I had heard about CS 344 Operating Systems’s, reputation since the very beginning of entering this post-bacc degree. I had regularly seen posts and discussions about this course and it’s project on multiple sites, such as the unofficial Slack and Reddit. Hence, I was nervous to take this class. I knew that both the material and the homework projects would be tough, with some individuals even saying they spent about 30 hours per week working on this class.
Therefore I put off taking this class for as long as possible. I only took it last term, which I believe is quite late. While I was in the course, I found that its reputation held to be true. I spent countless hours each week reading the lectures and text book and working through my projects. During this time, I was not thrilled about being in this course. The stress levels were high, and all I wanted was to have some time back to do other things that I enjoyed. I counted down the weeks until the course would be completed.
However, during the last week of the course, I found myself feeling a bit disappointed that it was almost over. This was clearly not a feeling that I expected to have at the end. Looking back, I realized it is because I learned so much during those short (but also long) 10 weeks. It was hard, but worth it. In the end, I came out with an A grade, and a sense of pride that I had not yet experienced after completing any other course. For anyone reading this that has not yet taken 344, it is a tough ride, but you will get through it and end up with a much stronger sense of programming and operating systems.
