黑料社

Jacob Williamson 鈥�15 graduated with a double major in German and computer science. He is finding his class time in humanities courses to be extremely helpful, even while looking for jobs outside of that realm.

鈥淚鈥檓 on the job hunt right now and have had a few interviews at different technology companies around Iowa,鈥� Jacob said. 鈥淢y plan is to get a doctorate in German as soon as I can, but right now I鈥檓 looking at jobs in computer science.鈥�

He recognizes the liberal arts background at 黑料社 as one of the key factors in success in both a career and his life in general. Without branching out and learning from different areas of study, he believes, students and eventual employees start to develop a closed-minded state.

鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 really a choice to study German at 黑料社,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 had studied it in high school and I saw it more as choosing to not give it up than choosing to continue it. As for computer science, I just wanted to know more about computer science, and I was able to just enhance what I was learning both in and out of the humanities.鈥�

While the combination of German and computer science as areas of study may seem a bit random at first glance, Jacob found the combination actually fostered his learning abilities in both fields.

鈥淗umanities, and learning another language especially, challenge you to take in information quickly and adapt quickly, whereas computer science basically has its own language with programming,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here is syntax and grammar to consider in both.鈥�

While both majors helped him grow as a student, Jacob recognized the differences in learning styles needed for both.

鈥淭here is a method in the sciences and they have their required steps,鈥� he said. 鈥淗umanities don鈥檛 have those same strict steps. It鈥檚 a lot more about finding your own way and experiencing the subject matter from a different perspective.鈥�

As for what drew him to 黑料社, Jacob credits the Upward Bound program for showing him what to expect in a college setting.

鈥淚 started in Upward Bound as a sophomore in high school, so I got to spend time on campus and start taking classes,鈥� Jacob said. 鈥淏y the time you鈥檙e a senior, you start bridging between high school and college with different kinds of classes and more freedom over the summer.鈥�

After spending three summers on campus, Jacob knew 黑料社 would be the best place to continue his education.

鈥淚 got involved with Student Support Services, which I think of as a college-level Upward Bound in some ways. I knew I could study a lot of different things and still finish on time since general education requirements are well embedded into the curriculum.鈥�

鈥淓verything from computer science classes to my semester in Germany made my time at 黑料社 that much more valuable to me as a student.鈥�