Decisions, Decisions
20 Jan 2022
How did I get here?
Throughout highschool, I was always fascinated by science as well as computers. I really enjoyed my science classes and also attended a summer program known as STEMprep where I had the oppurtunity to work in research labs across the country. I conducted many experiments under multiple PhD’s at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Washigton during my highschool summers. So, naturally I went into my first year in college as a biology major and believed thats what I wanted to do. But, following the conclusion of my first year I was unsure if I wanted to continue and decided to go into computer science instead as I have always also had a passion for computers through things like videogames. I was becoming very interested in the hardware side of things at this time and wanted to learn more about the software component of computers. So, I started with ICS 111 in my sophomore year with basically no prior knowledge and have been building on it since then.
Current Thoughts
In the last couple years, I have learned a lot about coding and software in general. Through classes like ICS 111, ICS 212, and ICS 311 I have gained more of an understanding of how to code and work through problems in optimal and efficient ways. I feel that I now have a decent grasp on using Java and C/C++ to solve different problems. Personally, coding was really frustrating at the start and I struggled heavily with trying to format and get my code to run through the multitude of errors. I realized the importance of planning your code beforehand and really being careful with what you’re doing to avoid the need for major fixes towards the end. Overall, my experience hasn’t been the easiest up until now but I am very excited to continue growing and learn as much as I can about software engineering.
What’s next?
My goal for the near future is to sharpen my coding skills along with my problem solving skills to become a better software engineer down the road. I am still trying to decide which branch of computer science I am most interested in whether it be cyber security, web development, etc.. I want to find something that I am truly happy and satisfied doing and believe that the best way for me to find that is explore all the different aspects of software engineering. I want to have a solid understanding of software engineering so that I can do what I want with it and really be creative, almost like an artist being able to create their own unique drawings or paintings.