There isn’t really one word that can best describe my experience throughout the Post-Bacc Computer Science program at Oregon State University. It has truly been a whole melting pot of emotions from enlightenment to confusion and from overwhelming joy to frustration. Starting out, I remember having to take the Discrete Structures course, which in my opinion (this is a “safe” place to share perspectives, right?) was a very dry and unappealing course, in which I have applied very little of what I learned there to projects that I had in future courses. It was really tough having that in my first term, but having the ability to take the first Intro to Programming course alongside it was a lifesaver. The course gave me so much confidence as I realized how easily I understood Python, and I could see how well I was performing on the assignments. Honestly, my performance in that course is what motivated me to continue with the program.

I am very glad that most of the courses in the curriculum involved a heavy dose of Python, because I truly believe that Python is the language of the future, especially as memory becomes cheaper. I only had to use JavaScript a couple times (Web Development and Intro to Databases), and while it is nice in some situations, I do not think it is nearly as intuitive as Python. Especially for beginners.

Most of my frustration with the program has been from professors that “don’t care” and from a lack of TA’s. Don’t get me wrong, I have had some courses where the professor was unbelievably helpful and even willing to reach out after-hours, and where there has been an abundance of TA’s that were able to help me dissect the information from the lessons. My experience in those courses was great. But there have been a couple professors (one in particular whom I will leave unnamed) who honestly seemed like they did not give a care in the world about the success of their students. I’m talking a complete lack of direction with assignments, unresponsive on Ed/Teams/Email, very limited office hours with TA’s, etc. There was even one course that I took that was obviously recycled from a previous term, and the professor admitted they were new to it, but truly had no idea what they were doing. I’m thinking to myself – how is this a college-level education I am receiving? I persevered through this and really bonded with some fellow classmates because of it, but there were times where I really questioned what I am doing in those courses.

By taking two courses every term – including Summer terms – I have been able to get to the point where I can complete the Post-Bacc program in just under two years, while also just needing CS 467 for my final term. The benefit of the latter is that I am able to focus my attention solely on this course, which will only be beneficial moving forward into the group project (teaser – my group will be creating the Animal Adoption web app). I will begin to discuss my group and our progress with the project in my third blog post, so please keep an eye out for that when it drops!

Thanks again for your time and interest, and I will see you again next time!