Work Experience Course Helps Student Land Job - Crafton Hills College

Publish Date: Sept. 21, 2021

Michael Fileto always had a casual interest in computer science, although his goals were to join the allied health profession. But a course in bioinformatics and genomics helped him realize the opportunity for a career that combined biology and computer science. After receiving his bachelor’s degree in biology at the University of California Riverside, Fileto enrolled in courses at Crafton Hills College to study computer science and computer information systems.

Crafton’s Interim CIS Intern Coordinator Ed Papp invited Fileto to take a web development work experience course. Fileto says this course was the first exposure he had using some technologies in computer science to create a website for a client.

With Papp’s mentoring, Fileto was able to acquire business skills needed to establish client relationships while getting web development experience.

“Soon after that course concluded I asked Ed if he had any [class in] software development work experience for the upcoming summer term. He said he was open to [offering] it if we had a client to work with. I then decided to solicit for laboratories and biotech companies asking if they would be interested in participating in the work experience program,” Fileto recalls.

Fileto received an agreement from a professor in the bioinformatics department at the University of Massachusetts Medical School that allowed him to collaborate with their ongoing software project.

“The work experience course has been very rewarding for me as I gained immense experience and knowledge in data visualization/software development principles related to my career outcomes within the bioinformatics field,” Fileto continued. “For this work experience, I needed to learn the Java language and use a version controlling software to create data visualization tools for the client’s software application. Although I had translated my programming knowledge I had learned from my previous courses (C++), I still learned practical implementation methods in algorithms, classes, and functions to help integrate my ideas into this application.”

Fileto credits his experiences at CHC for a recent job offer in a tech position within the bioinformatics industry. “I truly believe that the work experience greatly impacted my candidacy for this position, and I believe any student in this program would benefit greatly as much as I did for those who show desire and aptitude to do so,” Fileto stated.

Fileto is now working full-time for a technology-based genetic testing company focused on transforming patient care in oncology, infectious and rare diseases, and reproductive health. He is also pursuing a master’s in computer science.