I first chose to pursue computer science because I thought it was a diverse field that was easy for me to learn and that had great job security. I didn’t really have an interest in computer science itself. Going through classes made me realize that there were a lot of aspects of computer science that I genuinely found interesting, particularly software engineering. I like to think about the process that went into developing the programs and games that I use and relate it to the things I’ve learned so far.
From there, my main goal then was to learn how to create my own video game. As I learned more, I decided that was too broad a goal and needed to create smaller and more concise goals I can work towards. Some skills I want to develop to reach this goal are my data structure and algorithm skills. I don’t fully understand certain algorithm concepts and I have yet to learn about data structures, their properties, and when to use them. I also want to learn how to create helpful and efficient Unit tests to improve the programs I make.
In the future, I hope to have many experiences and meet new people that help me improve my skills. I have seen many events and competitions related to coding that I wanted to participate in, but I felt that I was not skilled enough to join. Hopefully I will reach a level where I am comfortable enough to join. I also hope to join clubs to network and meet others who can help me develop my skills and show me new ways to program. One club in particular I was interested in is the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) at UH Manoa, which seems like the perfect place to get new experiences and make CS friends.