Jace Barrett, an Applied Computer Science student, didn’t always know what he would study. “My entire career path was based on one simple suggestion from a guidance counsellor and a disdain for calculus,” he says.

In grade 11, his guidance counsellor approached him and asked what degree he was interested in pursuing. He hadn’t thought about it, so she asked him about his interests, which included computers. “She told me that Dalhousie had a couple of good Computer Science programs. Without a second thought, I told her I'd apply for one,” says Jace. He registered for a programming class the following semester. 

When applying to Dal, Jace encountered another decision: studying Applied Computer Science or Computer Science. “Pre-calculus was my least favourite class in high school, and I was told that I would run into calculus throughout a Computer Science degree. I simply selected the Applied Computer Science program because it was less math-heavy,” he says. 

Fast forward, and Jace has just completed his first co-op work term with Maritime Travel. 

He was mostly working on business-related applications. “I have worked on console applications and web applications; all the applications so far have had some sort of internet connection to them. Everything has used the .NET framework(s) coupled with C#, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, or just C# by itself," he says, "One of the bigger projects I worked on was a payment form webpage that takes clients’ credit cards and company information and processes transactions. I’ve been able to work on implementing an XML-based payment service, a service to send emails, and updating a database with inputted information all within one project.”  

Jace also worked on smaller projects including an email reminder program, a web app to automate some of the IT support team’s processes, and a console app that sends SMS check-in reminders to travellers.

"In the case of Maritime Travel, travelling nowadays is reliant on computer systems and the internet. We have many different apps and services here that make customers’ and clients’ travel experiences better,” he says, “Much of what I did automates, or at least greatly simplifies, various processes within the company and for our customers. This allows others in the office to do their jobs quicker and for customers to have a smoother experience.”

Jace says he would love to return to them if given the opportunity. “As a student, I’m not yet an expert in my field, so I naturally have many questions, and I have felt extremely comfortable asking them," he says, "The work I’ve been given is ideal for improving my skills as a computer scientist. It has been a great first step into the industry, and I’ve had the privilege of seeing how software development functions in a professional environment. I feel so much more confident in my abilities when returning to my studies.”

Learn more about Applied Computer Science Co-op