EXP 57: Tech Trends and Careers

Welcome to the website for the EXP 57 course entitled "Tech Trends and Careers: Tufts and Beyond". Yuki Zaninovich and Max Bernstein taught it in the Spring of 2018.

This document will eventually turn into only sort of turned into the course website , so keep it bookmarked. We posted important readings, assignments, and helpful resources here.

Anyway, you probably have some questions...

What was the course called?

It's called Tech Trends and Careers: Tufts and Beyond 1.

Who should have taken this class?

Anyone, really! We're trying to get Tufts people settled into fulfilling careers after they graduate. We will reserve a good amount of space for freshmen and sophomores who might otherwise be rather confused.

Why should I have taken it?

Ever wonder what options you might have in tech? Already interested in tech but not sure how to start your job search? Already in the job search but need some help? This class is the right class for you!

We're going to try and get people in this class interested in one topic or another, started on a personal project, and generally plugged in to this wild new world of computer science.

Here's a brief list of things the class will likely cover:
  1. What career options are available to you
  2. Hot topics in computer science
  3. How to start and complete a personal project
  4. An overview of the job application process
  5. An overview of the interview
  6. How negotating works
  7. Lifecycle of a project
  8. How to write a technical specification
  9. How to interact with others in the workplace
  10. Entrepreneurship and startups
  11. How to create and maintain a personal online presence
  12. Open source software

The homework will be primarily working on your personal project and doing readings in between classes. Classes will be discussions and hands-on activities of all sorts.

What about the prerequisites?

Eh. We technically “require” COMP 11 or an equivalent, but really what we want is a base ability to code something, and an eagerness to learn more.

Since people will be working on independent projects, this is somewhat important. But COMP 11 as a corequisite should be totally fine.

What if I didn't get in?

Please come to the first couple lectures anyway! If someone drops, we would be positively thrilled for you to join.

Given that the course cap is tiny, we'll try and convince the Ex College to let us add a couple people.

At worst — if you don't get into the class — you are most likely welcome to audit. Participating in the discussions and being motivated to work on a project should still prove quite helpful.

Who taught it?

Well,

“Yuki Zaninovich and Max Bernstein are seniors majoring in Computer Science. When they are not studying, eating, sleeping, being TAs for their favorite classes, or socializing, they are searching for jobs. Yuki has interned twice at Amazon, and Max has interned for such companies as GitHub and Facebook.”

...or so says the course catalog.

Did this course actually use blockchain technology or big data to disrupt my job hunt?

No. But you might be able to use either or both in your project 2.


  1. We didn't name it that. That's what the Ex College chose for us after a back-and-forth conversation. We tried to name it something like:
    • How to get a job without really trying: tried and true methods, or
    • Let your career bloom: a non-florist's guide to tech jobs, or
    • Google, SpaceX, the FBI, an NGO: Oh, the places you’ll go!
    ... but they weren't so fond of the humor. ↩
  2. For those who have not seen the poster satirizing hit TV show Silicon Valley and also every startup ever, check out this PDF of a poster that appeared somewhere in Halligan. ↩