What I learned at UofT
My dissertation is nearing approval (touch wood) and I have started a new position as a Post-doctoral Research Fellow and lecturer at UBC. I wanted to summarize my experiences in grad school as a reflective exercise. I often found I got down on myself during the process: it is an incredible challenge to acquire a research Ph.D. at one of the top-10 computer science schools in the world. I’m extremely proud of my past selfs for persevering and allowing 2011 Neil to reap the reward, as it were. ‘Cause 2006-2008 Neils put up with a lot of sh*t.
These are all things I knew nothing about when I arrived for my PhD in 2004:
Languages and Tools
- Python (matplotlib, numpy, networkx)
- Lisp (SBCL and Clozure)
- Git and SVN
- Twitter, Facebook, WordPress
- Mendeley
- Latex + Scrivener + MMD3
- Flash / Flex
- Sqlite
- Ruby/RSpec/Rails/Gems
Frameworks
- MDE with Eclipse and GMF
- Logic programming with ATMS
Theories
- Knowledge representation
- Propositional logic
- Non-monotonic logic
- Latent Dirichlet Allocation
- Agile software development
Miscellaneous
- A smattering of Italian (via ferrate means “iron ways”).
- The importance of good coffee.
- How to change a diaper at 4am without turning on the lights.
- Friends: It’s somewhat trite to say that it was the people you met who you will remember, but that’s true. I think one of the most enjoyable things about moving on to a new experience is the idea that there will be all of these people you will call friends in five years, of whom you know nothing now.
- How to prepare and defend a 60,000 word opus starting with no knowledge of the area, no relevant background skills, and little to no published work. In that context seven years seems about right.
Thanks to my wife and family for getting me to this point. They found the right combination of “why are you doing this again” and “you can do it”.
I'm a postdoc in software engineering at the University of British Columbia. 
What, no knowledge of piñatas after all those years sitting next to me? (BTW for a moment I was thinking that part of the sh*t that 2006-2008 Neils went through was our seating arrangement, but then I realized we moved into the lab precisely *after* that period! So: after sitting next to me, sh*t transformed into gold. You’re welcome!)
But seriously, I’m happy for you and for the next stage in your life. Congratulations!
Jorge Aranda
2011 October 25 at 00:08