What It's Like to Study Software Engineering at UMBC

Join us for an enlightening episode of UMBC Mic'd Up Podcast as we dive into the world of international students at UMBC. In this episode, we have the pleasure of hosting Madhuri Goyal, a current student pursuing her Master's in Software Engineering. Get ready to explore the process, challenges, and the incredible support system provided by UMBC.

Being an international student herself, Madhuri shares her firsthand experience of the journey she embarked on to become a part of the UMBC community. From the initial application process to the moment she received her I-20, Madhuri was impressed by the seamless and efficient support she received. UMBC's commitment to the international student community shines through in their timely assistance, recognizing the unique visa process and its significance for international students.

Throughout her time at UMBC, Madhuri felt well-guided and supported every step of the way. The university's clear instructions and resources made her transition into campus life smoother than ever. Whether it was navigating academic requirements, campus facilities, or adjusting to a new culture, UMBC ensured that Madhuri had all the necessary tools and guidance.

In this episode, Madhuri reflects on her personal growth, academic achievements, and highlights the various opportunities available to international students at UMBC. She also shares valuable insights into the vibrant multicultural environment that UMBC fosters, emphasizing the diversity of perspectives and experiences within the campus community.

Join us as we listen to Madhuri's inspiring journey and gain valuable knowledge about the international student experience at UMBC. This episode is a must-listen for prospective international students, current students, and anyone interested in understanding the unwavering support and inclusive atmosphere UMBC offers.

Tune in to the UMBC Mic'd Up Podcast now to hear Madhuri's story and gain a deeper appreciation for the enriching experience of being an international student at UMBC. Don't forget to subscribe, like, and share this episode with others who may find it helpful or inspiring! 🎧✨

Learn more about UMBC's Master's in Software Engineering! 
The Master of Professional Studies (M.P.S.) in Software Engineering program at UMBC is a cutting-edge and highly regarded program designed to equip students with the skills and knowledge needed to excel in the dynamic field of software engineering. This program offers a comprehensive curriculum that combines theoretical foundations with practical hands-on experience, allowing students to develop a deep understanding of software engineering principles and best practices. With a focus on technical expertise and leadership development, the M.P.S. in Software Engineering program prepares graduates to become effective problem solvers, innovative thinkers, and influential leaders in the software industry. Students have access to state-of-the-art facilities, expert faculty, and a supportive learning environment that fosters collaboration and growth. Whether you are a recent graduate or a seasoned professional looking to enhance your skills, UMBC's M.P.S. in Software Engineering program offers a transformative educational experience that propels individuals towards successful and fulfilling careers in software engineering.

https://professionalprograms.umbc.edu/software-engineering/

Transcript

Dennise Cardona  0:00  
Welcome to this episode of UMBC's Mic'd Up podcast. My name is Dennise Cardona from the Office of Professional Programs at UMBC. Today we are joined by Madhuri Goyal. She is a current student in the graduate program in software engineering here at UMBC. And she's going to share with us her experience. Thank you so much for being here today on the UMBC Mic'd Up podcast. It is wonderful to have you with us.

Madhuri Goyal  0:27  
Thank you so much. 

Dennise Cardona  0:28  
Yes. So right now you are a current student in the software engineering M.P.S. program. Is that correct? 

Madhuri Goyal  0:36  
Yes, that's correct. I have finished my two semesters here. And I'll be going into my augments, I mean, final semester, next, next fall is my final semester where I will be graduating.

Dennise Cardona  0:49  
That's a fantastic feeling I just graduated a couple of weeks ago. Thank you. And it's a really great feeling. So you only have one, one semester left. That's fantastic. Tell me a little bit about the journey that you took your educational journey, and official journey to be able to land here is the M.P.S. program. 

Madhuri Goyal  1:14  
Okay. Sure. So here, I have started my journey with, I always, I was found person who was always fascinated with computers. So that was one reason where I chose computer science as my major in my undergrad. And then from there, I, after graduating, I took up a role as a software engineer in one of the organization because it is a multinational company, where I, my role was a software engineer. And where I have developed skills, how for understanding the business requirement, and then making it in a software and transition where we have deal with many clients, we fulfill their requirements on making the changes in the software are having troubleshoot all these bugs where they were facing, then from their access to my organizations like couple of our time to advance my career to learn more. And then I have landed up into a senior software role where I was taking care of the requirements, as well as getting started into the design and proposing the solution to the clients. And there I got the interest of being pulled towards the software architect, when it comes to the MBBS software engineering program where we have one of the pathways are software engineering. So I felt like I'm lacking in a few things where I want to be. That's where I chose software engineering MBBS program at UMBC. Because they are the only one I guess, who are giving the pathways to the Software Architect. 

Dennise Cardona  3:05  
Yeah. 

Madhuri Goyal  3:06  
So that was fascinating for me. And that encouraged me to apply here and come and have a knowledge which is required to be become at the top of the software academic industry that says like, my core interest in it. So yeah, that's my professional and educational journey so far. Looking forward, for more.

Dennise Cardona  3:33  
So now you've been in a role for software engineering, you're in classes, in your opinion, what kinds of skills, knowledges and abilities do you need to be in this industry of software engineering?

Madhuri Goyal  3:47  
So to do my job, in an insert, at certain level, we need to have a good understanding of the software, how they are built. It's not just the coding, software engineering is just not a coding, we need to have the basics build up, like how the, which design pattern will work for the software, how we approach the solutions, like we have different, now we have single page application, which will be like if a if it is a small application, we don't have to build, like different Microsoft is architecture for it. Like it can be a simple one web application one piece of application, we don't have to do it. So all these skills required. I mean, you gain this knowledge by working by educating specifically this program is telling you the practical implementations of how this bookish knowledge is been implemented to your software industry. So that's where I feel like this knowledge is really required. Everyone can learn coding, right? I mean, people are learning, coding from the web. There are so many resources available on the web. They can go ahead and, but to will actually work in the social, the industry to have to like need to have basic knowledge. And the foundation for it, which this program is basically giving us I mean, it has been designed I have gone through, um, I'm also a graduate assistant for the advance of engineering the department where I have the ill ml even the deepest knowledge how this program has been built up, like, which focus is on actually, the actual tools and technology which has been used into the software industry, like we need to have, there's so many collaboration tools like Jira, we have the cucumber, you need to have the Atlassian where we have all this lifecycles of the software has been defined, you need to have the knowledge of the software architecture, how you present it how, how those things have to be where, you need to have the knowledge of all the databases available, and we can't approach all the software solution to one coding languages. With this program, we have learned that there are different languages which are available. So you need to have a knowledge of all the languages as well like not in the dip, but you need to have the basic knowledge which you can identify that for this solution, this language is going to work for me. So, all this knowledge needs to be there. And apart from that, if I come to the software architecture, pathways, where we have learned in advance of engineering, design patterns, you need to have the design principles applied to it, how you build your UI, all this information help you to build a really good software or a system, which helps the company to make um, which is which is very useful for the users like it is very simple. And we are making a very complex thing into a very simple usable product which they can leverage with.

Dennise Cardona  7:03  
To me, it sounds like the program is really informing your thinking about being able to think critically about new technologies as they come into the landscape because we know it's going to change. So, what happens five years from now, when there are going to be new languages out there, how is the Program, how are you learning to adapt to these new languages to these to the new software that will be emerging?

Madhuri Goyal  7:30  
The newest, if I talk about the newest application, language coding language, which has been introduced in 2014 we have the Swift language which is for the iOS development. So it is changing very drastically and there are different versions of the application has been in place. So we need to get the, get aligned with the new changes which are coming up like, like Chat GTP, I am it has been and I like it become a big buzzword for everyone nowadays, but it is going to be changing like everything, I mean in few years some something else will come up and we have to be updated with the industry and we have to be aligned with them. So that we have an open mind to get all these knowledge in and implement based on the what is coming up in the next few years. So that way, we are keeping up with the change fast changing phase of the software development, I mean it is not, it is not going to be same as what it is today. So yeah, it will be changing in the next five years it we never know what all things will come up.

Dennise Cardona  8:43  
What do you love most about being in the field of software engineering?

Madhuri Goyal  8:49  
I, and if I say I love everything about it, literally everything about it. Having the brainstorming done for the, the problem, how we convert the actual client requirements into the technical requirement, that's the first phase of your when some somebody comes up, we need this software or this functionality in our software, brainstorming all this how how this will be traceable to do it in a technical way. That's the first phase of the development. So I really love converting those functional requirement into the technical and then dividing all those work into the coding tasks. Then we have the, the testing done with it, then we have to have a demo with the client we need to have the acceptance for the theater. The team collaboration we have to do and that's really good. I mean, you are working with someone who has different knowledge as you learn a lot from each other. Uh, I mean, I would say, and once you deliver the product and the, the happiness you have, then we have been there, where we have launched a really nice product for the Indian farmers. And that was one of the moments which I always remember that fulfillments of few things happened, which is like, not everybody has those. But once you achieve that, that gives a self satisfaction, I believe. So, I mean, I love everything about the software when developing it from the scratch and then delivering it to the clients and it gives... it's like a life purpose for me.

Dennise Cardona  10:41  
Gosh, what's better than being able to wake up in the morning and know that what you're doing with your life you love that you have passion for that is a true gift. And unfortunately, a lot of people struggle with that and don't find that passion, that love for what they're doing. So kudos to you for being able to find that passion point, how is the program preparing you for the future?

Madhuri Goyal  11:05  
As I said, this program has a different pathway. So actually, they have a six pathways to be in to finance the software consulting, you can be a software consultant have the really deep knowledge of becoming a good software consultant, we have a pathways for the software management, we have a pathways for the software architect, which is my interest. So in as I say that, I mean, how this program is helping me for my future roles is because we have the in depth practical knowledge delivered to us through this program. And as a part of that software, we have gone through the whole process of developing an application where we have presented our software architecture of the application. Right now cloud is a big thing, we need to have everything on a cloud, we have developed the application, we deployed everything on a cloud. And then this review process of this like, we have the feedback from this from the professor like what can be changed and we can do what how it can be improved. All those things has been alarming like I we are actually working on a one software where we have learned the practical knowledge, what the industry follows. I feel like all these things will help me becoming better at my job and fulfilling the requirements that organization or a client has.

Dennise Cardona  12:41  
Can you share your experience as an international student here at UMBC? How has UNBC supported you in your educational journey?

Madhuri Goyal  12:51  
Being an international student, I felt like the process at UMBC was really good, I got the support tha I needed. Like, for the, from the application process till like, I got my I-20 when the acceptance and I, I requested for the I-20. And then I think it takes just one or two weeks to get your I-20. And the UMBC is very timely considering the international student to consider that we have to go through the visa process and everything and that that's a really important first steps to become an international student at UMBC. I felt like I got all the support which was required. There was a good support from the UMBC with where they have clearly instructed us being at UMBC I think I felt very supported.

Dennise Cardona  13:47  
Thank you so much for sharing your insights with us today. I'm really grateful. And I'm so happy to hear that you are supported, that you love what you're doing, and that you've had a really great experience here at UNBC so far, and that you're almost through and you'll be out there in the world thriving as you already are. And I'm really happy for you. Thank you so much.

Madhuri Goyal  14:09  
Thank you.

Dennise Cardona  14:11  
Thanks so much for listening to this episode of UMBC's Mic'd Up podcast. I hope you enjoyed it. If you'd like to learn more about our offerings, do a search for graduate programs in software engineering at UMBC or simply click the link in the show notes.