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February 19, 2024

came from India to study in the faculty of Engineering and Computer Science (ECS) at the University of Victoria (UVic) in September 2021. Initially interested in biomedical engineering, he soon shifted focus to software engineering and has found his overall educational experience, including both formal courses and hands-on co-op opportunities, to be engaging, productive, and life-changing.

“I’ve been here two years now and I think it’s amazing,” he says, of both the university and the lifestyle in Victoria. “I’ve visited other places in Canada but I feel close to home here, with a good university community and nice weather, and people are always lovely to talk to.”

Having experienced other universities, Kahlon is pleased with UVic’s approach to education.

“The curriculum here, especially in the faculty of engineering and computer science is really well-structured and there are a lot of great things happening,” he explains. “It’s a very good program and I’d definitely recommend it to other people.”

In addition to this formal studies, Kahlon has been involved with the Engineering and Computer Science Student Society (ECSS) as a volunteer. “I’ve had the opportunity to get involved and to meet people and to attend several conferences,” he says. “Meeting with people who have the same career goals and forming connections has been a really good experience for me.”

Kahlon is currently on a co-op term with the British Columbia provincial government with the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction.

“I’m their web technical analysist and site developer,” he says, explaining that he is putting his software engineering skills learned in the classroom to good use for a top-tier employer, with potential future career goals of becoming a business analyst. “I’m learning many important things so far, including problem-solving from the client’s perspective, as well as using a lot of Python programming in scripting and permissions and administration and other work.”

For Kahlon, UVic’s emphasis on providing top co-op opportunities as a mandatory part of their degree program is a key competitive advantage.

“I’ve talked to so many people and they all say that co-op has been the best thing for them,” he says. “I believe it is the most beneficial thing you can do as a student, because you gain crucial field experience that is valuable in any job.”

His advice to other prospective students considering applying to UVic?

“I’d definitely tell them to go for it and talk to them about the welcoming culture and good educational experience here, especially co-op,” he says. “I would also say that the professors at UVic are very helpful and there are lots of support for students. That’s been the best part because when I first came here I didn’t know if I would be able to do this, but I realised that after each course and each year, with consistency and hard work, that everything I was doing was leading to me becoming a better version of myself, that gave me a lot of confidence to succeed at UVic and for my future career.”