Orchard is an app that appraises and helps resell old iPhones. In the used market, it’s hard to trust people when you’re buying or selling. There are stories of robberies, stabbing or misrepresentation of products. We realized there was a market for a service that allowed people to buy and sell through a trusted source. We do business all over North America.
I did my undergrad degree in computer engineering in Pakistan at Lahore University of Management Sciences. In my second year I decided to build a technology company that could secure web projects. I realized I could scale this up by hiring colleagues, and by the time I graduated I had a small team working for me.
I was comfortable doing that, but my fascination with the start-up world in North America led me to come to Canada. The best way to do that was via school. The program that really caught my attention because of my entrepreneurial leanings was the masters of applied computing at the University of Toronto.
A masters in applied computing is different from a computer science masters. Instead of writing a research thesis, you are placed in an internship where you apply the skills you’re learning.
When I enrolled at U of T in 2012, I was part of the program’s second cohort – it was very new and few universities were offering anything similar. The courses that appealed to me most included the business of software, technical entrepreneurship, software engineering, cloud computing and software modelling.
As an undergrad I saw The Social Network and was enthralled by the start-up world. I had all these ideas: “This is a million-dollar idea!” “This is a billion-dollar idea!” But at U of T, I realized all my ideas were pretty bad. I didn’t have a framework for understanding how start-ups work.
My course work made me realize that people like Mark Zuckerberg and Steve Jobs didn’t get lucky they applied known concepts and established principles to get to where they were. Paul Salvini, who was chief technology officer at Christie Digital and is now CEO for Accelerator Centre in Waterloo, taught technical entrepreneurship at U of T. I learned so much from him. For me, going to school has always been about learning from the people around you, be it professors, advisers or other students.
I had more of an entrepreneurial leaning than those in my cohort, so I took additional courses to learn about the business side. Courses in the program are very nitty-gritty computer science courses. In the cloud computing course we had to develop actual software for a working cloud pipeline.
The program can be intense, but it’s also fun, and I really enjoyed it. We did internships – some hoped to get placed at Amazon – and it helped that an internship can pay pretty well. As an international student I was able to pay for the program without taking any loans, which is almost unheard of.
I’m motivated to put 150 per cent into my company because I have the creative freedom to direct its course with my co-founders and other stakeholders. That’s very exciting but also pretty intense. There’s no such thing as a free weekend – we have to make sure the company stays afloat.
I see applied computing as something that could be at the core of training entrepreneurs. It definitely helped me in that regard. Computer science programs thus far haven’t been designed to prepare people to work in start-ups, but recently schools have started to offer such courses and programs.
Where to study for a technology career
APPLIED COMPUTING
Durham College (Oshawa) Web applications for mobile computing (graduate certificate): $2,768/year. durhamcollege.ca
Brock University (St. Catharines) Applied computing (computer science): $8,393.05/year. brocku.ca
Sheridan College (Toronto) Honours bachelor of applied computer science (mobile computing): $8,203/program. sheridancollege.ca
University of Toronto (Toronto) Masters of applied computing: $17,500/16-month program. utoronto.ca
University of Windsor (Windsor) Master of applied computing: $25,000/program. uwindsor.ca
Wilfrid Laurier University (Waterloo) Master of applied computing: $11,275/year.
GAME DEVELOPMENT
Algonquin College (Ottawa) Game development: $7,337/year. algonquincollege.com
Brock University (St. Catharines) Bachelor of arts in game design: $6,377/year bachelor of science in game programming: $8,393/year. brocku.ca
Carleton University (Ottawa) Computer game development: $10,281/year. carleton.ca
Centennial College (Toronto) Diploma in game art and design: $8,455/year advanced diploma in software engineering technology – interactive gaming: $3,717/year.
Durham College (Oshawa) Game development: $6,936/year. durhamcollege.ca
Fanshawe College (London) 3D animation and character development: $4,147/term video game design and development: $3,441/term game development – advanced programming: $2,762/term. fanshawe.ca
George Brown College (Toronto) Game development: $7,512/year game programming: $3,881/year. georgebrown.ca
Humber College (Toronto) Game programming: $3,960/year. humbercollege.ca
Laurentian University (Sudbury) Computer science – major in game design: $8,151/year. laurentian.ca
McMaster University (Hamilton) Software engineering – game design: $12,203/year. mcmaster.ca
Niagara College (Welland) Bachelor of arts in game design: $6,377/year (joint with Brock University) bachelor of science in game programming: $8,393/year (joint with Brock University) advanced diploma in game development: $7,235/year. niagaracollege.ca
Nipissing University (North Bay) Computer science – certificate in game design and development: $8,549/year. nipissingu.ca
Seneca College (Toronto) Game art and animation: $11,472/year. senecacollege.ca
Sheridan College (Oakville) Bachelor of game design: $9,649/program game development – advanced programming: $15,692/three semesters game level design: $14,141/three semesters. sheridancollege.ca
University of Ontario Institute of Technology (Oshawa) Game development and entrepreneurship: $6,203.34/year. uoit.ca
University of Toronto (Toronto) Computer science – game design: $11,520/year (plus fees) gaming and information security (both are focuses for computer science): $12,090/year utoronto.ca
Wilfrid Laurier University (Brantford) Game design and development: $4,667/year. wlu.ca
York University (Toronto) Bachelor of digital media: $7,102/year. yorku.ca
INFORMATION SYSTEMS SECURITY
Algonquin College (Ottawa) Computer systems technology – security: $5,011.94/year. algonquincollege.com
Carleton University (Ottawa) Computer and internet security: $10,281.55/year.
Durham College (Oshawa) Information systems security – graduate certificate: $2,768/year. durhamcollege.ca
Fanshawe College (London) Information security management: $2,050/term. fanshawe.ca
Fleming College (Peterborough) Computer security and investigations: $4,024/semester. flemingcollege.ca
George Brown College (Toronto) Network and system security analysis: $11,325/three semesters. georgebrown.ca
Mohawk College (Hamilton) Computer systems technology – network engineering and security analyst: $2,700/year. mohawkcollege.ca
Seneca College (Toronto) Honours bachelor of technology – informatics and security: $8,011/year. senecacollege.ca
Sheridan College (Oakville) Bachelor of applied information sciences (information systems security): $8,177/year. sheridancollege.ca
University of Ontario Institute of Technology (Oshawa) Networking and information technology security: $9,003.12. uoit.ca
University of Toronto (Toronto) Computer science – information security: $11,520/year (plus fees). utoronto.ca
York University (Toronto) Computer security: $7,102/year. yorku.ca
kevinr@nowtoronto.com | @kevinritchie
