I grew up always fascinated with computers. Ever since my parents first bought a Hewlett-Packard for a family computer in the 90s I’ve been addicted. When I went into college the first time around, however, I decided to pursue another path. Why? Honestly, I can’t remember. I think it was probably along the lines of “if I make a career out of my passion, I’ll end up resenting it.”

I graduated over a decade ago and I never really used that degree I earned (Sociology). Reflecting on it now, I should have just pursued what I originally had an interest in. So that’s what I’m doing now.

I’ve struggled a bit to really find a niche in Computer Science that I enjoy the most. A lot of it has been interesting, but not necessarily career-enticing. Probably the most satisfying things I’ve worked with have been databases. It’s a bit saddening that OSU doesn’t seem to offer any other database courses other than Intro to Databases for the e-campus students. But, oh well.

One thing I have discovered though is that I really loathe Javascript/website development. I’m not even entirely sure why. I think I just got a bad taste in my mouth working with it in Web Development and ever since then I just avoid using it. I also don’t really like working front-end stuff. I’m not a visually creative person, so tinkering with aesthetics and user experience has been a bit of a struggle for me. With that said, there have been a couple personal projects I’ve worked on that I enjoyed doing some front-end stuff with. For example, I’m particularly proud of the chess game I made last summer.

The biggest hurdle I face though is my fear of working on stuff that I don’t already have an initial understanding of. Reading some of the projects on the project proposal page gave me an immediate “yeah, that’s impossible for me” feeling.

I need to learn to overcome that.