So the year is officially 2024, and here I am, taking my last core class of the OSU postbacc program, struggling to write out a blog for this class since it’s only the first week of the term where the deep plunge into the course has yet to be taken. I guess I could focus this first blog on feelings around the class, prospect of graduating and seeking summer internships, then eventually joining the workforce?? Motivated. Anxious. Enthusiastic. Wary. Overly pessimistic. Slightly optimistic. Optimistically realistic. Realistically optimistic. More or less a glass case of emotions.
To clarify, I understand this class will be a lot more immersive into the software engineering process than previous courses, and the idea of that very much excites me. I’ve found that working on apps and programming in general to be an engaging process and furthermore, the notion of collaborating with others on a project brings me even more encouragement where I’ll have a chance to connect with other individuals with similar aspirations and motivations.
However, the fact that I’m two terms away from graduating got me stressed. While I realize I’ve learned so much during this program, I still feel like I know so little. And while I’ve maintained a great GPA throughout my studies, I still feel like I have little to show to prospect internships and jobs. I sometimes feel like a 5-year-old, drawing, coloring, scribbling away at a piece of paper that’s eventually heralded as an art masterpiece amongst the other 5-year-olds, only to show it to a world-class artist, get a few acknowledgement pats on the head, then vehemently laughed at once I’ve exited the room. In case that needs elaborating, the world-class artist being tech employers, my art masterpiece being the “portfolio project” I made back in the Intro to Computer Science course, and the other 5-year-olds being novice programmers like myself.
Now that the melodramatic venting is out of the way, I can press on by saying that feeling of inadequacy is going to be the driving force propelling me through these last couple terms. On top of pushing to excel in the Capstone course and complete it with something to show on my resume / portfolio, I’m set on doing everything I can to advance my programming skills and generally be more marketable to employers. I’ve joined an app development club, I’m planning to work on Leet Code at least an hour or two a day, and I’m going to polish the portfolio projects that I currently have, making them far more accessible and presentable to the folks viewing them.
So here’s to new beginnings, inevitable challenges, methodical progression, and fruitful opportunities 🍾🥂
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