Kelvin ZhangWhat are your career plans?

I've always wanted to pursue software engineering as a career. In the short-term, I am hoping to secure a job at a top tech firm, but beyond that, this course has helped me develop an ambition to move into more leadership-oriented and strategic roles.

How supported do you feel about engaging with Industry and as part of applying for your placement/graduate roles?

Extremely supported, thanks to both the department's connections and the number of sponsors which the department's student-run society (DoCSoc) has. There is a strong culture of applying for internships early on, and the number of industrial events ran by DoC and DoCSoc has really helped me develop my industrial connections and interview skills.

Which courses have you chosen to specialize in and why?

I chose to take the non-specialised MEng Computing course to have more freedom in choosing my third and fourth-year courses: the third year has been a really good opportunity to take multiple machine learning related modules and going into the fourth year, I’m looking to take courses focused on building scalable systems. I’ve chosen these courses not only out of general interest but also because they contain content beneficial for working in the industry.

What is the one thing that any new Imperial student in the Department of Computing should know?

Introduce yourself into as many societies as possible in the first two weeks but commit to one, where you'll make friends outside of your course and halls. You'll likely be going to many DoCSoc events (from industrial events to fully subsidised bar nights!) with the time commitment of one society already, so choose a casual one (something sporty or hobby-based) to take your mind off the course and make strong friendships throughout your next three or four years.