Alumni Success Stories
Atomic Object Developer Offers Advice to GVSU Computer Science Students
September 09, 2019
We recently had the opportunity to catch up with Bekah Suttner Cheek, who is currently a software consultant / developer at Atomic Object in Grand Rapids, MI. Bekah earned her BS in Computer Science from GVSU’s School of Computing and Information Systems in April 2018. What follows is a transcript of our conversation with her.
SCIS: So what have you been up to since graduating from GVSU?
Bekah: Since graduating from GVSU, I joined Atomic Object’s Accelerator program. As part of that program, I work full time as a software consultant and developer on a custom software project for one of our clients. I’ve been on two web development projects so far and have used technologies like Ruby on Rails, Ember, and .NET (C# and F#). I also contribute to Atomic Object’s blog, which is a great way to keep my writing skills sharp.
SCIS: Are there any particular accomplishments thus far in your work at Atomic Object that you can share with us?
Bekah: I’ve earned a few “Protons” through Atomic’s recognition system. I’m really proud to be recognized by my coworkers as somebody who cares about delivering high quality work and making Atomic Object a great place to work.
SCIS: Are there any courses, faculty, or activities you were involved with during your time in GVSU’s School of Computing that were particularly helpful in preparing you for your career at Atomic Object?
Bekah: One of the most important lessons I learned at the GVSU School of CIS was how to think critically and break problems into small pieces. All of the technologies that I’m working with now are new to me since college, but the problem-solving skills that I developed in my time at GVSU have been applicable to all of the technical challenges that I’ve faced in my career so far. My time in the Mobile Apps and Services Lab was also very helpful in preparing me to work independently and dig into new technologies outside of the classroom setting.
SCIS: Based on your experience to-date what advice would you give to current students enrolled in GVSU School of CIS degree programs?
Bekah: My biggest piece of advice is to stop by office hours often. Some of the most important skills that I learned in my time at GVSU were developed during office hours. In one particular semester, I was really struggling to wrap my head around the content for one of my classes, so I often visited offices hours multiple times per week to get help. The professor of the class always helped me break problems into smaller pieces that were more approachable. The one-on-one time with the professor not only helped me succeed in that class, but taught me one of the most valuable skills I learned in my time at GVSU.