TECH-ING YOUR CHANCES Alex Telek, King’s Computer Science student and president of the KCL Tech Society, tells us how a little extra-curricular activity can go a very long way. I was super excited, largely because I hoped there might be a chance, however small, that I could make a difference. The following year, I started teaching iOS programming to students at society events. We had around one hundred attendees: my difference was made! Bringing in students to learn skills that they might never have otherwise found was an amazing feeling.
Learn something new every day Alex Telek, Computer Science undergraduate student
I first decided to apply for Apple’s World Wide Developer Conference in 2014. As a first-year student, I was thrilled to experience the conference for the first time, right at the heart of Silicon Valley. I received a student scholarship, which gave me the chance to meet with thousands of engineers, incredible people who I’m now proud to call my friends. Better still, I got to see Swift (Apple’s new programming language) before everyone else in the world! I was already involved with the KCL Tech Society at that time, and had been going to their events for a while. After I returned from San Francisco, Ammaar Reshi, the president at the time, asked me if I wanted to be part of the society.
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@InnovateKings
From experience, I can say that being involved with extra-curricular activities is a key part of your university studies. It could be anything: from getting involved with events or workshops, to organising (thoroughly awesome) hackathons. It allows you to engage with people, travel to exciting places, and learn something new every day. These activities will not only make your CV stand out, not only help you land your dream job, but they will make you into the kind of person you want to be. For people with little or no technical experience, the importance of getting involved is even greater. The workshops and events that KCL Tech run are all beginner-friendly, making it an easy start for anyone. Having an interest in technology is more than enough; we do the rest.
@kingsentrepreneurship
EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES ARE A KEY PART OF YOUR UNIVERSITY STUDIES If we can get someone from a nontechnical background interested in coding, we might end up changing their life a little bit. We have the sheer pleasure of engaging with amazing, talented people from all over the UK. That’s what keeps us going.
Share knowledge generously Probably the most important part in it all is the community we have built, the people in that community, and all the diverse and varied personalities that come with it. It’s one big family; we build cool things, learn from one another, and share our knowledge generously. Sometimes, a few of us might even end up going to San Francisco (no guarantees though). I’m incredibly proud to be leading the society to even greater heights in the next academic year. We can’t wait for you to be part of it too.
@alexmtk