The Long Story
Hi! My name is Josh, and I recently completed a Master of Science in Software Development at Boston University. But, I'm probably not what most people picture when they think of a traditional STEM student.
For several years, I worked in the trades - mostly residential construction and facilities maintenance, but I've done a bit of everything in and around a job site. It was honest and honorable work, but not exactly my dream career. Deep down, I've pretty much always known that I wanted to do something tech-related.
In 2016, I went back to school, starting with a Bachelor of Multidisciplinary Studies from West Virginia University and graduating with a 4.0 GPA. In my final year, I taught myself Python and built a small portfolio of data analytics projects. They weren't much and far from professional grade, but it was enough to confirm that it was the direction I wanted to go.
As it turns out, it was also enough for me to be accepted into the University of Pennsylvania's Master of Computer and Information Technology (MCIT) program, a computer science curriculum designed for students without a CS background. It was my first formal exposure to the deeper world of programming and computer science, and despite how foreign and challenging it all seemed, I instantly fell in love.
A few weeks into my first semester, however, my life changed dramatically. Following a series of unexplained fevers, my then two-year-old son was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. While the prognosis was good, the treatment was grueling: nearly three years of chemotherapy, frequent hospital visits, and constant at-home care. This became my full time job, with school being relegated to an on-again-off-again endeavor.
I took two leaves of absence from UPenn during that time, both due to my son being in hospital for extended periods of time. As this was the maximum number of leaves I could take and remain in the program, and my son was still actively in treatment, I began to look for a degree that better fit my circumstances and future goals.
This eventually led me to Boston University's MSSD program. BU's practical and project-focused courses were the perfect next step after the theory-heavy CS foundations I'd learned at UPenn, and I honestly couldn't have made a better choice. BU's professors and facilitators were all fantastic, and I was able to gain experience in a wide variety of technologies like SQL and database design, mobile app development, and web development, while still furthering my theoretical knowledge in topics like software design patterns and IT project management.
I graduated from BU in May of this year with a 4.0 GPA and a portfolio of projects that range from a text adventure game in written in Java to a fitness tracker database in PostgreSQL. Beyond the technical skills, I learned resilience, adaptability, and how to balance enormous life challenges with broader long-term goals.
My immediate focus is on securing my first data analyst position (although I'm definitely open to developer or DBA roles as well!), and furthering the skills I've developed in Excel, SQL, Python, and data visualization. Long-term, however, I intend to evolve into data science or engineering, and I am continually learning via independent study toward these goals.
Although I know there's always more to learn, and I'm just getting started in this journey, I'm excited for what comes next. If you'd like to follow along, please check out my projects page, which will be regularly updated (still working on adding a blog).