Tag Archives: reflections

End of the Cycle

Well, here we are, at the apex of this class. I can say 100% that I had no idea what I was getting to when I signed up for this class. This course has truly been an experience, to say the least. I thought by the end of this class I would be able to go talk to all my computer engineer friends and brag about how I learned all they knew in four years in 4 months. Today, I stand here a humble man and can I say I have the utmost respect for those guys.

Coding is a beautiful art, and like with any art, it takes a bit of talent, but there are ways in coding to become great without the talent. Yet, I think some of my classmates had a knack for it. They found ways to work through problems they had an come out on the other end. I even found myself in similar precarious situations that I was able to get through with a few Google searches.

I am proud of the fact that I did build a website for myself. I came into the class believing that it was going to be easy for me to whip up a website whenever I needed one. Yet I came to find out in the middle of the semester that it possibly might not happen for me. I also know I was fairly inconsistent with my performance in the class. In the beginning I was doing very well with learning and then it came to applying and it became a bit harder, however still a bit fun.

Most importantly, thank you Professor Linch for being patient with us throughout the class, even though you were going through things that I’m sure are very elementary to you, you still made it interesting while being very helpful. So for that, thank you!

Midterm Reflections

Small update: Since interviewing Tiffanie Johnson and writing the Q&A, she has left Forum one and will be joining the Washington Post’s Web Development team on July 12.

One of the first things I noticed about Johnson is that she has a background in math an engineering. While neither of these are required for this career, it definitely helped her when she started learning. The other thing I noticed was how passionate she is about the field. She is driven to more forward, improve, and be an expert in her area. I did not add this the Q&A but she mentioned a specific need to be the best, to create the hardest to break software, and to develop something that has a positive effect on the world. This is why she left the department of defense.

I was encouraged and amused by the knowledge that, outside of this class, I can learn more about web development on YouTube. The fact that she did all of her development learning there is just funny. But she did stress the importance of coding daily and practicing. Where she found the time to do this while working, no idea, but it is good to know that it can be done.

I have never had to bid for work. I have never competed for an assignment, not this way anyway, so I don’t understand the challenges that come with having to do this. There is always something to be written, large or small, but I do want to become a freelancer. I want the flexibility that this type of working affords but it will mean that I will have to compete for stories.

At the end of the day, Johnson’s journey was inspiring in that she took an unconventional path to what I can only describe as the career of her dreams.

*This post has been backdated*