STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

Statement of Purpose

Statement of Purpose, Fawaz Alazemi

Since my childhood, I have been fascinated with puzzles, especially math and geometric ones. They are difficult, yet I found that their setup is extremely simple and logical. After completing high-school, my uncle (a recent graduate of Chemical Engineering), advised me to apply for a degree in the Computer Science department at Kuwait University. My uncle would tell me, “Computer science problems and solutions involve analogous puzzles” and “Computers are designed with simple brilliance. He kept in mind Bruce lee's quote when speaking of the design of computers, “'simplicity is the key to brilliance'”. Upon receiving such encouragement from my uncle, I applied to the Computer Science program without giving it much thought. I soon learned that I made the right choice, because I began to appreciate the power and elegance of computer science. Every new subject I studied made me more and more attached to the field.

Apart from my academics, I also participated in the ACM Inter-Collegiate Programming Contest during the years of university. The problems in the contest involved my favourite pass time, puzzles. The contest not only challenged the mind, but also allowed me to apply all that I learned in different courses. Solving the puzzles in the contest came easily to me and I would solve them immediately. In addition, I learned how to handle pressure and manage my time. These essential skills paid off later and gave me a somewhat good experience in handling pressure during deadlines for work. I believe anybody can solve a problem if they take feel determined to do so. However, it requires composure and a good sense of the organization to complete a task in a limited time and under pressure.

My favourite subjects in Computer Science are Discrete Math, Graph Theory, Operating Systems, and Networks. Each subject captured my attention and admiration.

After my graduation in 2005, I applied for the Masters program in the Computer science department. However, due to conflicts between class timing and my new job, I managed to pass only 9 credits and had to withdraw.

My first job was to work as a network administrator in Routing and Switching Unit, in the Kuwait Oil Company (KOC). KOC's computer network is the biggest and most complex computer network in Kuwait. I gained ample experience regarding security, availability, and overall performance. The job made me understand the difference between working ...