Who are we?
The Computer Science Graduate Professional Development Club (CS-GPDC) is a student organization run by and for graduate students from the Computer Science Department at University of Colorado Boulder. Our main goal is to help the graduate students with Professional Development initiatives.
What do we do?
The CSGPDC organizes various professional development events, some of them include:
- Industry speaker series
- Mock Interview
- Networking events
- Coding Challenges For more information check out our events page
Our Origin Story
In Fall 2021, as new graduate students settled into the CS Master’s program, a common challenge became apparent, many felt underprepared to tackle the job market while balancing demanding coursework. With internship applications opening as early as August and only one summer to secure relevant experience, the pressure to land both an internship and a full-time job within two years felt overwhelming.
At the first CSGSA meeting that semester, students came together to discuss how they could better support each other through this intense period. From that conversation emerged the idea of forming a student-led club focused on professional development within the department—one that could provide both community and opportunity.
The proposal was met with enthusiastic support from our graduate advisor, Rajshree, who brought years of experience and invaluable insight to the initiative. With her guidance, elections were held, founding members were elected, and the necessary paperwork swiftly completed. Within weeks, the Computer Science Graduate Professional Development Club (CS-GPDC) was officially launched.
Backed by an annual budget and strong departmental support, the club quickly began hosting impactful events including mock interviews with alumni, coding contests, resume sessions, and talks by industry leaders. These efforts have helped students build confidence, gain mentorship, and secure meaningful internships and full-time roles.
Today, thanks to the continued leadership beyond the founding members and unwavering support from the CS department, CS-GPDC has become an integral part of the CU Boulder graduate program. It assists our students in ways the founding members envisioned and in ways they hadn’t even considered. We believe the club will continue to support our students, adapting to the ever-changing job market influenced by rising technologies.
We also have had our alumni and various industry experts give talks on a variety of topics.
Here’s one such example. Check out our Youtube channel to view all of our content
