Green River grad Toygan Sevim talks life as a solutions engineer at Disney
Toygan Sevim has had quite the career as a student at Green River College. An international student from Istanbul, Turkey, Sevim completed his associate degree in IT in 2017, and will graduate with his bachelor’s degree in software development this June. Along the way, he served as a student help desk employee, worked on a number of interesting software projects, and volunteered frequently as a guest speaker.
As a student, Sevim was also a tireless networker who attended meetups and other industry events. He focused not only on working hard in the classroom, but also on building a professional network and meeting people in his field of interest. In the Q and A below, Sevim talks about his new role as a software solutions engineer at The Walt Disney Company and offers career tips to students who are looking for jobs in tech.
What led you to Green River’s software development program?
TOYGAN: I heard of Green River’s bachelor’s degree program in software development while I was pursuing my associate degree in IT at the college. I really enjoyed the small intimate classroom structure within the program. After a few programming classes I realized how much I liked writing applications and being able to manipulate web pages. Towards the end of my sophomore year I decided to pursue software development rather than networking because I found it systematic and gratifying.
Can you tell us about your role as a software solutions engineer at The Walt Disney Company?
TOYGAN: My role at Disney as Software Solutions Engineer is to support access management developers and employees who use Disney’s internal applications. On a daily basis I work with the security access management team to help solve issues with the product and functionality, and to make feature improvements.
What elements of your bachelor’s degree program helped prepare you for the world of work?
TOYGAN: I believe the two most important subjects would include fundamental Java classes and Agile web development classes. They are both crucial to real life. Knowing about data structures and algorithms is expected from every engineer. Also having an Agile development background in teams is great experience. It reflects well on resumes as Agile is used widely.
What career advice do you have for students who are looking for an internship or job?
TOYGAN: I have three suggestions to every student that is searching for a new position.
First, be a great student/learner and work to understand the materials in class. Time is precious and there is no point in wasting it. I strongly believe that the amount of time you spend actively listening to the instructor is vital, as well as being present in the classroom environment, asking questions, and taking advantage of tutoring resources.
Second, network. Do not be afraid to attend meetups or to join groups. There are plenty of technology meetups in the area that are almost always free and have pizza for all.
Third, practice coding and whiteboarding until you are confident.
Learn more about Green River College’s Bachelor of Applied Science in Software Development at www.greenriver.edu/software
