Hello World!

Hello everyone!

My name is Jonathan Chan and I’d like to share about myself in this post. I’m excited to be in my last quarter at Oregon State University. I first majored in French at Pomona College and pursued a Masters in Education at Loyola Marymount University LA. My first career was in education as a middle school teacher. However, I was interested in switching careers. I began exploring programming on my own and felt like it was right for me. Therefore, I began my journey at OSU two years ago.

I find lots of joy in creativity and in problem solving. Studying computer science allows me to flex both of those skills a lot. For instance, I go through coding exercises daily as a way to prepare for my upcoming job search. I normally have two main reactions to an exercise. One is a burst of ideas on how to solve the task at hand. So I realize I know how to implement major sections. Ecstatically, I begin to verify with variables and print statements. But the second reaction is dread. Sometimes, after the first read through, I feel like a deer caught in the headlights. But this too brings me joy. It doesn’t last but a moment. Quickly and excitedly I begin to break down what I don’t know. What was once a big, scary mystery shrinks. Soon, a solution is on the way. So I find great satisfaction in solving problems. And on top of that, there are many ways to solve a problem. There is a level of creativity and agency in implementing a solution. Returning to the coding exercises, sometimes an extra challenge is to optimize the code. Other times, I have an inkling that there could be a possible one liner to solve it. However, there’s tension between clarity of the code, its efficiency, or compactness. And I’m grateful that in my journey at OSU, there’s always been an opportunity for both creativity and problem solving.

Outside of my studies, I pass the time with my doggies at home. One is named Marcos and the other Lucas. They are both small chihuahua mixed dogs. Marcos is the curious and energetic one. Lucas loves sunbathing and always prefers company. Lastly, a hobby of mine is playing video games. One of my favorites is God of War (2018). The first time I played it, I was put off by the game play because learning all the combos felt like too much. However once I gave it a chance, I came to appreciate it for its narrative and its challenging game play.