Samuel González is a first-year Bachelor in Information Systems Management student at IE University. He has a highly diverse profile, currently hosting a TV news program on Movistar+. Last year, at 17 years old, he started working at Intereconomía, a financially oriented radio station. Samuel recently completed an internship at Area 31, IE’s entrepreneurship center, and founded the IEU Computer Society, an initiative to promote technology and innovation in the IEU community. Even though technology, communications, and performance are very different, he explains that they have one thing in common – “I am passionate about them!”
“I have always found the concept of learning about information and technology enticing, but all the resources accessible to me, before CS50, failed to motivate me,” Samuel explained. “My interest was sparked when I first created a game on the MIT development platform, Scratch. I felt limitless, as I understood the boundless possibilities of technology.”
We had the chance to sit down with Samuel to ask him to share his experience at IEU.
Why study a technology related degree?
Regardless of the field or industry you end up working in, I think that technology is going to be really relevant. Even if you are passionate about literature or art, most likely technology is going to play an important role in those areas. In fact, I would say that in the years to come, technology will play an increasingly important role in every area and sector. For example, last week I visited the IBM headquarters in Dublin and they explained that they require individuals to have programming skills to join their sales team. A couple of years ago this would have sounded strange, but today we face a new reality. I really think that technology is now important for every single field and area.
What do you like the most about the Bachelor in Information Systems Management?
What I like the most about this program is the diversity in my class. Also, because we are a small group, our classes are highly personalized. You can really feel how innovation and creativity flourish because we all have different points of view and mindsets as we all come from different countries. Whenever we work in teams it’s difficult to predict the final outcomes of the projects. You may think it is going to be like this or like that, but by the time we finish we end up achieving something completely unexpected due to the diversity of our profiles.
I also enjoy that we regularly have active conversations in class. With IEU’s teaching methodology, you don’t have to go home and memorize everything. Here, it’s more about attending classes where we have debates and discussion that are really interesting and are led by great professors. I have realized that I have learned a lot just by attending classes.
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What are your favorite courses?
Even though I am struggling with programming, I think this is one of the best courses that I have had so far. I put a lot of importance on programming because I think it’s really important for my future, and therefore I put a lot of effort into it. Although it’s a hard topic, at the end of the day you enjoy it. When you are struggling to get a couple of lines of code right and you finally do it, you feel you have accomplished something great. For me, this is one of the best parts of programming. I also really like a course that we have in innovation. I find it very interesting how we can talk about about disruption in the ice age and then end up discussing the digital transformation of the transportation industry. This course is a very dynamic one!
Check out the Bachelor in Information Systems Management study plan!
How do you think this program is going to help you build a unique professional profile?
I think the Bachelor in Information Systems Management is going to help me build a strong professional profile with a strong background in technology and the foundations of business. When I went to Dublin last week to visit the headquarters of different companies, I realized that I knew a lot about technology and also about management. Sometimes when I work in teams with students from other programs I have come to realize that the technology skills I bring to the table are extremely important and relevant. It’s likely that in the future I will end up working in a business, and I will have a deep knowledge of technology that will set me apart. I believe that this degree will help me build a good and complete profile to face the future challenges of the professional world.
Do you have any advice for future students of the program?
I would advise them to prepare themselves in advance for programming classes. Learn some programming by yourself in advance and you will have a great advantage. Also, be prepared to structure your mindset in a totally different way!