I am a senior majoring in computer science and minoring in mathematics. I also studied abroad in an international business school in Switzerland before. Previously, I held a consulting internship at Deloitte, worked as a technical intern in a tech startup, and conducted summer research in discrete mathematics and machine learning at the University of Maryland.

Due to my vast interests and diverse experiences in computer science and business, I am not sure what career path fits my skill sets and interests the most.  I know I don’t want to work extremely long hours (like consulting), nor do I want to do software engineering for life (I can do at least a few years though). Overall, I see myself as a resourceful, entrepreneurial person who is curious about everything and not afraid of taking the road less traveled. I feel like I don’t fit the stereotype of a software engineer, but not sure where I should start my career with all these different experiences and coursework. I have been interviewing for data analyst, implementation specialist, and software engineer positions right now, but I am also want to explore other possible career paths for me.

Insights, advice or past experience would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much!

Name: Athena Xiao ’19
Majors: Computer science, business
Hometown: Nanchang, China
Email: chyxiao@brandeis.edu
View Athena’s LinkedIn profile