Today marks the beginning of my last semester here at Oregon State University. It’s definitely a feeling of mixed emotions. Everything really came and went so fast the past year and a half. This blog will focus on my random shower thoughts and more importantly, my capstone design project.

A little about me; I’m from Tallahassee, Florida and attended Purdue University. From there I graduated in December 2019 with a B.S. in civil engineering. I really enjoyed the challenge of Purdue, the concepts, theory, and research really interested me. The day to day life of a civil engineer however… not so much.

I knew, probably for a while, it wasn’t what I was truly passionate about. I decided to take some programming classes my senior year because I had a hunch I would like it, and of course I ended up loving it. I realized coding was something I could see myself doing for my career, and something I could see myself enjoying most importantly.

That’s what lead me to Oregon State. I was graduated, I had a big boy job and bills to pay in a new city. I needed a way to continue working, but also earn another degree. Oregon State was perfect for me in that regard. So I started here in May 2020.

Since then, everything came fast. I completed 2 quarters before landing an internship with Walmart Labs. I was also a TA for our data structures course. Last quarter, Fall of 2021, was possibly the most challenging yet. I was taking 2 hard courses, but also spent every other second preparing for interviews I had with companies like Facebook, Roblox, Google, and Microsoft.

Going into software engineering certainly can be a grind if you want it to be. It takes a lot out of you if you want to work for a top company. I chose to max myself out in that way. I wanted to, because one day I want to have a family and provide for them the best I can. I also know that once I am settled into a new role, I can take the foot off the gas a bit. Right now I’m fortunate to be in a spot to where I can push myself.

I’m taking 3 courses to finish as I have a offer in hand, meaning I must finish these to start. It will be a tough quarter, and honestly I would love to take one class at a time if I could, I really do think that’s the best way to soak the material.

I’m lucky to have found a group, and right now we have our sights set on developing a mobile app; preferably a game. I’m excited because this will allow me to learn new technologies, and end up with a pretty solid resume item.

As a software engineer, I definitely have a lot to learn and I think Capstone will be a great step forward for learning some cool new technologies.

Other than that, I am truly excited about what the future holds. I am very thankful that Oregon State exists, it really changed my life and allowed me to pursue my dreams. If this was just 10 years ago, I wouldn’t have this option. I will have more blogs to come, some focused on free thoughts, and others specifically for the Capstone project. Excited to share with whomever is reading!