Technicians learn special coded languages which allow them to program computers. It took three years for Ngoc Giao Tran to finish the two-year Software Engineering Technolgy program, but only one year on the job to be promoted from technician to engineer. In the competitive world of computer software, this is a Cinderella story. While Cinderella got the Prince and all his boring relatives, Giao earned an opportunity to work so intensely that she forgets the time of day. The Computer Software Engineering Technology program trains students to work in the hi-tech industry helping engineers develop and maintain software.
Software is the set of instructions that tell a computer what to do.
Without software, a computer can't do anything. The atmosphere at TSSI is relaxed, friendly and supportive. When Giao arrives each morning, she sits at her computer, sometimes not looking up for hours. The focus at TSSI is the work, and Giao loves her work. After fits and starts trying to earn a college degree while moving around the country, Giao achieved her goal in Portland, picking the community college over the university because the community college would help her find a job in her field to help pay for school.