My second year of college started with another routine semester of classes in the fall, such as Computer Science 2 and Intro to Computer Systems. This was my most difficult semester yet, as I significantly struggled with one of my classes. This gave me an opportunity to get to know more of the people in my classes and in my major, as I tried to get help from others. I eventually joined a study group partway through the semester, and that has been one of my best decisions so far. Not only was I able to gain a better understanding of the material from studying with my classmates, but I also made a few close friends from it, whom I have continued to spend time with both in and outside of classes.

 

          Towards the end of the semester, I attended RevolutionUC for the first time. This is the hackathon that UC hosts twice a year for anyone interested in computer science or programming. The general premise was to spend 36 hours straight creating something new with technology. This event really gave me an idea of what can be accomplished with the skills that I have been building upon in classes, and it was a very enlightening experience, to be around so many like-minded people all excited about the same things. Being in that kind of collaborative atmosphere made me excited for my future in this field, and helped solidify my decision to go into computer science. 

 

          Aside from the day-to-day classes that semester, I started the process of searching for my first co-op position. After sending out dozens of resumes, I attended UC's fall career fair early in the semester, which was the most anxiety-inducing thing I'd had to do up to that point in my life. I was able to get a few interviews after the career fair, but I unfortunately did not get any offers from them. I continued to send out resumes throughout the semester, and waited to hear from anyone about interviews, but I didn't hear back from anyone for the longest time. Finally, a few weeks before the end of the semester after I had nearly given up hope, I got a bunch of phone calls for interviews. Soon after, I accepted an offer to work for Fifth Third Bancorp as a data analyst for the internal audit division. 

 

          I spent the four months of spring semester working for Fifth Third in downtown Cincinnati, and so far, it has been the most educational experience in my collegiate career. Prior to being offered this position, the only experience I had was volunteer work, so I had never had a paid job before. All that considered, I learned so much about living as an adult in the infamous "real world" so to speak, and it gave me a good idea of a possible position I could work in after graduating college. I was a bit skeptical at first, as I didn't think it would be completely relevant to computer science, but as the semester went on, I was pleasantly surprised by how many of my classroom-acquired skills I was able to apply to the work I was doing. I learned a lot about corporate culture, along with several new programs and tricks I will be able to use in future classes and co-op positions. 

 

          I am amazed at how much progress I have made in the past year academically, socially, and professionally. Going forward, I will be taking another semester of classes for the summer, during which I intend to do everything I can to make up for some of the subpar grades I received in the previous fall semester. Additionally, I look forward to returning to Fifth Third for my second co-op rotation for fall of 2015. I am excited to see what else this job has to offer me, in terms of building upon both my professional and classroom-based skills.