Garcia Sanchez 1

Carlos Garcia Sanchez

Joseph Klein
RHT 101
3 October 2016
Do Zombies Dream of Lightless Screens?

The zombie apocalypse reigns among men, submerged and lit in blinding light in an
ocean of mystic wonder, the hunger for brains replaced by the thirst for information. A world
obsessed with technology, in nearly all aspects of society, in one quick glance when I received
my first iPod in 2010, I was instantly put under its spell and willingly joined the zombie dance.
The field of Computer Science is an engaging career with opportunities blossoming, as society
becomes more technologically advanced, that fits my philosophy of work of being creatively
challenged.
As the world becomes more technologically advanced and more embedded in technology,
opportunities in the field of Computer Science have exploded tremendously. According to the
Bureau of Labor Statistics in The Occupational Outlook Handbook in regards to Information
Technology Managers, Employment of computer and information system managers is expected
to grow 15% from 2014 to 2024, much faster than the average for all occupations. With the
growth of Computer Science, per The Occupational Outlook Handbook, in regards to
Information Technology, The median wage was $131,600 in May 2015, with the lowest 10%
earning less than $80,160 and the top 10% earning more than $187,200. On a personal level, I
highly detest money thinking society as a whole is too materialistic, which is ironic given that
career aspects in computer science deal with materialistic devices, but even if the world is such a
place, one can never question the importance of money nor doubt its power in this society. As

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the world becomes unpredictable, having a career with a stable pathway for growth and salary
would be beneficial in helping my family, friends and myself even if I might detest the entire
monetary concept. Whether it be gifts or emergencies, knowing that Ill have the money to

positively impact someone else would make me happy, and as I wish to eventually have children,
knowing that they would have opportunities in life because of my decision to go in this stable
field, and possibly live in an environment where poverty wouldnt be next door, would make me
feel proud and emotionally stable, even if it takes a while to reach that top 10% threshold, not
unlike my father who achieved the American Dream and provided me with opportunities that
allowed be to choose a field in computer science as a career. Almost like exercising and working
out, even if I am tired, and even if Im on my knees with exhaustion, I know Ill continue to
persevere and push myself, knowing that the end goals outweigh the current struggle.
Knowing that Ill dream of electric sheep peacefully, while my Android charges besides
my bed, being engaged in my career is vital, especially when it involves people. According to
Turkish Journalist David Lepska, in a Wilson Quarterly Journal report in reference to a Syrian
Refugee now living in Turkey, Akil learned how to program for mobile phones, and decided to
help Syrians get all the information they need to build new lives in Turkey. Another person
inspired for their love of Computer Science was Computer Scientist Randy Pausch, who
according to Mei Zhang from Missouri Western State University, in the China Media Research
Journal, Randy Pausch became a global hero as he inspired and transformed numerous lives
(58). Through their passion in not only Computer Science, but in willing to help other people, Mr
Akil and Pausch inspired people to make a difference. I am a lover of humans and I love meeting
new people and helping people that I care about and with proficiency in computer science, I can
make a difference. My father owns a popular Mexican restaurant, and people have continuously

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requested if the restaurant has a website or an application that could be downloaded to make

ordering more accessible and easier. Because of my technological passion and my empathetic
characteristics, I am in the process of making a website just for my father's restaurant and
pushing myself to make a full-fledged mobile application, with the hope that it could become,
almost inspirational to my younger siblings that, even if they care about different topics, they
could always combine them, mashing them in a beautiful combined wonder.
Going along the engagement aspect of the career, other things that are incredibly vital
that not only engage me, when viewing the fields of computer science, is the aspect of actively
being challenged and tested so that I can improve in that field and learn something new while
still continuously engaging me. According to Dr. Andrew Fluck, from the University of
Tasmania et al. asserts, in the Educational Technology & Society Journal, Generally with
modern personal computers, students can get fairly immediate feedback on the accuracy of their
initial coding attempts. Naturally in the learning process, some early efforts result in less than
complete success or failure. Handled well within the classroom, this can be an opportunity to
build resilience (42). As a popular saying goes that has become diluted and stale, one cannot
build or experience success until one has learned and experienced failure. In many aspects of my
life, I have had many failures, from relationships, to petty assignments for school, but through
being thrown down and torn to blunder with my dreams crushed in failure, it squeezing out from
my bleeding heart, Ive learned to try again, and even if I were to fail all over again, as the cycle
goes, I always have the opportunity to do better, learn my lesson and engage in any of the
problems in a different perspective. With coding and the many manual aspects in Computer
Science, failing is but inevitable and Im ready to take head on that challenge, like a bull roaring
for the red, especially when creating my fathers restaurants website and mobile app.

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Being challenged, and being led to think outside the box, ala seeing a new perspective if a
first one did not succeed, leads towards becoming a more creative person in the field. The social
rationale of computer science emphasizes the value in society of active creators and producers
rather than passive consumers of technology. Such capability provides people with power to
lead, create, and innovate within society and therefore is also an issue of entitlement to powerful
knowledge (qtd. In Fluck et al. 41). With technology in general, one becomes their own selftaught teacher, with even simple things, like knowing how to turn on and off a device. Sure, it
might sound nave, the basics usually are, but with trial and error, one could learn in
continuously pressing different buttons until the correct one is pressed, and instead of being
followers, one can become their own leaders in their continuous failure, probably creatively
thinking outside the box on what could be the next step. While one may join a dance of whatever
profession they are interested in, I believe that one must find their own dance moves to separate
themselves and computer science allows that freedom to be expressed.
Computer Science is a blossoming and engaging career, with opportunities vastly
growing as the world moves into a technological dominant environment. Whether it be the
engaging aspect, the opportunities, or the creative spin, with my passion involving technology
and with my curious eye, education is the key for me as I continue to pursue my education to
learn more and be more informative of the wider field so that I can reign in expertise, while
continuously being allowed to express my Philosophy of Work and not be chained in a box like a
mindless electric sheep.

Works Cited

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Bureau of Labor Statistics. Computer and Information Research Scientists.

Occupational Outlook Handbook. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, 17 December
2015. www.blis.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/computer-andinformation-research-scientists.htm#tab-5
Fluck, Andrew et al. Arguing for Computer Science in the School Curriculum. Journal
of Educational Technology and Society, vol. 19, no. 3, July 2016, pp. 38-46.
Academic Search Complete,
http://web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=204f96a4-7b61-4615b428-9a652ecadf7a%40sessionmgr4006&vid=15&hid=4201
Lepeska, David. Refugees and the technology of exile. The Wilson Quarterly, vol. 40,
no. 2, 2016. Opposing Viewpoints in Context,
http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/ovic/AcademicJournalsDetailsPage/AcademicJournals
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e=view&catId=&limiter=&displayquery=&displayGroups=&contentModules=&action=e&sortBy=&documentId=G
ALE%7CA455287207&windowstate=normal&activityType=&failOverType=&c
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Zhang, Mei. Inspiring American and global audiences: the rhetorical power of Randy
Pauschs last lecture in the digital age. China Media Research vol. 7, no. 1,
January 2011, pp. 57-64. Academic Onefile,

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