Meet Alex, a passionate and ambitious second-year computer science student at the University of Waterloo. Disappointed by what he perceives as a lack of rigor in some courses and overwhelmed by the hype surrounding the co-op program, he often dreams of engaging in groundbreaking research on par with prestigious institutions like Stanford and MIT. Alex spends his free time attending local tech meetups, hoping to foster connections that will lead to innovative projects and, ultimately, a startup that could put him on the map. Frustrated yet hopeful, he walks a tightrope between appreciating the experience he's gaining and yearning for a more academically challenging environment.