I am currently an undergraduate student at San Jose State University majoring in Computer Science and working on a certificate in Computational Linguistics. I work at Barracuda Networks as a Software Engineering Intern where I mostly do programming in Java. In addition to Java, I have a lot of experience in C++, Python, HTML, CSS, and Javascript. Other languages I have used include Ruby and PHP, and I am quick to learn new programming languages. I currently have Associate's Degrees in Computer Science, Mathematics, and Art and Digital Media from Diablo Valley College.
I have taken a number of MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) on Coursera and Udacity, most of which relating to various fields within artificial intelligence such as machine learning, natural language processing, probabilistic graphical models, AI for robotics, and game theory in addition to classes in other more general topics such as databases, cryptography, and software as a service. I find the MOOC paradigm very interesting and useful for expanding people's knowledge and bringing education in general as well as specialized topics to those who otherwise wouldn't have access or time for more traditional structured education.
I enjoy competitions involving computer science and have competed in two programming competitions so far and have been the coach for my community college's ACM ICPC teams. I look forward to competing in more, as well as in some capture the flag competitions once I have a more solid knowledge of computer security. The added pressure of competition and unique problems presented are a fun and rewarding challenge that allow me to utilize and hone my skills as a computer science major.
I also try to attend talks on the topic of cyber security when I can as they help increase my knowledge of the security threats that need to be dealt with on a daily basis not only for security professionals, but extending across other fields within and even out of the technology industry. The issue of secure coding practices especially relates to programmers like myself, but other topics are interesting if not relevant. As National Cyber Security Awareness Month is coming in October I look forward to some interesting new offerings in the way of free seminars and talks.
Upon graduation I intend to work in a field utilizing my interests in artificial intelligence or information security, or likely some combination of the two since AI techniques continue to become more prevalent within all of technology. I enjoy problem solving, which seems a prerequisite of being a successful programmer, and enjoy finding unique solutions to problems using my programming knowledge and skill.
