Hey everybody, this is David Hu. I am a third-year computer-science student at University of Victoria and I am entering fourth year right after this summer. Also, I am an international student from China who has been in Canada for nearly five years and studies last two years of high school and almost three entire years of university here.
Recently in January 2024, I moved to a new off-campus rental in Victoria which is 35 minutes walk to campus and 20 minutes by bus. This allows me to live more independently away from all my family members and I have to manage my own study time and finances, as well as live my own life with limited amount of budget I can get from my parents every month.
My primary field of interest has always been computer science, especially cybersecurity, and I am curious about how security works since I was young. Cybersecurity is one of the most vital fields in all aspects of the society, and it is deemed crucial to not only people’s everyday lives but the infrastructure of public organisations and agencies such as the government, intelligence agencies, the military as well as national defense.
In order to pursue cybersecurity related careers at an advanced level, one must have attained a university degree and achieve high academic performance on mandatory courses such as Operating Systems, Computer Communications and Networks as well as Database Systems. Normally a B+ average of third- and fourth- year courses is only a minimum entry requirement of Canadian Masters programs, and in the UK they are even more strict and require first-class honours (A average) in all undergraduate courses. Unfortunately, due to the fierce competition of Masters programs and the limited amount of job positions available in real life careers, satisfying minimum requires absolutely does not gurantee one will be selected.
This is why in additional to in-person, instructor-led learning, one must develop self-learning skills and learn skills outside of the curriculum, and university is way more advanced than high school—one is supposed to have already previewed the materials yourself before coming to the lecture and one should not expect anyone to “spoonfeed” knowledge, and it is up to the learners to proactively seek help from professors after they have thought about the problem multiple times and still stuck on some point. And as for any type of assessments, it is the learner’s responsibility to engage in the process of thinking as no one would offer any hints, which not only applies to assessments, but also to future job projects.
You are welcome to participate my blog throughout the term, regardless of you are interested in cybersecurity or where you are from, since everyone will be welcome with dignity and respect.
Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash