What is Harrisburg University?

Harrisburg University is a non-profit university located in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, It was established in 2001 and offers undergraduate and graduate programs in various fields such as science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and healthcare (STEM fields). Harrisburg University is known for its focus on experiential learning, innovative education, and technology-driven approach.

My Experience at Harrisburg University

So, my classmates and I went to Harrisburg University to get a glimpse of the university and meet some potential future employers and professors in the web/computer science field. If you want to be convinced why you should join the web development and design field be sure to check out my blog about 6 Reasons To Be Excited About Web Design & Development!

CyberSecruity Activity 

 First, we started with a cybersecurity activity with a company associated with Harrisburg University. What we did was we tried to figure out how their company got “hacked” and we had to figure out a puzzle. We had to use a computer to play the simulation. Then, for every simulation we solved, we got a Bitcoin(It was fake) and whoever got the most “Bitcoins” won a T-shirt I did not win 😞. Overall, this part was fun and we did get to choose a sticker at the end!

Meeting with potential Employers/Professors 

Next, there were stations of professors at Harrisburg University in the computer science field and employers in that field as well. We were told to get in groups and go around and spend about 10-15 minutes talking to the employers/professors. 

Jamie Sarah (JPL)

The first station me and my group went to was the JPL station and we talked to Jamie Sarah. Jamie is a Technical Project Manager for JPL which means he leads the project from start to finish. This station was my favorite because JPL is where I would like to get a job or internship in the foreseeable future. I also got good information from Jamie about coding in general and how to not box yourself in by branching out to many different CMSs (content management systems). He recommended looking at WordPress Drupull and Umbraco and luckily for me, I’m experienced in WordPress!

Korporate Computing

Next station, my group met with 2 people from a company called Korporate Computing. They stated on their website that “Korporate Computing provides a range of IT Support Services to help businesses increase their profit potential by working more efficiently, effectively, and securely. But we do more than just set up and fix computer networks. We partner with our business clients to provide IT Solutions that can help increase profitability while reducing risks”. Which was also explained in person. Even though I’m not a cybersecurity kinda guy I still found interest in this company and took a business card from them because of how well they explained their company and future opportunities.

Professors!

Next, me and my group went to the next station and met with some of the professors at the university. I liked this part because I could see who my teacher may become if I do decide to apply to Harrisburg University. One of the professors explained that their computer science has a lot of math and that’s when I knew I had to focus more in math classes than others. He also explained that some of the people in his class did not know much about computer science and is doing well so that made me less anxious about knowing everything I needed to know.

Lunch!

After my group had gone through all the stations and met with people the university provided us with lunch from a deli nearby. They had sandwiches, chips, cookies, salads, and water. This was my favorite part of the day. It gave us and the professors/employers time to relax after talking for about an hour or so. Plus I brought money because I thought I would have to buy my food so overall I was pretty happy.

Tour Of School

After we relaxed and ate lunch for about 30 minutes then we went on a tour of the school. We went to multiple classrooms and got to see all the different levels. It is 16 stories tall and 371,000 square feet. The classroom that I was most interested in was one of the computer science rooms. It was so cool they had this PC they made and it was one of the most complex PCs I have ever seen! Then they showed us some code and it is way more advanced than what I am doing right now.

Conclusion

Overall, The university seems nice and appealing. I would consider attending there for college. We got to meet some nice people and see the school and the outside area around it. Overall a fun experience and I would like to do it again.