Before, During and After the ESI
By Juan M. Fernandez (former ESI-UCLM student).
My story at the Escuela Superior de Informática begins in 2012, as a senior high school student (Pedro Alvarez Sotomayor Institute of Manzanares), with the participation in a visit organized by the University of Castilla-La Mancha to present its training offer.
What I knew about computing up to that point was part of my whole life, beginning as a lucky infant who had been taken by his father to visit great halls arcade in the 90s and that he had a vague idea of what was behind those machines. I was lucky enough to have a computer at home with which my father worked and on which I knew how to execute, thanks to him, commands in Shell to be able to play a game that had no graphical interface. Back then MS-DOS was the most popular operating system installed on most computers. I remember when a “pile” came home that emitted strange beeps to connect to this new thing they called “Internet”, it took minutes. I also have memories of the first message I sent through messenger… And the first ones arrived mp3s, cybers, the first social networks, the smartphones… everything has been a constant change until today.
If you have had any of these moments, you will know how it feels when you discover these new technologies… We are surrounded by them now and they all have one thing in common: they are computer based. Our whole life is surrounded by them, in any job, in our leisure and in our home.
The visit to the UCLM Centers by senior high school students was, and is, usual to help students who take the EvAU to decide what we want to study and consequently what we want to dedicate ourselves to in the future. During that visit they told us about the Computer Engineering profession and the opportunities it offered for the future. They presented us with the study plans of the teachings that were taught at the ESI. They also showed us their museum, where we could see the evolution of computers and appreciate how fast technology was evolving. We visited their facilities with stops at the laboratories and they showed us some of the research carried out by the research groups based at the ESI. We were also able to talk to teachers and students. I remember seeing my first 3D printer in 2008, along with what are today's drones. Surely if you go to one of these visits you can see what the future will be like.
For me that visit was decisive. When I finished it, I already knew that I wanted to study at ESI. I wanted to learn to make those applications that they taught us in the laboratories, I wanted to learn to create applications like the ones I used as a user from scratch, and I must admit it, I also wanted to study something that would allow me to earn a living in the future, without having difficulties finding a job after finishing the studies.
I remember my time at ESI with great affection and nostalgia, as they will often tell you from now on: the university years are the best. My university years are very sweet years, but I will not lie to you, there were also moments of difficulties. Normally everything worthwhile takes effort. They were years of great challenges. You meet people very aligned with your tastes with whom you share goals, sorrows and joys, and with whom you learn to work as a team, to communicate, to express ideas, and who become great friends, friends for life with whom professionally you will always be in contact.
The first year in my case was complicated, but I got over it, I kept working with enthusiasm and without getting discouraged, always paying attention and following the advice that my teachers, classmates and of course my family gave me. It was not complicated for everyone, those who had a better foundation in mathematics did not have any problem. However, this difficulty that I faced I can say that in my case it was positive, since it helped me to form myself as a person and I am proud of what I learned and how I overcame it.
And so it went on day after day, and year after year, each time with more knowledge and more ability to face more complex challenges. Then the day comes when you finish your Final Degree Project, the last step in your training, and it's your turn to fly. In many cases, luckily, there were already colleagues who had started flying a long time ago and combined studies and work, I was one of the lucky ones. Remember that you will not be short of job offers from companies in the Information Technology sector. But not only in these, but you can also work in companies from other sectors that need professionals to help them make their digital transformation. There are THOUSANDS, but THOUSANDS of companies that are dedicated to very different things: training, cybersecurity, data analysis, R&D&i companies, work in any public infrastructure such as airports, hospitals, defense, even intelligence… I could continue filling pages whole with the possibilities, since computing touches everything... and in the era we live in, being a computer is valued on the rise.
In my case, and as soon as I finished my studies, I started working for the company R. Peinado SA, an official dealer of the Scania brand that has 3 offices in different provinces, which was very clear about the need to carry out the digital transformation of its business and needed professionals who could work on it. The quality of the work carried out at R. Peinado, always with the support of its manager Micaela Rodríguez, allowed me to collaborate with the Scania Dealers Association at a national level, advising and/or participating in the digital transformation of the association. The knowledge acquired has allowed me to work as an external consultant on services and technology in digital transformation for other companies.
About 3 years ago that passion of mine to create, and of course my youthful impetus, led me to register as a freelancer, which allowed me to develop some of my own projects in my spare time. And in this way, and together with my partner Virginia Peinado, I created a company called Truck & Tender, which is based on a platform that helps companies in the transport sector find drivers and, conversely, helps drivers find companies to work with. We have been working for a short time but we are improving more and more; It is a project that excites me a lot.
If you are thinking about what to study after the EvAU and you are looking for a light to illuminate your decision, let me tell you that “opportunities” is the word that best defines what computer science is; right now it is the train for which, if you like it, you must buy a ticket. The future is yet to be created, each new technology adds new possibilities to the existing ones, giving rise to new inventions, which will be transformed into new products and services that will change society as we know it. And we computer engineers are essential in that future. If you choose to study Computer Engineering, the Higher School of Computer Science is your center. I can tell you, based on my experience, that the training they gave me allowed me to quickly find my first job and carry it out with confidence and ease. In addition, it has allowed me to enhance my self-learning ability since I am able, thanks to the knowledge I acquired at the ESI, to learn any new technology, language and tool without difficulty. Surely at the ESI they will receive you as they received me, with open arms. The ESI will always be like my home, so if you decide to cross the threshold, maybe we'll see you there one day. And enjoy every moment, that even in adversity, when the years go by you will remember it with great affection.
