I’d like to start off this blog with a little bit about me. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been around computers for the majority of my life. One of the greatest memories from my childhood was renting interactive Disney storybook games from the library in addition to watching Animal Planet on TV. A show that I was obsessed with on Animal Planet was the Crocodile Hunter starring Steve Irwin. Although he was no longer with us today, I’ll always remember him for his principles on environmentalism and sustainability. His influence on me was so immense that I actually ended up getting my first degree in environmental studies.
Fast forward a couple of years, I worked in the tech industry for a few years after graduation and discovered an app called Mercari, which is best described as an online flea market where new and second hand goods were sold. It quickly became one of my favorite pieces of new tech over the years and I ended up selling a lot of items around the house that I initially thought was junk. Over the years, I became a highly rated seller and would even have friends hand me used items to sell for them. I think Steve Irwin would’ve been proud of me for not throwing away perfectly usable items and instead opting to find them better homes.
I ended up loving Mercari so much that I decided to pursue a degree in computer science to complete my skillset on the technical side of things. I am now on my final quarter at OSU and am finally looking forward to graduating soon. It has been a tough journey for me in a few classes, but I persevered and am about to cross the finish line. When it came to learning new things, I always start off by googling up the topic I would like to learn more about, reading a few articles to get an overview of what I am trying to achieve. Once I get the gist of the topic, I usually go to Youtube next to expand the horizon and deepen my understanding. I’ve had fellow colleagues ask me how I deal with getting stuck and my response is to just start early enough so that there’s more time to absorb difficult topics and the panic of a due date is less likely to scare you. If you are putting tons of hours into a topic and it simply isn’t absorbing, it means you are burnt out for the day and it’s best just to quit it, then take a break and return later. Using this method, I managed to eventually “get” things quickly that I had tons of trouble understanding before.
For my capstone, I am hoping to work on a project that pertains to my interests in e-commerce , gaming, and environmental sustainability. My passion for technology, Mercari and the Earth and its inhabitants still burns brightly and I’m looking forward to documenting my time working on a project that pertains to these interests.
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