Statement of Purpose for a Software Engineering Graduate Program.

University of St. Thomas application essay

I am applying for a place in the Software Engineering Graduate program at the University of St. Thomas. My extensive research into the academic activities of the Graduate Program boasts of an emphasis on theory, and application, tech-focused, cutting-edge knowledge, as well as the skills and experience needed to design, develop, implement and improve software systems. The master's program emphasizes system and application development, database management, DevOps, data warehousing, project management, strategic planning, ERP, enterprise architecture, data science, and network security areas, among others, will be highly beneficial to refine my recently gained knowledge of software development and cloud computing.

I attended the University of Lagos, where I earned my LLB degree with second class Honors, upon which l proceeded to the Nigerian Law School and graduated with a second-class honors degree, a part of the top fifteen percent in a national class of over 5,000 students. I have since worked in different Legal capacities as a Legal officer, Compliance Officer, and Data Protection Officer, all of which sparked my interests and my career transition into Tech.

I got introduced to Software Engineering through an acquaintance - Williams. I enrolled in the ALX Software Engineering Bootcamp and actively participated in the #100 Devs community. During the Software Engineering Bootcamp at the ALX, I learned how to navigate tools like Shell, vi, Gitbash, and Git; Programming Languages like C, Python, and Javascript, HTML/CSS; the use of databases like MySQL and MongoDB; concepts like Object-oriented programming, python testing, Linux OS command system, web scraping, etc. The projects I handled during this period include: testing python scripts, initiating databases on MySQL, an AirBNB clone using HTML/CSS and Javascript, a foreign exchange converter app using Python and GUI, a Shell command interpreter using C, etc.

To further my understanding of full-stack software development, I undertook three courses with Udacity and obtained certifications in Web Development, Python, and Javascript Programming. I also enrolled in the AWS Cloud Practitioner Certification Examination and got certified. During this examination, I worked on different AWS tools and services albeit theoretical, which fueled my desire for practical and hands-on experience. Subsequently, I secured a Scholarship with Udacity, undertook her Cloud Developer Nanodegree Program, and obtained a Certificate upon completion. During the Nanodegree Program, I worked on different AWS tools and services such as the Elastic Compute Cloud(EC2), Simple Service Storage(S3), AWS Lamda functions, AWS SQS/SNS, AWS SQS/SNS, Elastic Beanstalk, Kubernetes services, AWS CloudFront, AWS Software Development Kits(SDK), etc. The projects I handled include: deploying a static website using AWS S3 and CloudFront to the AWS Cloud, building an image-filtering app on Elastic beanstalk via the AWS Command Line Interface, and refactoring monolith applications to microservices using Elastic Kubernetes services and docker, etc.

Although I am a Legal Practitioner, what I have learned as an undergraduate and acquired during my three years of post-call experience, can be applied in many ways to Tech and Software engineering. Everything I learned during my transition from Law to Tech prepared me for this Graduate Program. I have a legal background and have trained extensively to solve problems both alone and in teams. Being an applicant from a non-STEM background, I provide different perspectives on problems encountered in software engineering and introduce vastly different but equally effective approaches to proffering solutions to such problems.

I once had the misconception that only STEM graduates can excel in Tech. Now I believe that non-STEM graduates can contribute to the Technology Industry. My legal background is not the only factor that sets me apart from other STEM applicants likewise my educational and work experience. The skills I use in preparing, reviewing, and drafting legal opinions, articles, and opinions have greatly improved my oral and written communication skills.

I am particularly keen to study at the University of St. Thomas because of the program details, its globally accepted teaching standards, and the reputation of excellence in these fields. The international reputation of this University attracts a variety of students thereby, providing a stimulating environment in which to study. The University of St. Thomas also provides excellent working and recreation facilities for graduate students and demonstrates your commitment to the graduate student body.

Remember that this is a statement of purpose for someone who is switching careers. The applicant is going from a law career to a software engineering profession. Therefore, little attention should be paid, if at all to the law aspect of his background. Rather, he must prove that he has earnestly pursued this shift in knowledge and careers through various professional exposures. Specifically, verifiable working experience in the field that will illustrate the software engineering career path he hopes to successfully go into. That is the purpose of this essay, to prove that he has what it takes to complete a successful career switch with only a masters degree in software engineering to support his claim. This is not the place to heavily explain his educational background that is not related to the new profession. This essay does not establish a believable idea with regards to the career switch because too much of the essay was spent discussing his law background, which is irrelevant at this point. He also wastes the first paragraph by simply repeating what the masters program will be teaching him rather than discussing how these courses will help him enhance his skills, based on his limited experience.