there he went to McGill University where he completed a degree in Computer Science. Sandy is now living out his dream as a developer for video-game pioneer Electronic Arts, but fondly remembers his days playing on the varsity volleyball team, making cheap websites to pay his bills, and going out to celebrate successful (and sometimes unsuccessful) projects with his classmates.
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Dominique Simoneau-Ritchie
“Computer Science is really fascinating and exciting. It’s what I love to do.”
After obtaining her Computer Science DEC, Dominique went to work for Big Blue—or IBM, the world’s leading innovation company. At IBM she’s been a Software Developer, Product Manager, and Project Manager, and worked “with teams worldwide to deliver high quality software.” Dominique draws on her experience and enthusiasm in her current work as a Career Advisor for the mega-company. Like her employer, Dominique’s success stems from innovative thinking, creative problem-solving and an adventurous approach to technology. Dominique also completed a degree in Software Engineering from Concordia University.
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TJ Sekhon
As a mature student interested in a career change, TJ decided that IT offered the extensive growth potential he was looking for. A close friend recommended Heritage College because of the comfortable class sizes, co-op program, and well balanced theory with practical experience training. Having already worked for seven years in a professional environment before returning to school, TJ was ready for a new challenge and signed up.
It’s been nine years since he graduated and TJ Sekhon has never looked back. Now married, successful, and infinitely happy, TJ Sekhon works as a Manager in the Technology Consulting firm of CORADIX, managing portfolios for the Federal Government.
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Kevin Brascoupé
“I wanted a future in technology because the domain has spawned companies like Google that allow information to be readily available – a key factor in evolving our world.”
A member of the Algonquin First Nation, Kevin Brascoupé is pursuing his DEC in Computer Science. His brother graduated from this same program, so Kevin knew about the tight knit core of students and teachers that made up the program’s friendly learning environment. Kevin wants to enter the work force right out of school “to see how the real world works,” but plans on attending university part-time at a later stage in his career once he’s earning a good living. He’s off to a great start by winning a $1,000 bursary from the Association of Public Sector Information Professionals.
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Kim Vachon
Kim Vachon was tricked into a great career by her older sister. Kim’s sister, who expected Kim “would hate writing academic research essays,” changed her Heritage College program choice from Social Science to Computer Science before dropping it off at the Registrar.
True story.
Although furious at first, Kim says that finally accepting and trusting her sister’s judgment was, “one of the best decisions I ever made.” At twenty, Kim was hired straight out of her internship as a programmer for Versaterm, a company specializing in police software and technology. And guess what, she still works there! Although once completely freaked out because her math skills were weak, and that she didn’t know a single person in the program, Kim ended up making Computer Science Technology work for her, and is closer than ever with her big sister.
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Nathalie Gaul
“I tried university first, where I majored in Mathematics, but it wasn’t for me.”
“Knowing that computer programmers were in great demand,” Nathalie chose to pursue a Computer Science DEC at CEGEP where she enjoyed the “mix of mature and new students.” Although the classes were challenging, Nathalie says the program gave her a well-rounded education and her co-op work term led directly to her job with the federal government. Seven years later, Nathalie still works there. She does everything from programming to meeting with clients, and is grateful for “not having had to stress about finding a good job after school.”
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