My Journey In Education So Far
This year marks the 6th year that I’ll be attending college / university. I took my first college course in 2016 at my local community college in Sacramento California. I had no idea what I wanted to do after high school aside from finding a field that was challenging and which required a lot of creative thinking. After a couple of years of working and meandering in college, I found that I really connected with computer science. The types of challenges I found in software engineering really forced me to use creative thinking but also required a very analytical approach when thinking and problem solving. Once I decided what I wanted to do, I just needed to continue my education to further build my understanding of the field and grow into a qualified individual to enter the workforce.
The Constant Grind
Again, I’m in my 6th year of college, and it should come to no surprise that working full time can really slow down progress to getting your education completed. I worked a number of jobs, and only after a few years was I able to land my first IT job. However, regardless of what job I worked, I also felt that I learned a lot of valuable skills and lessons where ever I would go. You wouldn’t think that working as a baker in a small family business would give you any useful skills when entering computer science. But actually, you realize what the needs of different types of business are. For example, I learned that companies like Square have filled a gap in the market with technology to enable small businesses to take payments. It may seem obvious since so many small businesses use Square now, but the ease of signing up for rewards and benefits gained from the network that Square has built is not something you can really appreciate from the other side until you are that small business. I found that no matter what job I was in that there is always something to learn as long as you are there to pay attention. Working really gave me the opportunity to truly engage in my community, and see what Information Technology means to everyday people.
After OSU
I’ve always treated education as something I only really do because I enjoy it. And when you work full time and spend a lot of money and most of your free time on education after you’re done with work, you kind of have to. That being said, I’m really excited to be in my last year of undergrad! I can remember the feeling of looking at the seemingly insurmountable list of courses I had left to take, and seeing the finish line right in front of me feels unreal. I can’t wait to do my Masters in Computer Science. I’m looking at doing my masters in computer vision, with my top pick universities being Georgia Tech. They have an online program which offers a ton of great value that I think is unrivaled at the moment. I’ll link to the program below.
This Senior Project
What I really want to get out of this senior project is the opportunity to work with some really brilliant people to create a solution that will both serve as a great portfolio piece but also provides value after the project is completed. That’s why I picked the project below.
AI Image Analysis using ML/NN to Automate Control of a Million-Dollar Printing Press
This project incorporates Computer Vision, a field I am very interested in, and has a real world application.
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