Author Archives: ageorge4756

Blog #1: DevOps Defined

While searching for a first topic to write about, the question in mind I wanted to answer was “What is the formal definition of the processes we have been following” and “How does it all relate to what we’ve learned”. This question was answered by the following article which introduced me to the term DevOps, which is abbreviated for Development and Operations.

The following article grants a brief definition of what DevOps is, but most importantly shows the core values that all tie this subject together. Most of these core values we went over in great detail within our class, such as Continuous Integration and Deployment, while others were completely new to me such as Infrastructure As Code (IaC). This simply put focuses on how we interact with Infrastructure and looking at areas in which it can increase efficiency through automation.

Beyond showing the core values, this article speaks on the best ways these are applied. Some of these topics are implied such as collaboration through Agile Development and Continuous Integration and Development, but there was one I did want more clarity on and that is automation. Fundamentally I understand that teams can use automation to increase efficiency, however it does seem counterintuitive in an environment that promotes teamwork. On one hand, you can increase efficiency by letting automation ‘do its thing’ with little supervision, but that may create future errors. These errors and subsequent corrections will reduce efficiency later in development. If you allocate one (or more people) to frequently supervise the automated process, then there’s less of a risk of something going wrong, but you lose the efficiency that one (or more) people could’ve provided. By arguing this I’m not stating that automation does not have a place within DevOps, but that it may be a dangerous inclusion if not accounted for correctly.

Overall I found this article useful in expanding my knowledge of what we’ve learned throughout the semester, the visual(s) provided showing each component of the DevOps processes did help too. One thing that I would suggest for future semesters is maybe looking into how automation can be integrated into DevOps and appending it to your current lectures/activities? I think the curriculum for CS-348 is very good as of now, but adding a unit about automation could maybe help answer some of the questions I asked and potentially could help future students be ready for what they may see in the workforce (beyond college). Lastly, the source in which I retrieved this information seems to be a post on LinkedIn by a company named Quality Matrix Group, so there seems to be plenty of credible information within the post.

(Bonus points for them being based locally in Westborough MA!)

-AG

Source:

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/evolution-devops-from-concept-best-practices-qualitymatrix?utm_source=share&utm_medium=guest_desktop&utm_campaign=copy

From the blog CS@Worcester – Computer Science Progression by ageorge4756 and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

Introduction:

To all who read this, welcome, my name is Andrew and as of writing this I’m currently a junior in college studying Computer Science. The goal of this brief first post is to inform you all of where I am currently with my studies, and additionally to create a timeline as to how I’ve got to where I am today.

My experience and interest in Computer Science started in an unlikely place, that being within my CADD classes during 2016. Although CADD is more accurately described as an Engineering class, it does carry many aspects and design processes similar to those in Computer Science. From this class I shifted my attention from Engineering to Computer Science. The next year I took my first introductory courses into CS. During this time I learned surface-level information on Java, HTML, and Big Data. As I approached my graduation, which we were the class of 2020, I made it my goal to take most if not all CS courses my high-school had to offer. These courses enriched my knowledge in both programming with Java and HTML, as well as covering concepts such as Cybersecurity and Big Data Analysis. From these introductory classes I worked my way up to AP-level classes, one of which proved to be very beneficial as I apply my knowledge from it to this day. Unfortunately some of these skills such as programming with HTML haven’t seen use since their respective class, however these skills do help to make me a well-rounded learner able to apply new concepts quickly. Overall my high-school years served as the catalyst for my pursuit in CS and offered me a small insight as to what I find interesting within this field of study.

With high-school complete I once again pivoted my studies towards Game/Interactive Media Design at Becker College, as it was something I was incredibly passionate about. To say Game Design is part of CS would be a very generous assumption, the best comparison I can make it that Game Design is ‘CS-adjacent’ as having skills from it will only prove beneficial. The knowledge I obtained from my year at Becker was minimal, but served two important roles during my studies. 1: Was to introduce me to a new coding language (which will be spoken about soon), and 2: Was to give me the tiniest push back into pursuing CS as my major. Something that I learned while pursuing Game Design was an introduction to Scrum and other collaborative methods. These skills are applicable in any team setting whether physical or remote, so it will be a valuable skill to have going into the future.

With the closure of Becker I transferred to Quinsigamond Community College where I redeclared my major to CS. From here I didn’t necessarily learn anything new (in regards to CS), however my 1.5 years at QCC gave me time to settle back into CS and further reinforce my pre-existing knowledge of the subject. This included getting my C++ skills up to par with my Java skills. Within the past year (2023) I’ve transferred to Worcester State University where I will be finishing my CS program in 2025 and achieve a Bachelors in Computer Science. As I’m writing this I just started my Fall Semester and already I’ve been exposed to different aspects of CS I’ve never had experience in. Whether it be managing databases or designing Computational Architecture all of these skills will broaden my horizons. With these new found skills, in conjunction with pre-existing knowledge, I will delve further into my studies in future hopes of applying these in the workforce.

Once again, welcome to my blog, I appreciate you reading through this and hearing my story. Thank you.

-AG

From the blog CS@Worcester – Computer Science Progression by ageorge4756 and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.