Rising Senior Uses Computer Science Coursework to Thrive in Web Development Role
Florian Hurlbert ’25 is one of two Muhlenberg students working this summer for GMIFY, a startup founded by Mike Rosenberg ’78.By: Meghan Kita Tuesday, August 20, 2024 08:41 AM
Florian Hurlbert ’25Florian Hurlbert ’25 landed their current part-time job, helping to build the custom survey website GMIFY, through a Muhlenberg connection. Mike Rosenberg ’78 sought to hire students, and Hurlbert was recommended by one of their computer science professors.
“I know, in the computer science world, having a degree is only a part of it, and that a much better thing to show on your resume is actual projects and internships,” says Hurlbert, a computer science and English & creative writing double major. “I jumped at the ability to get experience like that.”
Hurlbert spends about 20 hours each week working on the GMIFY site. They’ve not yet taken Muhlenberg’s Web Software Development course, so a lot of their time involves learning new programming languages and how to use them to create the desired effect.
“I know, in the computer science world, having a degree is only a part of it, and that a much better thing to show on your resume is actual projects and internships. I jumped at the ability to get experience like that.”
—Florian Hurlbert ’25
“Computer science is not necessarily learning the language. It’s learning the best way to read documentation, the best way to Google things and to find forum posts and find solutions,” they say. “I wouldn’t be able to do this if I had not taken Muhlenberg’s classes.”
Another skill Hurlbert is learning on the job is how to communicate with non-computer scientists about computer science. GMIFY has no professional computer scientists on staff. Hulbert is currently the head programmer and Andrew White ’25, a computer science and media & communication double major and statistics minor, is their helper. (Summer Whitley ’24 also worked for Rosenberg before graduating.)
“The greatest compliment that I can give to [the Muhlenberg students I've hired] is that there have been many occasions throughout these eight months where I had to stop myself and remember that these folks are only in their early 20s because their behavior, their work and their ideas seemed to come from people much older with many years of experience.”
—Mike Rosenberg ’78
“Muhlenberg taught me how to develop a strong work ethic and my hope was that this was still a hallmark of the College and that I would find it in the students working to build GMIFY,” Rosenberg says. “The greatest compliment that I can give to Summer, Florian and Andrew is that there have been many occasions throughout these eight months where I had to stop myself and remember that these folks are only in their early 20s because their behavior, their work and their ideas seemed to come from people much older with many years of experience.”
Hurlbert is grateful Rosenberg took a chance on students from his alma mater. “I feel pretty blessed and lucky, because people aren’t just regularly coming to colleges looking to hire college students fully understanding that they’re not professionals,” Hurlbert says.
