When we were kids, people would always ask us what we wanted to be when we grew up. You would often hear other kids say, “I want to be a fire fighter,” “I want to be a doctor,” or “I want to be a teacher.” As we shifted into high school, less people could answer that same question with the conviction we once had as children. We considered many possibilities but we were unsure of we really desired to do. I was one of these people.
Around the winter of 2015 I sent in my application to the University of Hawaii at Manoa and declared myself a computer science student. I was unsure of what to expect within this field as I had no prior experience in programming. I was scared that I would hate computer science and spend a lot of time switching majors until I finally found my passion. This would not be the case.
A few weeks into the fall semester in 2016, I knew that I loved computer science. For the first time in my life, I enjoyed doing assignments for school. Even if it was the simplest of programs like “Hello World,” it felt great to see the final product run. I want to create programs that can make people happier and enhance their quality of life. It would be interesting to work on a development team for a gaming company or for the next “big” app. I want the programs I create to have a positve impact on the future.
To get there, I must grow as a programmer. I want to be able to understand many programming languages so I can adapt to different environments and styles. Eventually, I hope to master the fundamentals of programming. Sometimes I forget the syntax for a specific piece of code and that takes away time from finishing the project. By mastering the fundamentals, I’ll be able to allocate time for coding in other areas. I also want to be able to code with confidence. If presented with a problem, I want to be able to solve it instead of panicking and buckling under the pressure. I know what I want and what I need to do. I know this is the way.