Tell us a bit about yourself before you enrolled in the Visual Computing program at SFU.

Prior to this program, I have been working as a software engineer for two years and as a product manager for a year.

What attracted you to the Visual Computing program?

I have always been a fan of computer vision. During my work, I got the chance to attend various tech talks and I could see this rising trend on how computer vision has started improving our daily lives.

Why did you chose to come to Canada?

Canada has always been in my wish list to travel. When I decided to pursue my master in visual computing, SFU was the first to show up on my list. Apart from the fact SFU’s visual computing specialization is the first of its kind in Canada, the university itself maintains an excellent reputation for research in computer vision.

What is the most important thing you have learned in the program so far?

The ability to learn quickly is essential. We have picked up various visual computing and machine learning technologies during the lab courses, in which we are expected to gain hands on experience while undertaking a heavy course load.  

Why do you think this program is significant?

The professional master’s program pays attention to theoretical knowledge as well as their practical application, which prepares students well for joining industry after completing their degree. In addition, the co-op term is a big plus for students who have never worked in the area of computer vision area before gain some experience before joining industry after graduation. 

What types of jobs are you looking for? How does this program fit with your career goals?

My current career objective is to be in product management or program management relating to computer vision. Being part of the visual computing program helped to shape my technical knowledge as well as sharpen my understanding of implementation details. The talks and demos provided by companies to our cohort offered me better insight to the current state of the visual computing industry in the region.  

What would you tell potential students looking at SFU’s Visual Computing program?

If you are passionate about computer vision theories as well as their implementation, you should consider joining this program. You will have a lot of fun while playing around with neural networks, get excited when seeing the first safe movement from a turtle-bot and be thrilled by learning cool new machine learning skills in general.