{"id":21,"date":"2022-09-26T07:17:27","date_gmt":"2022-09-26T07:17:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/obataf\/?p=21"},"modified":"2022-10-28T00:17:50","modified_gmt":"2022-10-28T00:17:50","slug":"post-1-the-last-stretch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/obataf\/2022\/09\/26\/post-1-the-last-stretch\/","title":{"rendered":"Post #1: The Last Stretch"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: center\">&#8220;Time flies when you have fun!&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;ve heard this phrase often growing up, and while the journey up until this point of my last year of my 20s hasn&#8217;t been the smoothest, it&#8217;s been fast moving ever since I&#8217;ve started taking courses at Oregon State University (OSU) in the Winter of 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n<p>Now that I&#8217;ve started the (hopefully) last term at OSU, I reflect back to my childhood when I first touched my late father&#8217;s computer at his work back in the late 1990s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-heading\">The 1990s &#8211; The Introduction<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"404\" src=\"https:\/\/osu-wams-blogs-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs.dir\/6060\/files\/2022\/09\/federica-galli-aiqKc07b5PA-unsplash1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11\" srcset=\"https:\/\/osu-wams-blogs-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs.dir\/6060\/files\/2022\/09\/federica-galli-aiqKc07b5PA-unsplash1.jpg 640w, https:\/\/osu-wams-blogs-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs.dir\/6060\/files\/2022\/09\/federica-galli-aiqKc07b5PA-unsplash1-300x189.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>I don&#8217;t have great recollection of all the details from that time, but I still vaguely remember my father showing me how to draw flowers and animals on Microsoft Paint using the mouse, shooting monsters on Doom (which my mother was not a huge fan of him showing me), and simply clicking around different features of the computer back then. This was a big step for me &#8211; it introduced my young self to technology, and its endless potential. I was hooked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-heading\">Early 2000s &#8211; Living the Generation <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" src=\"https:\/\/osu-wams-blogs-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs.dir\/6060\/files\/2022\/09\/dim-hou-k-xYhI3-gJM-unsplash.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12\" srcset=\"https:\/\/osu-wams-blogs-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs.dir\/6060\/files\/2022\/09\/dim-hou-k-xYhI3-gJM-unsplash.jpg 640w, https:\/\/osu-wams-blogs-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs.dir\/6060\/files\/2022\/09\/dim-hou-k-xYhI3-gJM-unsplash-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>From then on, I continued to be fascinated by computers, games, and gadgets. I saved money to buy the latest console from Nintendo, drew digital drawings using Microsoft Paint, and eventually created my first website in GeoCities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Then in middle school, I created a website from scratch using HTML through a class and presented it at a local Apple store. I was proud of my creation, although my parents at the time were a little embarrassed by my geekiness. Classic Japanese parents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-heading\">Late 2000s to 2010s &#8211; Transition<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" src=\"https:\/\/osu-wams-blogs-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs.dir\/6060\/files\/2022\/09\/katya-ross-koyy-5uzlPU-unsplash.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7\" srcset=\"https:\/\/osu-wams-blogs-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs.dir\/6060\/files\/2022\/09\/katya-ross-koyy-5uzlPU-unsplash.jpg 640w, https:\/\/osu-wams-blogs-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs.dir\/6060\/files\/2022\/09\/katya-ross-koyy-5uzlPU-unsplash-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Then, towards high school while I continued to play MMO games on my PC, it was time to decide on my first major in college; however, Computer Science was not my choice. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You might wonder, why? Why did I decide not to pursue at least something like Game Design or some computer related degree, based on the stories told so far? <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I hit a point where my interests were pointed at painting with traditional medium (like oil paints) and I simply enjoyed doing regular coursework. Computer was more of a hobby at the time, not something I wanted to pursue in career. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hence, I went into University of California, Santa Cruz, first pursuing Theater Arts Design and eventually graduated with a degree in Business Management Economics (BME). This transition is a story for another time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-heading\">Late 2010s to 2020 &#8211; College to Working in Silicon Valley <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/osu-wams-blogs-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs.dir\/6060\/files\/2022\/09\/laura-ockel-bDVJ7j5sTPs-unsplash.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13\" width=\"640\" height=\"434\" srcset=\"https:\/\/osu-wams-blogs-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs.dir\/6060\/files\/2022\/09\/laura-ockel-bDVJ7j5sTPs-unsplash.jpg 640w, https:\/\/osu-wams-blogs-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs.dir\/6060\/files\/2022\/09\/laura-ockel-bDVJ7j5sTPs-unsplash-300x203.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>And you might be wondering, so how did you go full circle and end up today at my last stretch in my Computer Science degree? <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After graduating from UC Santa Cruz with a not-so-useful BME degree, I ended up in a contractor work at Google, working closely with engineers for localization. As I worked more closely with tech people, this was the point where I started to wonder:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">&#8220;Wait a minute&#8230; Wasn&#8217;t this the people, topics, and knowledge that I was <em>actually <\/em>interested in?&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Turns out, it was. After working at Google for a little more than a year, I applied and became a Knowledge Engineer at Amazon. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I was able to work on creating new features for Amazon Alexa, and that was the point I confirmed I <em>really<\/em> enjoyed creating something from scratch, much like I enjoyed painting artwork in high school. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, after 2 years of working there, a company re-organization happened and I lost my job, and that happened to coincide with the COVID-19 pandemic that severely impacted the job market in 2020, leading me to an year of self-reflection. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-heading\">2020 &#8211; The Year of Reflection <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" src=\"https:\/\/osu-wams-blogs-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs.dir\/6060\/files\/2022\/09\/joshua-reddekopp-SyYmXSDnJ54-unsplash.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-18\" srcset=\"https:\/\/osu-wams-blogs-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs.dir\/6060\/files\/2022\/09\/joshua-reddekopp-SyYmXSDnJ54-unsplash.jpg 640w, https:\/\/osu-wams-blogs-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs.dir\/6060\/files\/2022\/09\/joshua-reddekopp-SyYmXSDnJ54-unsplash-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The year of 2020 was tough, but was a year that I learned more about myself and interest. I decided to code once again, after multiple months of failed attempt at landing on jobs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I revived my limited memory of HTML from my middle school and Java from that one class I took in college, and proceeded to learn Python, JavaScript, HTML, CSS, SQL, etc. through online courses like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theodinproject.com\">The Odin Project<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.freecodecamp.org\">freeCodeCamp<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Then, towards the latter half of 2020, I learned about OSU&#8217;s post-bacc program. I was already late for Fall 2020 application, so I rushed to apply for Winter 2021. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I got accepted, and fortunately or not, I also got accepted for a contract role for Meta as a TPM role. Though I was not expecting to study and work at the same time initially, I decided to try out the &#8220;working full time and pursuing a 2nd degree&#8221; route.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-heading\">And Now<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Here I am today, spending my daytime working as a TPM team lead and nighttime studying in my last term in OSU. It&#8217;s been a busy year and three quarters, but I&#8217;m seeing the light at the tunnel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I am already looking towards 2023 as a year to advance my career, shifting my gear from a engineering coordination\/management role to <strong>actual<\/strong> engineering role, which I haven&#8217;t had a chance to prepare myself quite yet, but is excited of!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I also just went back to Japan seeing my family for the past 2 weeks, and feel rejuvenated. I feel ready to tackle my last term. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image is-style-default\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"2560\" src=\"https:\/\/osu-wams-blogs-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs.dir\/6060\/files\/2022\/09\/20220913_1702242-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-16\" srcset=\"https:\/\/osu-wams-blogs-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs.dir\/6060\/files\/2022\/09\/20220913_1702242-scaled.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/osu-wams-blogs-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs.dir\/6060\/files\/2022\/09\/20220913_1702242-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/osu-wams-blogs-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs.dir\/6060\/files\/2022\/09\/20220913_1702242-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/osu-wams-blogs-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs.dir\/6060\/files\/2022\/09\/20220913_1702242-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/osu-wams-blogs-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs.dir\/6060\/files\/2022\/09\/20220913_1702242-1536x2048.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" \/><figcaption>Photo from my recent trip back to Japan<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>For those who happened to come across this post and taken the time to read, thank you! If you are fellow student like myself, I wish you the best of luck in your journey. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>I don&#8217;t think the next post will be as long as this one, but until next time! <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8211; Fusako<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Time flies when you have fun!&#8221; I&#8217;ve heard this phrase often growing up, and while the journey up until this point of my last year of my 20s hasn&#8217;t been the smoothest, it&#8217;s been fast moving ever since I&#8217;ve started taking courses at Oregon State University (OSU) in the Winter of 2021. Now that I&#8217;ve &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/obataf\/2022\/09\/26\/post-1-the-last-stretch\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Post #1: The Last Stretch<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12815,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/obataf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/obataf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/obataf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/obataf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12815"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/obataf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/obataf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":57,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/obataf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21\/revisions\/57"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/obataf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/obataf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/obataf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}