Jeffrey McDaniel
University of California, Riverside
Riverside, CA USA
"Everyone you ever meet will be better than you at something. You can learn from anyone and you should never stop learning. Always take the opportunity to learn from others about what they’re good at."
Career Roadmap
Jeffrey's work combines: Education, Technology, and Teaching / Mentoring
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Advice for getting started
My educational experience was rich with opportunities and I loved it, but I wouldn’t necessarily recommend the same path for everyone. Society has this perception that everyone should pursue a 4-year (or greater) degree to succeed and I just don’t think that’s true. Especially in things like computer science and programming, you can get a lot out of alternative paths like a 2-year program.
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
Mathematics, General
University of California, Riverside
Bachelor's Degree
Computer Science
University of California, Riverside
Graduate Degree
Computer Science
University of California, Riverside
Doctorate
Computer Science
University of California, Riverside
Life & Career Milestones
1.
As a child, my computer and TV time was restricted, so I didn’t really have much experience with computers or technology until college.
2.
I went to University of California, Riverside, and started out as a math major, thinking that I would go into actuarial sciences and run insurance numbers.
3.
While working on my undergrad degree, I was required to take a computer science course and ended up loving the problem-solving aspect of the field, so I added computer science as a double major.
4.
After receiving my bachelor’s degree, I decided to continue my education and pursue both a master’s degree and doctorate from UC Riverside.
5.
By the end of my first year in grad school, I was a teaching assistant for an embedded systems course—which was actually the class that made me want to go to grad school in the first place!
6.
After receiving my master’s degree, I got promoted to teach computer science courses—I even taught courses abroad in Switzerland and performed research in Taiwan.
7.
As a computer science doctoral candidate, my research was focused in computer-aided design algorithms for disposable cartridges for the biomedical field.
8.
I now work as a lecturer at UC Riverside—I teach courses on embedded systems, software construction, algorithms, and more!
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Society in general:
Everyone should pursue a proper higher education degree.
How I responded:
My educational experience was rich with opportunities and I loved it, but I wouldn’t necessarily recommend the same path for everyone. Society has this perception that everyone should pursue a 4-year (or greater) degree to succeed and I just don’t think that’s true. Especially in things like computer science and programming, you can get a lot out of alternative paths like a 2-year program.
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
I started out as just a math major in college but I was frustrated that theoretical math didn't give you literal results. I ended up picking up a second major in computer science, which provided that work-result relationship I was looking for.
Teaching can be very frustrating because you’ll get students who think they’re automatically entitled to a certain grade. I just try to focus on the idea that I’m helping others gain knowledge and experience, which is very gratifying.