Starting from a very early age, I was a child that would always be on the computer. Computers fascinated me since they could perform a myriad of tasks at lightning speed. Trying to understand how a computer worked really intrigued me. As a result I knew from the start that I would grow attached to computers and would most likely be working with it in my future.
That leads me to where I am right now, taking ICS 314 in my spring 2021 semester. Although I have a very strong interest in computers, I realized after taking a few ICS courses that my coding is on the weaker side. I have a harder time problem solving compared to most people so I often take a long time to code something, with no exception to the newly learned Javascript language. So far, although I am still struggling with the WODs (often hitting the DNF+ times), I feel like Javascript has been easier to pick up compared to Java and C/C++. Taking ICS 111/211 has also made it easier for me to understand this new language since Java and Javascript have a lot of similar properties. I feel like Javascript allows for code to be more flexible (an example would be being able to use let and const for variables), which is really helpful for programming from a software engineering perspective.
I think athletic software engineering is really helpful since, as mentioned before, my coding is on the weaker side. So far, the WODs and bWODs have been treating me fine although I personally think that I am taking too long to solve some of the simpler problems. This kind of learning is new for me, so hopefully I adapt fast so I have a less stressful time in the class in the future. I have enjoyed the past WOD/bWODs that I have done but I am not sure if I will feel the same towards the future as the problems get longer and harder.
The atmosphere brought by the professor and some of the students in the discord has honestly been giving me motivation to try my best in this class since everyone seems so energetic and happy. The enthusiasm brought forward by everyone has honestly made me happy to attend class. I had the opposite happen to me in my ICS 212 class, which honestly give me no motivation to continue learning and I ended up dropping the course. I am very optimistic for my future in this class and hope I am able to use the skills taught by Professor Johnson in the real world when I graduate.