Dean’s career goal is to always be in a position where he can design products that help people enjoy life.

‘I am lucky that engineering provides this goal naturally,’ he says.

Dean’s route to engineering came via a career in graphic design and web development.

‘Originally I wanted to become a graphic artist, working for design magazines, however, I had the opportunity to start developing websites and from there my world opened up to a new art form called engineering. After a couple of years I made the decision to go to UC because it offered a Computer Engineering degree that was flexible and would provide the skills to develop the next generations of computer-related products.’

Now, as an embedded software engineer at Dynamic Controls, which makes power wheelchair control systems, Dean is realising his ambition of applying his computer skills in a practical way.

‘The best part of being an embedded software engineer is developing a physical product. So while I do spend the majority of my time in front of a computer or whiteboard, designing and implementing algorithms, the real enjoyment is seeing the results of my designs on a product. At Dynamic Controls, this means I can hop on an electric wheelchair and feel the results of my design firsthand as our intended users would. It provides me with a connection to the real-life issues that we are attempting to solve.’

Dean says that although he had chosen Engineering papers that were focused on communications engineering, he was still well prepared for his job in software engineering.

‘I believe this shows the strength of the Computer Engineering programme at UC. The department has a great, flexible framework and environment for learning so I enjoyed almost all the courses I completed as an undergrad.

‘Not only did I enjoy the company of my peer students, but also the academic staff, both socially and in providing wisdom. The lecturers are down-to-earth, passionate about their respective research areas, and showed great understanding for industry reality.’

In fact, it is the people he has met and worked with so far that have left the biggest impression on Dean.

‘Being around like-minded people has been the one reason I am extremely satisfied I made the decision to enrol in Computer Engineering. It made going to UC each day exciting, and will be an experience I will not forget.’

He advises others who are considering Engineering as a degree that it is a fascinating subject.

‘If you are interested in writing programs or designing algorithms that make motors turn, communicate with radios, make small screens display wonderful graphics, or any of the many other things you can do with computers, go enrol in Electrical, or Computer, Engineering at UC. Not only will you enjoy the content you learn, but you will be surrounded by like-minded people.’