This week, I would like to talk about what I did to help me through this program rather than discuss our project. These methods helped me succeed in my classes and I hope these will help you as well.

1. Always Start Early – You don’t know what will happen throughout the next week or two. Get a head start and begin your work as early as possible. You might have unplanned work travels or onsite training that could sneak up on you, so don’t wait. Even if the module is released early, start the module as soon as possible.
2. Study Time – Some classes take more time than others, but overall expect to put in the same amount of time in each class. Make sure that you can commit 10 hours a week per class. If you work full-time and take two classes, then expect to have 20 hours set aside per week for your classes. Don’t take too many classes that you don’t have time for.
3. Ask Questions – Any questions that you have, you should ask. It will only hurt you if you don’t ask them. Really, there are no stupid questions. You will learn a lot asking by asking questions on Ed, during office hours on MS Teams, emails with the professor, tutoring sessions, and discussions with other students. Don’t be shy. Also, answer what other’s questions that you know the answer to.
4. Whiteboarding – For classes that require some extra time analyzing how the code works, invest in a whiteboard or have some kind of software that is like using a whiteboard. Stepping through your thought process with whiteboarding will help you understand and debug code. For example, when creating a linked list in CS 261 – Data Structures, it could help to draw out the linked list and imagine how removing and adding nodes would work. Then draw out the solution of how you would see the objects being removed and added into the list. Sometimes screenshotting your solution on a whiteboard can help others as well. Don’t hesitate to show others.
5. Rubber Ducking – No matter who you are, you will get stuck sometimes. The best way to help debug or fix the problem, is the rubber ducking approach. Talk through your program to an inanimate object or a “rubber duck”. Going through your process in detail can help you find the issue, because the problem will present itself. Instead of a rubber duck or inanimate, I step through my thought process and solution with my dog.
6. Discussion – If you want some input or ideas, discuss your process with a fellow classmate. WARNING: DON’T SHARE CODE OR ASK FOR CODE”. Another student may have insight into your implementation if you are stuck. They might present an alternate solution that will solve your problem. You should also do the same if others are stuck because it reinforces what you have learned.
7. Hard Classes – There are three hard classes that will eat up more time than others. I recommend that you study for these classes during your quarter break before you start the class. The classes you get ahead start on are CS 261 – Data Structures, CS 325 – Algorithms, and CS 344 – Operating Systems I. I found these tutorials that helped me out before I started the classes.
   
   Data Structures & Algorithms:
   – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hly31xKli0
   – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkYVOmU3MgA
   – https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDN4rrl48XKpZkf03iYFl-O29szjTrs_O
   
   C Programing Used in Operating Systems I:
   – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uR4tL-OSNI
   – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bz4MxDeEM6k
8. Don’t Stress – At the end of the day, a grade is just a letter. Stressing about a letter grade is not the way to think about school. You are there to learn and enjoy what you are learning. If all you care about is a letter grade, do you really care about the learning process or accomplishments you will have from this program? An A or B is great to receive, but a grade is not the only thing you should focus on.
9. Be Proud – Last but not least, be proud of what you have done. This isn’t an easy program, so take pride into the accomplishment of earning this degree.