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| 1 | +--- |
| 2 | +title: "Ming's Platform" |
| 3 | +date: 2025-02-25T00:00:00Z |
| 4 | +draft: false |
| 5 | +name: "Ming Zhou" |
| 6 | +position: "Director of Academics" |
| 7 | +year: "2026-2027" |
| 8 | +--- |
| 9 | + |
| 10 | +WHY I’M RUNNING |
| 11 | + |
| 12 | +Computer Science isn’t just challenging anymore — it’s hell and uncertain. |
| 13 | + |
| 14 | + Layoffs, rising hiring standards, and rapid changes in technology have made one thing clear: working hard is no longer enough if we don’t know what actually matters. |
| 15 | + |
| 16 | +Many students are constantly busy: assignments, side projects, interview prep, but still unsure whether they are building the right skills for co-op and beyond. |
| 17 | + |
| 18 | +I am running to strengthen the connection between academics and career preparation. CCSS Academics should not only help students pass courses: it should help students navigate the broader CS journey with clarity and direction. |
| 19 | + |
| 20 | +IF ELECTED, I WILL DELIVER: |
| 21 | +1. Coursework-to-Career Playbooks\ |
| 22 | +I will create structured guides that connect Carleton courses to real-world outcomes. These will explain: |
| 23 | +- What practical skills each core course builds |
| 24 | +- How those skills appear in technical interviews |
| 25 | +- How to turn assignments into portfolio-quality work |
| 26 | +- How to study strategically instead of blindly |
| 27 | + |
| 28 | +The goal is to reduce confusion and give students purpose in their coursework. |
| 29 | + |
| 30 | +2. Career Path Toolkits (SWE / AI / Cyber / Systems / DevOps/embedded) \ |
| 31 | +Concise guides outlining: |
| 32 | +- Core skills required |
| 33 | +- Recommended course paths |
| 34 | +- Relevant tech stacks |
| 35 | +- Interview focus areas |
| 36 | +- Example project directions |
| 37 | + |
| 38 | +This helps students stop collecting random tools and start building a coherent career story. |
| 39 | + |
| 40 | +3. Personal Project Pipeline (Start → Ship → Present) \ |
| 41 | +A structured roadmap covering: |
| 42 | +- How to choose meaningful projects |
| 43 | +- Beginner → intermediate → advanced project progression |
| 44 | +- Avoiding tutorial-only portfolios |
| 45 | +- Writing strong project descriptions for resumes and GitHub |
| 46 | + |
| 47 | + |
| 48 | +The goal is more finished, impactful and industry needed projects, half-complete repositories. |
| 49 | + |
| 50 | +4. Alumni & Senior Student Reality Series \ |
| 51 | +Invite upper-year students, co-op students, and recent graduates to share: |
| 52 | +- What actually helped them secure interviews |
| 53 | +- Mistakes they made and lessons learned |
| 54 | +- How they balanced coursework and career preparation |
| 55 | +- What they would do differently |
| 56 | + |
| 57 | +Real experiences provide clarity that generic advice cannot. |
| 58 | + |
| 59 | +5. Academic-to-Opportunity Bridge \ |
| 60 | +Work with professors and labs to surface opportunities where students can contribute to real tools, scripts, or systems when possible. This creates pathways for practical experience beyond traditional co-op roles. |
| 61 | + |
| 62 | +MY APPROACH |
| 63 | + |
| 64 | +I will focus on practical, structured initiatives that can be implemented within one term and improved over time. |
| 65 | + |
| 66 | +If you believe CCSS Academics should provide clarity, direction, and real preparation for today’s competitive environment, I would appreciate your support. |
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