CREDIT: SUBMITTED
Kyle Wood is in his first year of Fanshawe’s Computer Systems Technology program.

Throughout the school year, I will be interviewing first year Fanshawe students regarding their opinions and experiences as Fanshawe students so we all may get to know the student body a little better.

This week I interviewed Kyle Wood, a first year student in the Computer Systems Technology program. Kyle is a self-declared “nerd” who spends a lot of his spare time watching movies; he told me that “getting a Netflix account has drained more of my life than I'd care to admit.” Kyle also spends much of his spare time on the infamous social news and entertainment website Reddit. He frequently spends time discussing “net neutrality,” and he follows politics fairly closely. Some of Kyle's hobbies are building custom computers, skiing, playing League of Legends, reading and listening to alternative rock. Although, Kyle enjoys a variety of activities, he was most enthusiastic about how he loves spending time with his “wonderful” girlfriend, Rowan, whom he spoke very highly of.

I quickly learned that Kyle is a very busy guy who is balancing a whole lot in his life. In addition to being a full-time Fanshawe student, he works part-time. I asked him how he manages to balance the demands of both work and full time school. He told me, “It's actually really hard. I work about 25 hours a week, and go to school 20. After homework, I usually have a 55- to 60-hour work week. It's necessary, though, as I'm paying my own way through everything. It's a nice feeling knowing that I'm ultimately responsible for my own happiness.” He did admit, however, that it is at times a struggle. “I don't have anywhere near the same amount of free time that I used to. My personal projects get pushed down the line.”

So why did Kyle choose to study here at Fanshawe? He told me it is partially because of the reputation of the school and the CTY program, but also because of a personal meeting he had with Chad Hoevenaars, his program coordinator. “I think it was his enthusiasm at meeting a prospective student that made me want to come to Fanshawe.” When I asked what other aspects of Fanshawe excited him he told me “the campus ... I love killing time outside. I'm also excited about the co-op program I plan on taking, as I'll finally be paid to do what I love.”

Kyle said he is very satisfied as a Fanshawe student and he feels he made the right choice in coming here to study. The only thing that doesn't seem to excite him about his decision is the London traffic; he said that “driving in London is a bit of a nightmare, and people don't travel at the proper speed.”

Finally, I asked Kyle why he chose the CTY program in particular. He told me “I chose the CTY program as I wanted to get into a program that I knew would leave me ‘certifiable.' I had previously gone to Carleton University for a year in their Biology program, and while the program in itself was pretty interesting, it just wasn't what I was expecting it to be. I'm much happier doing something that I think I'm always going to be pretty good at.”

Kyle's current plans are to work at a large data corporation as a network administrator. “I don't ever see myself stopping learning new things. Ever since I started this course, I've been gaining more and more interest in programming... but only time will tell if I ever gain as much of a passion for that.”

Kyle is such a cool guy. We spent time talking well beyond the questions of the interview and could have kept going. I think he provides a great example of the high quality of students that Fanshawe produces and attracts. If you see him in the halls, I recommend saying hello!