As I continue through my second degree, this time in Computer Science, I keep in mind the different opportunities that this degree is suppose to bring. One in particular was to one day go to law school and become a patent lawyer, patent lawyers need to have some science/engineering degree that’s why I am majoring in Computer Science. Apart from this I also just want to explore what jobs I can do as a computer scientist. However, I am not thinking more and more about the “online” experience. And while it does feel overwhelming right now I think that the experience can provide a wealth of knowledge and experience that can get me those computer science jobs. However, can I sustain this high level of work is a different question.
In order for me to continue to work as an employee and as a student I will have really sharpen my skill set as someone who is a good planner. While I did an o.k. job of planning this past semester I can definitely do better. And not just planning but also executing and re-evaluating what I planned. I am realizing now that while I thought this was a strength in the online/work context I can improve. I am going to keep a planner and I will continue to use the goal setting strategies that I picked up in this class and apply them to each of my classes, in what goals do I want to have for my assignments for each class.
Another point of reflection is in my communication skills. I always saw myself as a good communicator however I am seeing that I can be a better one. One particular way of communicating through email or canvas mail I need to get better at. Specifically, I need to do a better job of aligning my communicating with my planning. What has been a reoccurring theme in my computer science class is that I start working on an assignment late into the week so late that I feel bad reaching out to my TA or my professor. Luckily they have been really understanding and have communicated back in a timely manner. However, I should start working on my assignments earlier in the week so that I can communicate with them earlier instead of me struggling and worrying later in the week.
As well, I want to start getting tutoring help that OSU provides for these computer science classes. While I never made the time for myself to do this I need to for next semester. This tutoring can possibly go a long way to prevent headaches and missed assignments but like all other things it needs to be planned and accounted for. Coupled from the help I get from my TA I should end up with a better grade and less stress.
My long term goal again is complete my degree but in all that I want to also start exploring now. I plan to expand my knowledge through a project outside of class. I have started on that project and I hope with the summer I have time to focus on that. I plan to also use some of the help I get for my classes to guide this project as well. As well, I hope to use my planner to integrate working on this project on a weekly basis. As far as next steps goes I will start pseudo coding, which essentially is blue printing, the code for this project next week and from their start writing the code and finally fixing any bugs/testing. Each of those steps are going to require that accurately and consistently plan what I am doing and that I have others help me along the way.
Well I hope you are successful at starting your work earlier in the week. I try to start first thing Monday by viewing the lectures and then get on the assignments by Wednesday. However, sometimes I get a little impatient and would prefer to just jump into the assignments at the beginning of the week. Best of luck to you,
Terry
It really sounds like you got a lot from this course! My planner worked so well for me until the last few weeks of the term.
That is great that you can acknowledge your believed areas of strengths and recognize where it could use some improvement. I really didn’t think I would benefit from this class all that much, but it sounds like we all have. There are so many resources available and friendly supportive staff members. I am really impressed with our professor and will most likely reach out to her during this online journey of mine.
Good luck!
I like what you said about starting earlier in the week…..and it’s wonderful how helpful your TA and professor have been…. Makes you think they might be empathizing a bit….we’re all human. Thank you for the reminder too….I needed it. Good to hear from you…. you and the rest of us in this class will soon be one step closer to our goals. Yay! 🙂
This “online thing” is such a learning process, and I’ve been very impressed Jose by your ability to jump into a new format and a new industry/topic and LEARN. Not give up. Learning how to learn and learning what works and what doesn’t and committing to this process is the true key to success. Sounds like you are taking some great strategies away with you that will help you reach both your short- and long-term goals. Keep up the good work!