UTEP CS Career Paths

Graciela Gonzalez

Today, when I walk into my office at Sam Houston State University and see the "Dr. Graciela Gonzalez" plaque outside the door, I realize how much my years at UTEP meant to me. I am now an Assistant Professor of Computer Science. I graduated in December of 2000, with a PhD in Computer Engineering. My Bachelor's and Master's were also in Computer Science, granted by UTEP. This past year, it has become more evident than ever to me that learning in the right environment and with the right mentors makes a huge difference in how you later evolve as a professional. The Computer Science Department at UTEP, with well-equipped labs and excellent faculty members, always willing to work closely with students and make them active part of their research provides an opportunity for growth that is not found easily.

I remember Dr. Chitta Baral, my mentor and advisor, encouraging and challenging me every step of the way since I was a Junior until the completion of my PhD. He and Dr. Michael Gelfond, as well as all other professors still at UTEP, Dr. Kreinovich, Dr. Longpré, Professor Bell, all of them taught me invaluable lessons. All were determinant influences on what I am today. Dr. Gelfond once told me, "To be a teacher, you need to be willing to constantly learn from your students." That is the general environment I found at UTEP, a place where students make a difference, where students can participate in their education, grow, and be part of important projects. CS students at UTEP work one-on-one with professors, where they publish scholarly papers with them and learn from them both inside and outside of the classroom.

Just as a token of what is possible, all but one section of my dissertation has been published in prestigious conferences sponsored by ACM and IEEE, right alongside papers from people at Stanford, MIT and UC Berkeley. UTEP is a place where you can shape your future, where you can become whatever you work for, where you can build the foundations to those castles in the air you make when you finish High School. It was for me.

Dr. Gonzalez is currently Coordinator of the BioAI Lab in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at Arizona State University.

Oscar Mondragon

UTEP has been part of my life for the last seven years. I first came to UTEP in 1997 to negotiate deadlines for a collaborative project, called Modularly Configured Attached Processors, between the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at UTEP and the Computer Science Department at ITESM-M é xico. The project was sponsored by NSF and CONACYT. After a year and a half, I successfully finished my part of the project. During this time, I came to UTEP several times to show my progress in the project. The last couple of visits, Dr. Sergio Cabrera, one of the researchers, started asking me to pursue a Ph.D. My answer was, " thanks, but no thanks." The Ph.D. was like an unreachable mountain.

Back at ITESM, the administration wanted me to start a Ph.D. program so I submitted an application to CONACYT Mexico for a scholarship. I applied to three universities. Dr. Cabrera asked me to join the Electrical and Computer Engineering Ph.D. program, but I didn't want to go into computer engineering since I already had a Master?s in Computer Science and had been working as a consultant in Software Engineering in M?xico. Then Dr. Cabrera introduced me to Dr. Ann Gates at the CS Department. I felt comfortable with her since the first meeting. She talked about the Systems and Software Affinity Lab (SSEAL) and the research that she was doing in Software Engineering. I like the idea since the beginning. I was also accepted at Lancaster University in England to work with a recognized researcher in Software Engineering. My bachelor friends were going to England, but I wanted to get married and my girlfriend preferred somewhere in America. The decision was not easy. One friend told me that the relation with your advisor is very important because your advisor will be your academic father or mother and you will share with him/her the next five years of your life.

Dr. Ann Q. Gates, my advisor, played an important role in my decision. I have learned many things from her such as writing skills, tolerance, persistence, and the compromise for high quality work. During my Ph. D. studies, I have been exposed to many challenges and opportunities. For instance, I received an internship at AT&T Labs, where I was working with students from other top universities; I attended the Doctoral Symposium at the International Conference on Software Engineering, the premier conference in software engineering, where I received positive reviews on my dissertation proposal; and two internships at the Real Time Systems Lab at the University of Pennsylvania, where I was able to work with top researchers in formal verification. The economical challenge was always present. In this matter, I have been really fortunate. Dr Gates greatly helped me through research assistantships and by writing recommendation letters for scholarships and fellowships. The graduate school at UTEP provided assistance in attending conferences.

The Systems and Software Engineering Affinity Laboratory has been a unique experience at UTEP. This is a lab where undergraduate and graduate students do research and where senior graduate students serve as mentors for undergraduate and new graduate students. I feel fortunate because I had the opportunity to help people and especially to make new friends. Although the work is hard, the environment helps to make your long hours in the lab an enjoyable time. All hard work has its rewards. The long hours in the lab and Dr. Gates' office resulted in papers that have been published in two workshops, four international conferences, and two international journals. I received a best paper recognition for a paper submitted to the International Conference on Software Engineering and Knowledge Engineering. I am very happy.

I received the Fulbright scholarship to do my Master?s at California State University at Sacramento. At UTEP, I received the Cotton scholarship, the Dodson Doctoral Fellowship, and the nomination for the Outstanding CS graduate student for 2004. I also got certified as " Certified Software Engineering Practitioner, (CSEP)" in 2002 by the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE).
Oscar Mondragon, Ph.D., 2004

Ganapathi Adimurthy

After having spent 2 years in the Midwest, when I landed in the El Paso International Airport (ELP) sometime during the summer of 1998 in the scorching heat wave, I was not sure if I was making the right move by enrolling in the computer science (CS) graduate program at UTEP. While the scenery on campus was not one of the best in the absence of high rise sky-scrapers and some posh research centers, the vibrant student community, frequent sight of top-notch employers on UTEP campuses, friendly CS faculty, career service, human resource and graduate school staff reassured that academic and career success is certainly possible with a UTEP CS degree.

Small class sizes and open door policy of most CS faculty members proved to be a motivating factor for my everyday student life. Courses were well structured and the quality of the materials covered in the undergraduate and graduate programs were comparable to any other major U.S institution. Interaction in the class rooms among students, students and faculty helped in appreciating the strengths of other students in the class and the cooperative learning process proved to be a virtual passport for my academic success at UTEP from Computer Theory to Software Design. By late fall 2000 I was successful in marketing the skills that I had acquired in the UTEP CS department to IBM, Intel and couple of other medium sized companies and had to refuse interview with Microsoft as I was running out of time in arriving at a decision with multiple job offers.

Want to be practical in life? Interested in advanced degrees and high paying jobs? You should consider taking the year long Software Engineering course taught by Dr. Gates. I learned the standard software development/delivery/test process and how to present myself to potential employers and market my skills from that course. Interested in computer micro-architecture and the design of future generation processors? Dr. Teller will be very glad to prepare you for a position at Intel Corporation. Interested in the design and implementation of intelligent systems that can generate a meaningful output readable by human beings? Dr. Kreinovich can demonstrate by a practical example, starting from abstract notions to writing an automated program. Interested in Usability/Natural Language Issues and/or Need support? Do not hesitate to schedule a meeting with Dr. Novick and explore the abundant opportunities available in the CS department. In short I should point out that UTEP CS department has a strong, dedicated team of faculty members/staff and success is for those who make the most out of CS people, course offerings and the UTEP campus.

Ganapathi Adimurthy, M.S., University of Texas at El Paso, 2001

Nelly Delgado

Nelly Delgado, native El Pasoan and UTEP graduate, has beat the tough job market and landed a position at Microsoft Corporation in Redmond Washington. "I think what helped me is having both the technical background and the communications skills of presenting and writing."

As a UTEP sophomore, Nelly began working in the SSEAL affinity group. "Being involved with SSEAL gave me the exposure to research and CS faculty, which encouraged me to go on for the master's degree." In graduate school she served as a Teaching Assistant for the Software Engineering course and spent two summers at NASA Langley through the GEM Fellowship Program. After graduation she spent a year as an Instructor in the CS Department, teaching Automata, Computability, and Formal Languages, Data Structures, and Advanced Object-Oriented Programming and serving as an undergraduate advisor. "Being in an environment where you didn't feel the hierarchy was very important to me. Even as an undergraduate, having faculty listen and accept my contributions was a wonderful experience. Not to mention being exposed to research and working with individuals at the top of their fields."

Nelly's word of advice: "Students sometimes have questions which they don't ask because they're afraid of what people will think of them, but the bottom line is, that's how you learn. UTEP fosters an environment where students can grow and compete with graduates of other top institutions. I believe our toughest critics can sometimes be ourselves and we tend to place limitations on ourselves. Believe in yourself, work hard, take initiative for your own education, take advantage of the opportunities to become involved in research and the faculty's willingness to work with students, and enjoy your studies. The Computer Science Department at UTEP is a great place to be!"

Nelly Delgado, B.S. 1998, M.S. 2001

Afolami Akinsanmi

You've probably heard the famous Hindu proverb : There's nothing noble in being superior to some other person. The true nobility is in being superior to your former self.

True, the CS labs keep getting better equipped but have no doubt that the best resource of this department is the people. The faculty and staff are very helpful and operate a truly open-door policy. The students I worked with in various research groups were quite talented and many of them have moved on to very exciting, challenging positions at Fortune 500 companies. I thoroughly enjoyed my time as a graduate student in UTEP.

Some of the more memorable experiences: Try asking Dr. Kreinovich a question! Surely you'll get an answer but he'll also ask you a couple of questions along the way. As a student, I used to feel this wasn't fair since he's supposed to give the answers now and ask questions on the exams. In retrospect though, his questions helped to clarify what I thought I knew. Try taking Dr. Teller's class! You'll surely come away learning how to say what you mean and mean what you say. I enjoy how she would repeat a student's response to a question and in my case, it always left me feeling like, that's exactly what I meant to say (in other words), especially if my response was somewhat jumbled! It's an excellent lesson in precision thinking, speaking and writing. And there was also the opportunity to explore new ideas. I spent a fair amount of time working with Dr. d'Auriol on a novel approach to intrusion detection using conceptual spaces. This experience taught me how to better manage a project, meet deadlines and define clear goals as a measure of success.

I have since moved on to a career as a Software Design Engineer/Tester at Microsoft working on some of the latest technology in Web Services. The ability to work effectively in teams, practice proper project management, and to ask the right questions are some of the valuable lessons from UTEP that I apply every day at my job. And of course, the door to my office is always open!!!

I'm proud to be an alumnus of this department. It's a truly noble place.

Charanjiv Sachar

I remember the one thing my parents always laid emphasis on. "Education. Once you gain it, no one can steal it away from you". This statement inspired me, Charanjiv Sachar, to do my Bachelors in Electrical Engineering in India and then my Masters in Computer Science at The University of Texas at El Paso. UTEP, being one of the schools with the maximum number of international students, gave me a chance to better understand different cultures around the world and also share mine.

After reaching UTEP, I got a great opportunity to work as a graduate research assistant in the field of Computer Architecture with one of the finest professors in the Computer Science Department, Dr. Patricia Teller. The environment in the Computer Science Department, with well equipped labs and friendly people to work with, encouraged me further to achieve my goals. I graduated in the summer of 2001 with my Masters after working on a project that involved the development of a hybrid processor execution time model for regular applications to measure future multiprocessor system performance and using it to predict the execution times.

The knowledge I gained at UTEP played a great part in my success at my current position as a Performance Analyst at Intel. Every single day my actions here at Intel are a reflection of what I learnt at UTEP. It makes me very proud to be a UTEP graduate and I encourage students to take this opportunity and make their dreams come true.

Charanjiv Sachar, M.S., University of Texas at El Paso, 2001 .

Richard Coy

Richard Coy graduated from UTEP with a BS in CS in December 1999. He went to work for Raytheon Systems in Tucson, Arizona, developing embedded simulation software for missile guidance RF subsystems. Later he worked for an auxiliary company of Texas Instruments called FSI-International, located in Allen, TX, where his work centered on the development of real-time embedded software for photoresist 200/300mm wafer semi-conductor equipment.

He then returned to UTEP for his Master's degree, and did his thesis work on flexible constraint solving with Dr. Ceberio, graduating in 2005. Richard currently works for a local company, MSD Ignitions, developing hard-real time applications in either C or Microchip Assembler ISA for Microchip dsPic30F and Pic18F family of processors. These applications allow customers to control ignition timing to increase engine performance and to obtain engine data at a high sampling rate, all through convenient GUIs. These are used with racing and commercial automobile, ATV, motorcycle, and jet ski engines.

On the side, with his brother he is automating parts of his father's real estate business. He is also setting up a small internet service provider for database applications and teaching Graphical User Interfaces in C# and Compiler Theory at Fort Bliss.

"If there is anything that life experiences have taught me it is that practical work experience can really bring to life the concepts, the methods and the knowledge that you learn while you study computer science. There is one bit of advice that I want to pass on to students who are graduating and who are looking forward to a career in the computer science industry: do not turn down opportunities for professional growth because you think that your engineering background may not suffice. Explore internship and other career oriented activities so that you can make the most of the education that you receive from the excellent computer science professors at UTEP."

Cynthia S. Campos

"During my experience as a high school teacher, I believed it was one of my responsibilities to encourage my students to turn their dreams into a reality. I constantly drew on examples of people who had overcome tremendous obstacles in order to fulfill their dreams, and of those who may have fallen short of reaching their goals, but had been triumphant due to their undying spirit and perseverance. While doing this for my students I came to realize I was not being true to my own aspirations and had not realized my full potential. The pursuit of a Master's degree in Computer Science afforded me the challenge I was seeking and a new course to set for my own dreams."

After graduation Cynthia worked at Exxon for a little over a year, and then moved back to El Paso. She is currently working with EDS on database conversion projects.

"I have found that my time at UTEP definitely prepared me for the many challenges that come with software development. Most importantly, the course work I took gave me a strong foundation to build on. It is a lot easier to pick up a new programming language when you have the basics down. I have to say that all of the logic classes I took are a definite plus. Getting the data where you want it can often be tricky, but it's amazing what you can do with speed when you use good logic in your programs!

"The only advice I can give students is to really try to learn the concepts in every class they take. There is no hand-holding in the industry and professors are there to help you understand, so take advantage of that resource while you can."

Seelam Seetharami

Three years ago, Seelam told us about his summer: "For the past 6 months, I was an intern at IBM T J Watson Research Center. It was a dream come true for me -- working at IBM Research with many great people was really a great experience -- a dream that came true because of my advisor Dr. Patricia Teller and her excellent guidance. What is great about IBM Research is that IBM researchers collaborate with scientists around the world. I co-authored two publications with my colleagues Dr. Luiz DeRose, from IBM Research, and Dr. Bernd Mohr from outside of IBM. My research work was demo'd at the prestigious Super Computing (SC 2003) conference held in Phoenix, AZ. My internship has provided me with practical experience and enabled me to build a network of professional contacts."

Regarding whether UTEP was the right choice for graduate school: "My advice to anyone who is thinking about leaving UTEP to get their graduate degree at another institution is "if you find the right faculty in the area you are interested in, then it does not matter if the school is big or small." I am fully confident that the training provided by UTEP is on par with the kind of education one receives at a big school, and will permit me to compete for jobs at any organization."

Since then Seelam wrote his dissertation with Dr. Patricia Teller, on dynamic adaptation of I/O scheduling. One main contribution was the design of a cooperative anticipatory scheduler, work that attracted a lot of attention at the 2005 Linux Symposium.

Seelam is now Dr. Seetharami, and living his dream, a researcher at IBM.

(Update: Seelam and his colleagues received the best paper award in the architecture track for IPDPS 2010, the IEEE International Parallel and Distributed Processing Symposium.)

Gaby Aguilera

Maria ?Gaby? Aguilera grew up in Chihuahua, Mexico with her parents and her older brother and sister. Deeply disturbed by the level of corruption in the government of her home country, at the ripe old age of 15, Gaby decided that she wanted to be a politician. She further decided that to be effective at this, or any other high-level job in her native Mexico, she would have to learn English. This was a decision that greatly changed the course of her young life.

In order to pursue her desire to learn English, Gaby moved to Portland, Oregon to stay with family friends, Mary and Brenda. There she attended high school and did her level best to cope with the normal teenage challenges of fitting-in, making friends and doing well at school ? all while she tried to learn an unfamiliar language. When asked how she learned English well enough to get through her high school classes Gaby responded, ?Well, I read a whole lot. I started with children?s books ? you know, the ones for little kids ? and I worked my way up. And I carried an English dictionary with me always. At first I had to look up every little word anyone said to me. But then, gradually, I was using the dictionary less and less??

After high school and at the encouragement of her high school guidance counselor, Mr. Stern, Gaby enrolled in community college. Soon after that she transferred to the University of Portland. Her intended major was political science. But, after taking several math and computer science electives she realized how drawn she was to these areas instead and in the end she graduated with a major in CS and a minor in math. As the first person from her family to go to college Gaby could well have ended her journey in higher education there. But she?d heard about graduate school almost from the time she was a sophomore in college and she wanted to explore all opportunities. Knowing that it is not cheap to go to graduate school, she searched for somewhere with reasonable tuition and a good graduate program. Having had our own Dr. Karen Ward as one of her professors during her freshman year it was not hard for her to discover UTEP as an option ? and the fact that it was only a few hours drive away from her family made coming here all the more attractive!

So Gaby came to UTEP and she has been in love with this place ever since. ?I?ve been so lucky to have Dr. Teller as my advisor,? she says. ?She introduced me to the whole exciting world of research and she?s been there to guide and push me every step along the way. Yup, I really love this place ? I love being able to speak in Spanish or in English, I love being around people who understand and appreciate my culture, I love being able to get real Mexican food, I love my friends in SSEAL, I love my classes, I love my professors, I really just love this department!

As she looks back on the journey that started when she left Mexico at age 15 and as she considers where she is today, getting ready to graduate with her master?s in another semester or so, Gaby realizes that there have been a lot of people who have made this experience special for her: ?My parents and my family have been so loving and supportive. Mr. Stern and Mrs. Webber, Mary and Brenda in Portland, Dr. Ward and Dr. Teller ? these people have all helped shaped my life in an amazing way. I have been really lucky.

And for those of you who may be reading this and wondering if graduate school is the right choice for you, or wondering if UTEP may be the right place, Gaby has a few words of advice: ?If you?re thinking about grad school, then, just do it! That?s what I did and I am so happy that I took the plunge. And I can?t say enough about UTEP and this department. If you are looking for a great school that will help you to accomplish your goals, and if you are looking for great people who will support you along the way then this is the place to be!?

Postscript: Gaby now works for Google as a Software Engineer.

Jaideep Moses

I was born and raised in India where I completed my Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science and Engineering. After this I wanted to pursue my Masters Degree and so I came to UTEP. When I think of UTEP, it brings back fond memories that I can never forget. I still remember that pleasant evening when I walked into the campus which was beautifully lit at twilight and I thought to myself "What I choose to do here is going to shape my future". As a matter of fact, it sure sculpted my career and today I am glad that I chose to go to UTEP where I focused on what I came there for, "Education". El Paso is a very friendly place and no matter which culture you come from, people there will make you feel welcome. I was blessed by campus ministries (Campus Crusade for Christ and others) who treated me like their own and there I found true friends who were a constant source of encouragement for me. I am especially grateful to the Indian Students Association (ISA) that made my transition to USA an absolutely smooth one.

I am truly thankful to Dr. Patricia Teller for the outstanding education that she offered me while I was her student at UTEP (1997 to 1999). I had the privilege to work as a Graduate Research Assistant for Dr. Teller in the SSEAL lab where I was given the opportunity to do world-class research. My Master's project was a challenging one on Modeling, Simulation and Analysis of large-scale systems. What I learned, I learned it well and I strive to perfect it and so the cycle goes on as I learn more.

I joined Intel (Portland, OR) in September 1999 as a Software Engineer. It?s the end of year 2004 now, a little over 5 years since I graduated with my Masters Degree in Computer Science from UTEP and I can confidently say that it has been a road to success and I continue to pursue that path. Last year I moved into Intel's premier labs as a Senior Engineer and I have the privilege of working with highly talented scientists and together we develop state-of-the-art simulation tools and continue to invent methodologies that are at the core of Intel?s R&D. Currently I am pioneering an effort towards effective simulation of multi-core and multi-threaded systems. This year has been wonderful and I am even more excited about the future. In short, the education at UTEP has come a long way. I forever remain grateful to my professors Dr. Teller and Dr. Gates who played a vital role in my education and also all other professors whose classes helped me build a solid foundation for my career.

I am proud to be a UTEP CS Alumnus. - Jaideep Moses

Ann Gates

After earning her bachelor's in mathematics from UTEP in 1970, Ann Gates got married, worked as a software developer and started a family. But she knew she wanted more.

When her job began requiring more technical skills, Gates realized she needed formal training. She took undergraduate computer science courses at UTEP and was intrigued by the low numbers of women and Hispanics with advanced degrees.

"I started thinking about the reasons that prevented these groups from continuing their graduate studies," she says, "and I realized that I was one of those people who wanted to go to graduate school but hadn't."

Now a professor and the department chair for computer science, Gates credits UTEP professors Dan Cooke and Andrew Bernat with helping her take the final steps.

"Dr. Bernat nominated me for a GE Faculty for the Future Fellowship," she says. "He made me promise I'd finish my Ph.D."

She did, receiving her doctorate in computer science from New Mexico State University in 1994.

Gates has since dedicated herself to teaching and research. She has been honored for outstanding teaching, producing innovative research and being one of the nation's 100 most influential Hispanics.

Along with fellow computer science professor Vladik Kreinovich, Gates recently received a grant from the University of Texas System STARS program, which helps universities retain high-quality faculty by awarding funding for equipment and laboratories. The funds are helping build cyberinfrastructure to advance research in geoscience. Gates has also received grants from the National Science Foundation, Sandia National Laboratories, NASA and the Army Research Laboratory.

Gates says she uses her research and teaching to help her students achieve their goals. "I take a lot from my own life experiences," she says. "It's about working with students, deliberately developing students so they can realize their potential."

Story by Kimberly Miller. NOVA, Winter 2007. Reproduced by permission.

Rajesh Molakaseema

"June 2008: Rajesh Molakaseema has accepted a full time position as Manager in Targets and Mechanisms Informatics area at Pfizer Inc. In his new role, Rajesh will provide technical leadership and guidance in the areas of Targets and Pathways Data Analysis, Integration, and data optimizations across Target and Mechanisms Projects. In addition, Rajesh will conduct business analysis activities within the Targets and Pathways Research area including the investigation of operational requirements and will make technical recommendations regarding alternative solutions to the Computational Research Scientists, the Target and Mechanisms Development Team, and the Research Architects."

Rajesh came to UTEP after earning a Doctor of Medicine Degree from the University of Health Sciences in India. He is an Oracle Certified Professional Database Administrator, and completed his MS in Computer Science in 2002.

"While doing my masters in computer science at UTEP, there were two things I liked very much. First, the Department of Computer Science is like a family where I had access to professors whenever I wanted to share my ideas and to discuss new thoughts to enrich my knowledge. And the second thing is that students at UTEP and the El Paso community are very friendly which gives you a feeling of being at home and lets you excel in your studies."

Rajesh's work will span the bioinformatics and computational biology areas, leveraging his background both in Medicine and Computer Science to accelerate the drug discovery and development process.

A personal note to UTEP students: "Biomedical informatics is an important area of research and innovation in the pharmaceutical drug discovery process. This is one of the very few areas where one gets a chance to work hands-on in two very important areas, biology/medicine and computer science. It gives immense satisfaction to contribute skills that spread across two areas for the better health of the patients. If anyone would like to pursue a career in this area, either in industry or in an academic environment, I would highly recommend them to do so, as there is very good demand for people with these skills."

Brian Carter

Brian Carter felt well prepared for his career after graduating from UTEP with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science in 2008.

As a student, he was a member of ACM (Association for Computing Machinery) and Delta Lambda Phi, a social fraternity for gay, bisexual and progressive men. These organizations gave him the social skills necessary to succeed in the real world.

"As a computer science student, it's easy to forget that other people exist in the world and that you will have to work with other people after graduation. Being part of these groups helped me learn how to work with other people and have a good time."

At UTEP, Brian is remembered as a peer leader, as a TA, as the leader of the team of students who rewrote the Architecture I lab manual, and for co-authoring several papers on computer science education.

(After graduation, Brian took a job as a software engineer for Lockheed Martin in Sunnyvale, California. There he works on a project called SBIRS (Space-based Infrared System), which is designed to monitor worldwide missile launches. He develops tools that are used to monitor, archive and analyze telemetry (data from a satellite) and also develops software that integrates tools developed by others.

"Software engineering at UTEP Computer Science is far from easy," says Brian. "But it definitely prepares you for the real world." Brian says that UTEP's software engineering class taught him everything he needed to know for his future career.

"I find that, since my duties at work can be somewhat variable, everything I learned from Computer Science is used daily, from the most abstract high-level concepts right down to computer architecture."

Brian hopes to continue living in California and working for Lockheed Martin.

For students considering a degree in Computer Science Brian says it's important to learn what computer science is before changing majors. "I've seen so many students start with Computer Science only to find out that it's not at all what they expected. CS is about problem solving, not programming."