Hello!
Our CS467 course asks us to introduce ourselves, so let’s get to it:
Question 1: What got you started with computers or software?
I actually took a few computer science courses as an undergrad, but with the psychology and mathematics classes I was taking, I felt I was stretched a bit too thinly, so I decided to prioritize those two subjects.
When I first started in the job market in-for lack of better term- standard office work, I found managing the responsibilities of those positions overwhelming because of the lack of tools and processes for effective data integration and analysis. Meaning, there were a bunch of papers, manual steps “to remember”, and post-it notes to track. I quickly found Microsoft Excel as a way to keep up with the work, then started exploring more advanced features to radically optimize the position. But even then, spreadsheets I begun to realize that spreadsheets were a bit inefficient and clunky for more advanced problems.
Those experiences helped me understand that with computer science, when it comes to capability, the sky is the limit. I wanted to have the most amount of opportunity and ability to analyze and solve a problem. I didn’t want to say, “well, this is the issue, and it would be nice if we had such a system to handle said issue, but that’s impossible for us because we don’t know how to do it, so we will have to figure out how to make it work with two sticks and a rock.”
Question 2: Current job or internship?
I am currently not working in a direct software engineer position. I’ve been with the same petrochemical facility for approaching 10 years now in a variety of roles and projects spanning industrial operations personnel training, plant processes: “what is the goal of the facility and how does the facility work to meet that goal?”, and logistics. I enjoy these responsibilities because there’s an overwhelming amount of data and information to analyze into a format that can be readily interpreted for the purposes of cost reduction. Meaning, We have XYZ orders, we have ABC fleet to fulfill said orders, the risk of fleet delays are 123, the opportunities for additional orders across DEF customer base are 456, how do we thread the needle to meet the orders and do so efficiently?
Question 3: Favorite technologies:
This is where I am lacking. I’ve gotten an almost 4.0 thus far, and I certainly can discuss my favorite topics (I personally loved Databases). But I found that as I was exploring career opportunities, I’ve only scratched the surface on Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, Statistic Methods, etc. Noticed earlier I mentioned processing data for better interpretation. As I started this degree, I assumed that goal was for management review. Which is still a correct answer, but it’s leaving out how technologies such as AI can be used for even stronger data analysis. I am eager to use these tools for these purposes.
Question 4: Favorite listed projects (in this course) and why.
My favorite projects available for CS 467 are the ones that use Artificial Intelligence. I think, like it or not, the job market is about to experience radical changes. I want to be on the edge, not the shadows, of this change. Even if it’s just a slight dent in the overall scope of AI, I just want to be more literate in the topic and be able to understand more what it means to use an AI for data analysis and reinforcement learning.
GPT API Challenge
ML Breakout
There was one with Election Data using AI, but that appears to have been removed.
GPT API Challenge
Question 5: What are your current CS interests:
I am involved in big data and optimization: How do you take an overwhelming amount of data, make it digestible and provide clear road maps on how to optimize it? I also, for fun, like to write scripts and source code for 6052 ASM… the older Nintendo games.
Question 6: Describe your Journey with OSU.
I had actually been eyeballing OSU since 2015 – 2016 as a potential education opportunity. I wanted to learn more about computer science and finally made the leap in 2020. After some delays from Hurricanes, I’m close to the finish line, but that’s when the real journey begins!
I’ve quite enjoyed every class. I’ve earned A’s in every class… some of the notoriously difficult ones, I was able to navigate through them with enough effort and planning. I hope to take that skillset and start creating things from ideas of my own as opposed to prompts provided by the college. I need and am eager to build a portfolio.
