CST 300 Fourth Week Journal

 CST 300 Fourth Week Journal

Lecture: Week 4

Part 1: Educational Goals

    I plan to obtain my bachelor's degree in computer science from California State University of Monterey Bay (CSUMB). I plan to pass my classes with high grades (A's and B's). I will do this not only because it will make me look better as a candidate for employment, but because I want to gain as much knowledge as possible from these classes. I hope to gain extensive knowledge and experience in software engineering. I plan to successfully complete an internship as a software engineer during my time at CSUMB. I plan to complete a capstone project during my time at CSUMB in order to gain experience and knowledge in software engineering. I also plan to show this project to prospective employers in order to show them my competency.

Part 2: Career Goals

    I plan to obtain a job in the software engineering industry making at least 40k per year by the start of 2026. Around this time, or maybe a little earlier, I plan to start designing and building websites in hopes of selling my services to local companies. If successful in this endeavor then I will look towards bigger companies that would be looking to take me on as a web developer, possibly as a part time or temporary job.  I hope my first job will give me the experience I need that will set me on the trajectory towards making at least 100k per year. I hope to make at least 100k per year by the year 2030. If my first job is not affording any opportunity for growth then I will make sure to grow my skillset and look for better opportunities elsewhere.

Part 3: ETS Computer Science Test

    After viewing the ETS page, the test description, and sample test, I can confidently say that I will score high on this test. The sections included in the test will all be covered in classes that I will be taking at CSUMB. We will learn about Algorithms in CST 370: Algorithms. We will learn about Information Management in CST 363: Database Management and CST 383: Introduction to Data Science. Discrete Structures may be taught in the algorithms class, but if it is not then I still have my textbook from when I took that class so I will be using that to study. Programming will be covered in several courses during my time at CSUMB. Systems will be covered in the CST 334: Operating Systems course. Software engineering will be covered in the CST 438: Software Engineering course. Most, if not all, of the test parts will be covered at some point during my time at CSUMB. Because of that I am confident that I will be able to score well on this test.

Part 4: Learning Journal

    This week we focused on goals and how to make SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound) goals. Learning how to set goals in this way makes the path towards accomplishing them much clearer. I learned about the ETS Major Field Test that I will have to take around 18 months into this program. This test will give me an idea of where I stand with regards to the skills that are expected of those in the software engineering industry. Our class had a discussion on AI and how it may impact our future which was thought-provoking. There was another discussion on the ethics involved in a situation where I was a technology specialist at a secondary school where they had been using unlicensed software. It was great to read everybody's perspectives on this. We learned that stakeholders include anyone that is impacted by a decision. We learned about the different types of claims when writing an argumentative paper (fact, value, policy, definition, cause). Bias in argumentation happens when cherry-picking points in an argument in a way that benefits their argument and invalidates opposing arguments. I also learned a great deal about my teammates through the OLI module where we played 2 truths 1 lie and shared things about ourselves such as workstyles, responses to conflict, and social sensitivity.

OLI Module #4

    This week on OLI my team played 2 truths and 1 lie in order to learn more about each other. We created a Google document with our answers and guesses. The second part of the OLI assignment had us share what we learned about ourselves from OLI. We discussed our workstyles, social sensitivity, and response to conflict, among other things. This part of the assignment was a great way to gain some insight into how our teammates operate and the best ways to work with them. Overall, I feel that this assignment has taught my team a great deal about each other on top of strengthening our ability to work as a team.

Comments

  1. Juan QFebruary 5, 2024 at 7:59 PM

    Hello James,
    I can see that you have a sharp vision of where you want to be regarding your education and career goals. You did an excellent job breaking down your major educational goal of obtaining your bachelor’s degree in computer science. You made the goal manageable by setting smaller goals that will get you closer and closer to achieving your goal. You also made the reason for your educational goal clear, which is to become a better candidate for employment, to keep you motivated.
    For your career goal, you also set a solid goal of having a job that pays more than 100k by the year 2030. You set a smaller goal which was to get a job that pays you 40k per year and build up your experience by designing and building websites to eventually become a web developer. I believe that, although you might get an internship while you are still studying, you should consider that internship as the beginning of your career goal because it will give you the experience in the real world that you will need to land that first job.

    ReplyDelete
  2. CS Learning BlogFebruary 6, 2024 at 3:28 AM

    $40k per year is a very realistic role, and I take it's great that you have a good grasp on what it takes to build yourself up as an independent web developer. One piece of advice I would give is to look for internships (or apprenticeships if you're already working full-time and can't leave a stable job). Internships make it much easier to land a $100k and up job right out of college, and also give you a taste of what it's like to work at a big company. It might be a quicker way to one of those jobs than independent freelance. But then again, if freelance is your ultimate goal anyway and you don't plan to work for someone else, that can be pretty lucrative as well once you gain experience.

    ReplyDelete
  3. KeliaFebruary 6, 2024 at 12:06 PM

    Hi James,

    You did a great job discussing your educational and career goals. Our goals are very similar, as I too plan to work hard and get no grade lower than a B, and obtaining my Computer Science degree is my main educational goal. I see you mentioned you would like to obtain an internship while attending CSUMB, which is a great opportunity to gain experience that would further help you reach your career goal of earning 40k a year by 2026. I think your expected salary is definitely achievable and realistic. I see that you mentioned you would like to go into Web Development, I am hoping to get into this field as well. Designing and creating websites for local businesses is a great way to build your portfolio, in addition to completing your capstone project, and will get you closer to your goal of earning 100k.

    ReplyDelete

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