Meet our alumni - Prapti Shrestha
After graduating with a B.Sc. in Computer Science, Bioinformatics from Winona State University in 2010, Prapti Shrestha made the decision to join the MSSE Master’s program in 2012 at the University of Minnesota. This decision came after searching for a software engineering program that would align with her work schedule and future career.
MSSE helped Prapti to expand her software engineering expertise and develop leadership skills. She attributes her career advancements in great part to the knowledge, networking and confidence gained through the program. She now leads a team of engineers at Arctic Wolf as a Senior Quality Engineering Manager.
When not hiking in the PNW or photographing, Prapti spends her time giving back to the community through various non-profit organizations in and outside Nepal, her home country. She’s also a certified mentor at AnitaB.org where she is paving the way for future women in software engineering to develop a strong skill set for their careers.
What advice would you give to those interested in the MSSE program? Looking back, what would you have done differently?
Start with reframing how you see the program. Don’t worry about the time it will take to complete the program, look at it as an investment in yourself. The MSSE program can help boost your career by providing the full view of what software engineering is – from inception, implementation, release to maintenance. The knowledge you will gain here will be directly applied back to your job.
Share how you balanced your full-time job, personal life and school while attending the MSSE program.
I appreciated the class structure, small group projects, and supportive instructors. The cohort style helped me create lifelong friendships and professional relationships. The program allowed me to continue to work full time and I received a lot of support from my managers (who were also MSSE graduates!). The social and personal life of an MSSE student might be slightly impacted, but it will allow you to reap benefits for your entire career.