Interview with Junior Alex Bulazel

Recently we had a chat with Alex, a student majoring in ITWS at RPI with a dual major in Computer Science.  We asked him a few questions that we hope can help you learn a bit more about the ITWS program at RPI ( http://itws.rpi.edu )

[ITWS] Why did you choose the IT Web Science program?

[Alex] First got accepted as a CS major, but later talked with Prof.  Hendler, who was the head of the IT program at the time, and found his research and classes interesting and decided to choose a dual major in CS & IT

[ITWS] What features of the program do you like best? Or what is the value of the program?

[Alex] One of the main values is that it is interdisciplinary and allows you to see the world outside of technology and see the big picture

[ITWS] Give us a brief description about your career goals and how will the ITWS program help you achieve that goal?

[Alex] My plans are to pursue a MS of PhD in Computer Science. In this respect the IT program has helped in giving me the big picture of things. When you are in the IT program you are given vast problems and there are many ways to look at them, many ways to solve them and you have to provide a technical implementation but also need to consider other issues like business, management, etc. Every person or team in the class approaches the solution in a different way and you learn from that. The ITWS program puts the emphasis in group work and that has been really valuable.

[ITWS] In what areas do you think this program can be improved?

[Alex] Depending on the concentration some of the courses available may not have the proper focus and be relevant. For example, a database mining course was not very focused on information security, but I was able to get commissioned to do an independent study on methods of hacking and binary exploitation. In general, there is flexibility in the courses if you ask; you just need to be clear of what your goals are.

[ITWS] Will you recommend ITWS program to your friends? Please explain why?

[Alex] I would recommend it to friends. This program teaches you to do group work, it helps you think critically on the business issues, it gives you education in technology and business and management. Besides, our program administrator, Linda, is very friendly and helpful.