The purpose of this blog post is to introduce myself and to answer a few questions about my expectations for CS467.
My name is Charles Cal, but I typically go by Joey (based on my middle name). My first degree was in Chemistry, but I didn’t get a chance to use that, as I joined the Army for a bit over 8 years. In November 2022 I left the Army, and now I’m working as a software engineer intern at a company in my hometown developing software for school district administration.
This will (hopefully) be my last term at OSU, and I’m looking at grad schools to pursue a master’s in CS in the future.
Why did you choose to go into Computer Science?
In my first degree, I shied away from computer’s because it seemed like they were tools that were just tools. It seemed to me that they did not merit learning about in their own right. However, both in school and afterwards, I realized that understanding how to build and use these tools can be instrumental in advancing science and improving people’s lives.
Furthermore, I found that the logic and complexity of solving software engineering problems had a particular appeal.
Why did you choose the projects you did on the survey? What makes them interesting to you?
First, a few of the projects that interest me are:
Cloud-based Optimization of Algorithmic Stock Market Trading Strategies
Cloud-based Application for Fire Department 911 Risk Analysis
Code3 Strategist — Travel Time Prediction
I suppose the theme is that I think the use of AI in optimization problems seems pretty neat to me. I think there’s a bit of AI craze going on right now that I’m trying to resist getting sucked into. However, as mentioned above, a motivation for in studying computer science is how effective tools computers can me. I think AI does provide some powerful tools.
Of the one’s mentioned above, I think the Code3 Strategist has the biggest appeal to me. I liked studying math in college, and they mention using math for optimization as part of the requirements.
I also have Math GO! on there. I’ve played Pokemon Go, and my opinion is that while the GPS based game is pretty neat, a lot of the mechanics in the game are pretty awful. I think it would be fun to get a better idea of how that game is built.
What do you hope to learn from your project?
I’d definitely like to learn a bit more about a new technology. I think it would be pretty cool to develop an application that uses some form of AI. I’m trying to decide if this is a subject I would enjoy studying more in the future.
What do you hope to learn from the course?
On top of the learning from the project, I’d like to gain competency in working as part of a team. I’d like to become more proficient with git, and maybe work with an organizational planner like Jira.
What type of person are you, in terms of a group dynamic?
I think I’d consider myself a contributor. I like the idea of being given a problem to solve, working on it, then sharing the results with a team. Planning and organizational stuff aren’t awful, but I do not enjoy them as much.
Are you worried about working in groups? If so, what do you plan to do to make this experience better?
I don’t know if I’m ‘worried’ about working in a group. It seems like everyone has more or less the same goals with this class-make a cool project and finish the program. But I think there’s a natural apprehension in working in a small group setting with people who you haven’t worked with before.
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