College of Charleston computer science students got plugged into the tech mecca of the California Bay Area. Professor Chris Starr and students spent a week networking with alumni and friends who are now employed at companies like Bizo, Pandora, Google, Tesla, NextDoor, Mozilla, Facebook, and Jama.

CSatFB“This was the trip of a lifetime to the hottest tech spot on Earth,” Starr says. “It is a rare opportunity for undergraduates to visit software companies on the inside and build connections like this.”

College of Charleston alumni make this annual trip possible by inviting students into their companies to learn about the job market and network with potential employers. The group stays in or near Mountain View or Palo Alto to have good access north to San Francisco’s startup community, south to San Jose and East to Oakland and Berkeley.

“Computer science at the College is a test bed for new innovations in computer science education, leveraging industry partnerships and successes,” Starr explains. “We have the opportunity to create a center for high tech economic development and education that will contribute to the realization of Silicon Harbor on a national scale.”

For more information, contact Chris Starr at starrc@cofc.edu.