Week 4

 Part One: My Educational Goals

My educational goal for  CS program is to have a strong foundation in computer science theory and practical skills. I should be able to design and develop software programs and computational solutions. Have a more effective problem-solving skills and be able to adapt easily in new and emerging technologies. Attaining my Bachelor Degree in Computer Science is also a goal of mine but I think it is enough. My the actual goal is to pass all the classes with clear understanding of what was taught and be able to retain it and apply some skills that I learn in the future. This goal of mine is a long term and far from being achieved. It will require discipline, consistency and patience. The short term goal that I have is to pass both CS 349 and CS 300. I believe we are halfway for this two courses and I should be able to achieve it soon as long as I keep doing my work and keep my grades up.

Part Two: My Career Goal 

My career goal as of right now is to transition from being a QA/SDET Engineer into a Software Engineer. I am aiming to at least be a backend software engineer. My aim is to work in a company that works with healthcare or medical devices as I think this industry is important. My other option is to work in a graphics technology, and a famous company for it is NVIDIA. These are my long and general goal for my career in CS industry. The short term I have for now is to upskill and learn different methodology when it comes to software development. I feel like I still am behind to my software development skill and I need to improve and learn more in order to transition in a full time software engineer.

Part Three: Prediction of percentile of the ETS Computer Science test

My score should be the average score. The questions in the tests are not trivial and requires a clear understanding of different subject matter. I will be happy if I get the average score but the goal is still getting all the answer correct. I can never say how I feel about these exams because I tend to overthink if I think about it. My mindset is not to pressure myself and just answer the questions with the best knowledge that I have and with confidence.

 Part Four: Learning Journal

I learn more about my educational goals and my career goals and what I need to know about it. The steps I need to learn in order to achieve it. I also learn more about ethical dilemma and how to write a proper ethical argument essay. It is important that a writer must layout both argument for both side and not show biases in order to set the tone. Biases in a argumentative essay is frown upon and should not be done when writing. I also learn more about my previous boss in my interview. I learn more about his perspective and experience throughout the industry. He was very well spoken and insightful with his interview.

 

Post-Interview Reflection Report  

    My interviewee’s name is Martin Jajam. During the interview, I learned that he recently retired after leaving NVIDIA, where he worked as a Senior Solutions Architect. I chose to interview him because of his extensive experience in the computer science field and the variety of people and companies he has worked with. He began his career as a video game developer for different companies, then worked at Thales as a Principal Software Engineer, focusing on in-flight entertainment systems. After Thales, he joined Glidewell Dental, where I met him, and we worked together to develop medical devices and manufacturing tools. Lastly, he worked at NVIDIA before officially retiring.

    One of the key takeaways from the interview was the struggles he faced throughout his career. For him, it was challenging to adapt to the different companies he worked for. Each company has its own culture, methods, and approaches to building products. You can’t simply carry everything you’ve learned from a previous company into a new one. He believes it takes at least one year for a developer to fully adapt to a new company or environment. Another challenge he discussed was finding a balance between engineering and delivering features. It’s one thing to push out code to complete a task, but it’s another to engineer software properly. Engineering involves building something efficient and sustainable software that will not break easily and can be maintained in the future, avoiding “spaghetti code.” He also believes that a successful engineering team must be led by someone who has both strong technical skills and good people skills, a leader who puts people first before the technology the team are using.

    Another important takeaway from the interview was our discussion about artificial intelligence (AI). Martin and I share the same sentiment that developers who use AI have a major advantage over those who don’t. He believes AI can help with simple tasks and significantly improve productivity. AI is a tool that should be utilized and embraced. However, he also emphasized that while AI can teach us how to code or program, it cannot teach proper architecture, which can only be learned and developed through experience.

    The last takeaway from the interview was the advice he shared. First, he emphasized the importance of being tenacious, a person who doesn’t give up easily. A developer doesn’t need to be the smartest or best at math to be a good software engineer. A good engineer is someone who has the drive and persistence to solve problems. He also believes software engineering is both a technical and a creative process. A person needs the technical skills to solve problems but also needs the creativity to design and develop effective solutions. Lastly, he advised me to start building projects that I can showcase and learn from throughout the process. He said to build something that people will find useful or meaningful, as this can fuel motivation. He believes that a person with a bachelor’s degree and a project portfolio is often more impressive than someone with a master’s degree in computer science because real projects demonstrate capability.

    The interview experience helped me better understand what it takes to be a good software engineer and what skills I need to develop. I now understand that I must be more adaptive in the software industry. As technology evolves quickly, we must not only keep up with new tools but also learn to collaborate effectively with different people in various companies. Adaptability seems to be a key trait for anyone working in tech. I also learned the importance of balancing creativity and technical skill when developing software. I recognize that creativity is an area I need to improve, and I plan to work on that. This career can be volatile as technology moves fast, so it’s essential to keep learning, adapting, and being innovative.

    Lastly, from the advice he gave me, I will always remind myself to be a collaborative person, as teamwork is essential to building successful projects. It’s also important to be a people first leader if I ever manage a development team in the future. I will make the most of AI tools to stay competitive and not fall behind. Finally, I will continue building projects that showcase my abilities to future employers. Projects are a reflection of my skills, and creating them will help me prepare for a successful career in the tech industry.