Finding a Community of Peers with MSIS-Bridge in Silicon Valley
Yang Jiang sees the MS in Information Systems-Bridge (MSIS-Bridge) program at Northeastern University’s College of Engineering as a place to practice what she learns. With a major in linguistics, she worked as a technology consultant and program manager at Accenture in Japan. In this role, she saw firsthand implementation of technology solutions.
She says, “Because I was a consultant, I’ve seen a lot of companies succeed with digital transformation. Rather than only implement these solutions, I wanted to know how the software itself is developed.”
In her first semester, she learned Java and Python. “I didn’t have any experience with programming before. The two courses showed me how to write basic programming and syntax, but also how to build applications and do analysis with programming languages. I felt a great sense of achievement. Before this I knew nothing, but now I know basic code and applications in two languages,” she says. In her current second semester, Jiang took web development and advanced java classes. “The learning cycle is very speedy and very exciting for my daily experience.”
Jiang sought out Northeastern on the strength of its “very famous” co-op program. “You are not just there to learn in the classroom and do homework, but you can also get an opportunity on co-op to practice what you’ve learned. It’s a cycle to gain knowledge input and make output value for a company and society,” she explains. Her co-op advisor has been helpful. “They taught me how to design a career plan and picture my future. I feel more comfortable with American work culture, resumes, and interviews—how to structure my story in a discussion,” she says. Courses in global learning have been very helpful in developing English skills. “They supported me in learning how Americans use expressions and culture. There are events for us to sight see with other students. My personal life here is quite good and I adjusted in this environment very well,” she says.
Collaborating with her peers has built community for Jiang. “I definitely have many friends in the program, attending so many events that have a lot of students with the same goals to be software engineers. A hackathon helped me get to know them further. We learn from each other and get inspired by each other’s ideas.”
Jiang would like to work in cloud computing for her first co-op. Long-term, Jiang wants to be a software engineer. “It will enable me to put my ideas into a product and solution. Going further, I want to know how the architecture of the applications are built and in a larger scale system.”
Jiang feels she is well positioned at Northeastern for that future. “The Silicon Valley campus is fantastic. You have access to many big companies, many events in the campus with guest speakers and company recruiters. We learn cutting-edge trends and technology. And connecting with these people often leads to careers.”