SOP(State of Purpose)

 Amidst the rapid growth and dramatic development of the IT field in the 2010s, I realized it would be advantageous to pursue a position the industry. Even though I was majoring in Physical Education at the time, I secured an intern position with the sales team at AWS Korea, and obtained a full-time job as a junior salesman after university. However, during my two years of work experience, I often felt a deficiency in my professional knowledge, and decided to address this by studying for a CS Master’s degree, and becoming a Software Engineer in order to better understand the products and industry as a whole. Given that the University of San Francisco is one of the leading universities in computer science, it seems a natural next step in my future. After studying in this program, I anticipate working as a software engineer and one day starting my own IT company. 

 

 To apply for the Master’s program in Computer Science, I prepared by gaining professional experience in the IT domain as a cloud sales representative, taking software engineering classes, and participating in a web development bootcamp. As a sales representative at AWS Korea, I acquired knowledge regarding Cloud, and also obtained related certifcate called 'AWS certified Associate Solutions Architect'. I designed and executed information sessions for AWS customers, facilitating the acquisition of basic information on AWS services including storage, CDN, database, server, and AI/ML products. With these efforts, I was the top sales performer on my team, exceeding 43% of team average sales revenue.  

 

 As I still yearned for deeper technical knowledge about IT infrastructure and services, I took Software Engineering classes via the Cyber University of Korea, and am now projected to acquire a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering in February 2024. Over the course of this degree, I will have taken classes offered from the University of San Francisco including Python, Java, Data Structure and Algorithm, Computer Architecture and Operating System, Linear Algebra and Operating System, and Discrete Math.  

 

 Finally, I joined a web development bootcamp to learn and practice software engineering. For 6 months I took a program by Naver Cloud, one of the biggest cloud service providers in Korea, learning web development with Cloud, as well as tools like SpringBoot, MySQL, JSP, and React.js. During these six months I made two websites with my classmates, and learned how to make proper code while improving web security and developed an understanding of web systems such as cloud, backend, frontend, DB, and network. It was this pivotal experience practicing software engineering that prompted me to work harder at the domain. Furthermore, I recently received an offer from FPT Korea as a Software Engineer and plan on gaining further work experience before the start of the MS program in Fall 2024.

 

 During the MS program, I want to deepen my knowledge and experiences so I can later become a competent software engineer. I wish to learn and widen my understanding in the CS major with Machine Learning, Big Data, and AI classes. Also, I want to deepen my understanding of CS basics through Network Programming, Operating System and Algorithm classes. 

 

 After graduating, I’d like to pursue an internship program and subsequent full-time position as a software engineer in the U.S. I believe IT services provide immense convenience for society, and are one of the best ways to make the world a better place. I am sure that the Master’s program at the University of San Francisco will serve as the next step in this exciting personal and professional journey.