Professional Gaming Leads Student From South Africa to Atlanta

Originally from South Africa, David Ouma made his way to Atlanta after spending some time trying to make it as a professional gamer.

“I entered a competition where I piqued the interest of a few organizations within the country,” said Ouma. “One of them approached me and said ‘we’d like you to come compete for us.’”

For him, this early interest — and eventual expertise — in gaming led to curiosity around the technologies that enabled those games to function. How did they work? What made them work? What else is technology capable of doing?

Ouma’s aspirations for the professional gaming life eventually tempered. But his interest in technology persisted.

“Over time I learned that this career path wasn't sustainable for me. That led me back to pursue a more academic career path and into computer science.”

Now, Ouma is an undergraduate student at Georgia State University’s Perimeter College studying computer science. He’s also a participant in the E3 program, a unique academic initiative created in collaboration among Comcast, Georgia State, and CodePath, a nonprofit organization that offers computer science courses to college students.

Learn more about David, his experience at Perimeter, and what he now envisions for his career.

What attracted you to computer science, and why did you choose Georgia State’s Perimeter College?

While in high school, Ouma took a technology class where he first learned how to program. Starting with the programming language Java, he eventually learned to develop in more languages and expanded his interest in computing. Much like many of his Gen Z peers, he discovered Perimeter College through a popular online platform: YouTube.

How has being at Perimeter College impacted your ability to figure out what the path towards a career in tech looks like?

Work force demands within the tech industry have seen overall tightening, but within the sector there are several areas that are experiencing a shortage in talent. For Ouma, being at Perimeter College and having the resources through CodePath are allowing him to better navigate an incessantly-changing tech environment. “The people at Perimeter have really left an impact on me,” he said. His professors and advisors from the college, as well as instructors and peers from CodePath, have “all been the support structure to help me find my footing.”

As an E3 Scholar, you’ve taken a couple of courses through CodePath. What course are you taking now and what are you learning or doing in the course?

Students enrolled in the CodePath E3 program get access to specialized courses that enable them to expand their tech repertoire and to better prepare them for their professional lives. Ouma has completed one technical interview prep (TIP) course, a class focused on giving E3 Scholars the skills to tackle technical interviewing. Currently, he’s digging a little deeper into web development through another CodePath course.

You’re an active member of Women in Tech. What motivated you to get involved in an organization that’s focused on advancing women’s representation in the tech industry?

From being the faculty outreach member of the Math Club to becoming the president of the Asian Student Association, there is no extracurricular opportunity in which Ouma hasn’t invested fully. But one activity stood out: he’s the secretary of the college’s Women in Tech chapter.

Within the realm of computer science, what interests you and what do you see yourself doing in your career?

Before arriving at Perimeter College, Ouma spent hours on YouTube learning all about cloud computing. Since becoming a student, he explained that his interests and curiosities have expanded — understanding, now, that there are endless possibilities under the umbrella of computer science.

What advice would you give to other students who are trying to navigate their academic and career journeys?

Ouma shared his appreciation for the small class sizes at Perimeter College and how that enabled his ability to develop close relationships with professors. He attributes a lot of his current academic success to these relationships as well as to the intimate relationships he’s formed with the people in student services. For Ouma, though, the most enriching parts of his college experience have come about through his out-of-class activities and interactions.

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