Dylan Wu finds career growth and a diverse community

An unexpected discovery

When Dylan Wu returned home to Maine in 2021, graduate school was far from his mind. He’d just earned his computer science degree from Whitman College in Washington state and he planned to start the software developer job search. 

But in 2020, while Wu was earning his undergraduate degree on the West Coast, Northeastern launched the Roux Institute, in Portland. And when Wu discovered that, everything changed. 

What drew him to the Roux

Wu is a Mainer through and through. That’s why he instantly connected with the Roux’s supportive culture and small-campus feel. He found his professors were accessible and eager to help him succeed.  

The Roux’s master’s program in computer science offered Wu the irresistible opportunity to grow his skills and knowledge in the field and gain the professional experience he was looking for through co-op—all while staying in Maine. And generous support from the Alfond Scholars Initiative made it all possible.  

Among one of the younger students in his courses, Wu loves learning alongside others who are at later stages of their professional journeys. “There’s a lot of diversity in where people are in their careers,” he says. “It’s been interesting to engage with them in class and hear their different perspectives.” 

A co-op game changer

Less than a year after starting at Roux, Wu landed a co-op that validated why he wanted to pursue software development. Since July 2022, he’s been working as a full stack developer at VETRO FiberMap, a Portland-based software company and Roux founding partner.  

“The experience I’m gaining on co-op is making me a better programmer and faster developer,” he says. “I’m thinking more critically about the code I write.” 

The experience not only has expanded his skills, but it’s opened his eyes to the growing job opportunities in Maine, many of which are with Roux partner organizations.