2021 — a fresh start
CISSA’s blog is back in action!
Welcome to 2021! This year CISSA is revitalised and recharged (just like this blog) to deliver you a year of redemption.
2020 was undoubtedly a very tough year. It posed new challenges that shook the world, but we’ve made it through. We all agree that the ✨ bad vibes ✨ are being left in 2020.
We have a good year in store, and hope to share a variety of things with you through this blog, such as: the highs and lows (just because we’re real here) of 2021, insights into student life at Unimelb, CISSA’s major events and more.
Wait, who even is CISSA?
In case you’re new here, let us introduce you to the who, what, when and how about CISSA.
Who are we?
Simply put, we’re the Computing and Information Systems Students Association (CISSA) of the University of Melbourne.
Technically speaking, we’re UniMelb’s premier tech club, representing the IT and tech-oriented student community. Practically speaking, we invite and encourage excitement and curiosity for anyone with an eagerness to learn about the world of tech, no matter how big or small the interest.
What do we do?
We build a liaison between university and industry via holding social, industry and networking events regularly. Whether you are looking for academic courses or searching for work opportunities in different IT-related areas, or just trying to find a half-decent blog to read, our site is the place to go.
We also hold hackathons for those of you keen to get down and dirty with the work of IT.
When?
CISSA was founded in 1992, and has grown with over 5000 amazing students who have joined the club. With recent years showing a great boom in CISSA, we’re more excited than ever to provide to you valuable student experiences.
How?
A big club like CISSA doesn’t hold its ground by being idle. We have always and continue to put in our best efforts to create promising opportunities and rewarding moments for our club members and supporters.
In 2021, CISSA will remain as committed as ever to fostering an accepting and warm community for students of all backgrounds and identities. Our committee is extremely friendly and approachable, so don’t hesitate to contact us! (We only bite 40% of the time)
Being a student in 2021
We said this year was going to be a good one, but it’s definitely not going to be as normal as we’re used to.
One of the biggest and most tangible differences this year is online learning. Most of you are probably already familiar, and for those of you who aren’t, may we suggest you stop skipping all your Zoom tutes.
Let’s face it, online learning just doesn’t hit the same. You have no physical classroom to rush into after sprinting across campus from your last class, no peer pressure to do your classes in non-PJs attire, no long lines to wait in for food… Wait, this doesn’t sound that bad.
Okay, but I’m sure you miss seeing your friends, grabbing food and sitting in Baillieu Library procrastinating but validating it as ‘study time’ since you’re in a study space.
But with new challenges, comes new growth and chances to adapt and conquer. And of course, your friends here at CISSA are here to help!
How CISSA can support you this year
Here at CISSA, we support each other. And your wellbeing matters to us too! Hence, we have implemented many things to try make you feel as supported as you can be.
This includes:
- Frequent events to socialise and break the isolation of online learning
- Workshops to support your learning and keep things interesting
- Industry opportunities and insights to fuel your career drive
- CISSA Facebook Discussion Group to keep us all connected
Remember, you can also utilise the full resources and student services provided by the University of Melbourne if you are experiencing any mental health issues or just want further support of any kind.
CISSA’s goals this year & upcoming events
This year CISSA hopes to:
Present many social nights to get you excited and reconnected with one another.
- Welcome Back Pub Night (Wed March 10th, in person)
- Amazing Race (Fri March 12th, in person)
Facilitate connections to the tech industry.
- Industry Connect (Wed March 17th, in person)
- Optiver Recruitment Panel (Thurs March 11th, online)
Hold many workshops taught by industry and student experts to help develop your skills and reinforce learning.
- Programming for Beginners (Tues March 30th, online)
Hold our hallmark Semester 1 Hackathon in a brand new way.
- CodeBrew (Fri April 16th, online)
And last but not least,
Listen to you guys and your input!
Let us know if you have any ideas or suggestions for things CISSA could do that you think would benefit our community.
We are hopeful for what this year has to bring and hope you share the same enthusiasm. Let’s make this year like Algorithms… FUN!
