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Technology plays a central role in the digital economy. Behind the scenes, state-of-the-art algorithms guide the communication and transportation devices we all use.

As an artist (a music engineer/clothing designer), the design and innovation involved with technology excite me the most. I’m intrigued by the complexity of the systems that govern our technologically enabled world, and I am inspired to further my education in the technology field.

One thing I’ve realized thus far in my career is that no matter what you want to achieve – whether you want to be a software engineer or an IT pioneer at a Silicon Valley start-up company – you need to know why you do what you do.

Your “why” is what inspires you to learn and what continues to push you forward, even when you encounter challenges or roadblocks. My “why” is the feeling I had in my first semester, returning as an adult student with a renewed sense of career clarity. Learning to code was brutal at times; the system would reject error after error in my syntax. But no matter how many times the system corrected my efforts, I didn’t give up. I kept going because I’m truly passionate about furthering my education.

That’s how I know that earning a degree in technology is the right path for me. If reading about things like “Elliptic Curve Cryptography” doesn’t seem exciting to you, then perhaps computer science isn’t your professional lane!

Being an adult student is also a challenge at times, especially because there are many lifestyle distractions at this age. At the same time, I’m also learning some of the most complex programming languages out there. I'm most interested in Ruby-on-Rails and Linux because many top social media apps are built around Linux programming languages.

Despite the complexity of becoming an excellent programmer/engineer/troubleshooter, I keep striving for this fantastic goal because I genuinely have a thirst for knowledge. If I didn’t, the complexity of these programming languages would overwhelm me.

I believe that in order to achieve your educational goals, you need clarity of thought and an ability to amalgamate your strengths and passions to find a field you will thrive in. For example, if you major in finance you could become the next Ruth Porat (CFO of Google, and formerly the CFO of Morgan Stanley). Her consistent success suggests she’s passionate about her field.

My dream is to continue my education in hopes of obtaining a Ph.D. within ten years. After working for an amazing company that aligns with my goals and personality, I would like to build a highly successful business around the talents of myself and my most successful friends.