Charting a New Course, Veering in a Fresh Direction
13 Jan 2023
Lost, changing course.
As a newly high school graduate, I had found myself in the same predicament as many of my peers - uncertain of my future career aspirations and lacking a clear sense of direction. Like many, I felt adrift and unsure of how to chart my own path. In the absence of a definitive plan, I made the decision to follow the wishes of my parents and pursue a career in nursing. However, after a full year of study at KCC and working as a home health aide, I found myself questioning whether this was truly the right path for me. Despite finding the work somewhat interesting, I felt unfulfilled and constantly questioned if I was making the right choice. It wasn’t until my best friend insisted I would excel in computer science and urged me to take my first computer class, ICS 111, that I began to truly discover my passion for the field. Prior to this, I had never considered computer science as a viable career path for myself, as I believed that my academic abilities were not on par with those of my peers who were attending prestigious universities such as Harvard and MIT. However, after finding that initial course to be quite intriguing, I thought it wouldn’t hurt to take a few more CS classes, using the excuse that it would be a useful elective as technology continues to play an increasingly important role in the future. This eventually snowballed to the point where I am now at UH Manoa, majoring in Computer Science.
Hopes
Having just transferred over to UH last semester, ICS 314 will be my first upper level ICS course specifically related to coding and programming. Regarding what I hope I can get out of this class, after looking through the course modules, my goal for this semester is to expand my knowledge and skills in the field of web development, an area in which I have little experience. Specifically, I hope to gain a deeper understanding of how to create clear, responsive, and user-friendly websites while also gaining mastery over web development tools such as React, Meteor, and Bootstrap. Furthermore, I see this class as an opportunity to enhance my professional development by building a high-quality professional portfolio and honing my skills in networking and collaboration. I am eager to learn from my peers and instructors and look forward to the challenges and rewards that this class will bring.