Sophomore Andreas Jaramillo discusses his research experiences as a student majoring in Computer Science at Johns Hopkins University.
With the University's reputation as a rigorous STEM environment, it is no surprise that the campus features students with robust experiences in computer science. One such student is Andreas Jaramillo -- a junior majoring in Computer Science (CS). In an interview with The News-Letter, Jaramillo discussed his journey so far and his next steps in the field.
Jaramillo initially never planned on studying computer science. Until his senior year of high school, Jaramillo wanted to explore aerospace engineering. As he was the leader of his high school's Technology Student Association club, however, he had the opportunity to participate in a software development event for the organization's technology competition. Jaramillo and his team built a language translation app, where one could take a picture of an object and the app would identify it. For Jaramillo, this action of building something from scratch motivated him to get involved in computer science.
He was also aware of the University's focus on connecting medicine and software. Since Hopkins was also one of the best schools he had the opportunity of attending, it was a rather clear decision for Jaramillo to come to Homewood Campus.
At Hopkins, Jaramillo has aimed to differentiate himself as a budding computer scientist. He highlighted two significant skills he has developed during his time here, the first involving creativity. More specifically, Jaramillo learned to be creative while solving unfamiliar and uncomfortable problems. The second skill he discussed was the ability to organize.
"Taking on several team-based projects and having some internship experience, organizing projects has definitely been the most useful skill. Everything in CS is so project-based: For example, using things like Agile development and Scrum, you learn how to delegate tasks and make these timelines. This is probably one of the most transferable skills you learn from your CS classes," Jaramillo said.
Outside the classroom, Jaramillo has already gathered experiences typical of a seasoned professional. He has had a few internships and work experiences all while organizing his plans for this upcoming summer.
"During the past two summers, I acquired internships at Amazon and Google doing application development, which was a great opportunity to get a taste of industry," he highlighted. "During the semester, I try to also build that experience through startups and research. I've had the pleasure to work with Evan Haas on CurveAssure, a Hopkins-based startup focusing on medical device software for issues like spine misalignment."
Jaramillo's impact at Hopkins extends beyond computer science. He has served as the professional development chair for the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers and co-founded the Hopkins Game Development Society (HGDS).
"I started HGDS because I knew there was always this community [of game developers] at Hopkins, but no one ever took that first step. When we started, we had 25 people attend our first meeting. Now we have several games being built by Hopkins students and connections with industry," he said. "This started out to build the community at Hopkins I knew was always there, and it blossomed to so much more."
He also mentioned those who helped him in the process; he gave credit to the three other officers who have also been the foundation of the club
Another topic of discussion was the University's program in Computer Science and their use of technology for students. Jaramillo believes that the University's emphasis on research as early as possible is extremely valuable. He added that it is a great way of getting into a certain industry and earning experience on the right starting foot.
"Having the opportunity to do research as early as freshman year is definitely something that makes Hopkins feel special. It's a difficult time to know what you want to do with your career and from my experience, it's just a matter of trying and seeing what you like," he said.
After graduation, Jaramillo is hoping to obtain a job in low-level graphics and graphics processing unit (GPU) programming. In five to 10 years, he is aiming for a more senior level role in the semiconductor industry or potentially centering his goals on a startup within the sector of innovation or GPUs and computer graphics.
He had some words to share for those aspiring to be just as skilled in this field.
"In terms of CS in general, I would just say try to pursue as much outside experience as you can. Those projects and experiences are going to be the most helpful, especially if you want to go into either research or industry. Also, try not to pigeonhole yourself into one area. Even if you really want to do just machine learning, starting off with application development is still a great way to start because there's certain things within CS that are relevant to other sectors," he stated. "Reach out to people, and especially people at Hopkins. They are always willing to lend you an ear."