Alumni Spotlight: Aryan Jabbari

Can you tell us about yourself?

I'm Aryan Jabbari, a computer science major. I graduated from Queens College and had Edgardo Molina as an instructor. Since then, I have worked 4 to 5 jobs as a React web developer and mobile developer. We are teaching React now, but it wasn't taught to me when I was in CTP. I was laid off during COVID-19 and started my own company called Scarce.city. It’s a bitcoin good marketplace like E-bay, Craigslist, and Sotheby’s of bitcoin.

What was your experience like when you were in CTP?

It started as a makeshift room; We had to switch rooms and had the President from the CUNY Graduate Center lend us his office space because the CTP office didn't have room for spacing. There were about ten fellows in my class, and we learned Java Spring Boot as a tech stack. It laid the foundation of what it came to be a web developer. The Queens College Computer Science department taught me the concepts, and CTP taught me the practice of being a computer scientist.

What is your biggest takeaway from CTP?

I think CUNY students are like hustlers in a professional way, commuting to work, school, finals, midterms, projects, and doing CTP. It’s about our NYC upbringing that tells us we are going to make it, and CTP allows the NYC hustle. It’s exciting to see in the students and allows that hustle mentality to flourish.

What was your most exciting/favorite moment in CTP?

I have two moments. The first one is as a student at Demo Night in December. It was exciting to build something and show it off to people and recruiters there. I was nervous and excited all in one. I was also being celebrated for finishing CTP and finals. The second one is being able to teach, from a student to a teacher, by gaining experience and being able to come back and pay it forward.

What was your biggest challenge in CTP?

I was a student who understood how to balance school with finals, midterms, and essays with CTP and the importance of school. CTP is practical, so learning how to balance school and CTP.

What advice would you give to job-seeking fellows C10 during this time?

First, in general, because the market is so weak right now, just keep your mental health, exercise, touch grass, see the sun, and do what you need to do to take breaks. As a student, I remember looking for jobs during a hot hiring market (meaning a lot of hiring was happening in the market), and I was still getting rejection letters, so it got depressing. So understand that it’s not your fault. It’s the market, and to keep doing what you're doing.

Why does CTP matter?

Assuming fellows are taking CS classes in CUNY, they learn a lot of theories and concepts of computer science, and CTP wraps all the concepts we learn in school into an actual piece of software we build. It’s in learning the application that students have a better opportunity of getting the job.

What is your biggest hope for the following ten cohorts of CTP?

In a way, I hope CTP students don’t forget about CTP. Come back, hang out with the fellows, and give back to the program that helped/molded/raised you. Give back.?