While reading these chapters, I realized what it meant to be a software developer and how you have to evolve and change as things in the field change. I really agreed with the thought that developing code is like a craft and you need to hone it through learning from people that are more experienced in the topic or language you are trying to learn. when I did my final project for my CS-348 class I needed to learn other languages and things that weren’t explicitly taught to me and at that time I knew I would need to continuously learn in the field of Computer Science. These chapters said the same thing and reinforced that idea in my mind and I agreed when they worded it as “He’d no longer be a grade-motivated person. He’d be a knowledge-motivated person”. Chapter 3 really resonated with me cause it talks about a feeling that all people in Computer science feel which is that they feel out of place or that they haven’t done/learned enough to be in the same space. I felt like this for a while and it really made consider changing majors for a while when I was really having difficulties with certain projects and assignments. One thing I do disagree with is Chapter 4 in which they try to warn people to not be content with their situation, I think its important to take a breath and enjoy how far you have come and what you have done. I agree that its important to continue improving and learning more than you knew before, but if you constantly push yourself in an unhealthy way, you will find yourself in a deep hole of “I don’t belong here”. People need to be able to enjoy the success that they have created for themselves and worked hard to achieve. The thing that I feel applies to me the most at the moment is how Software developing is a craftmanship, perpetual learning, and not getting stuck in your first language. I think the idea of getting stuck in the mindset of your first language is a common one because its easy to think in a language that you understand fully and apply that as a learning style. reaching out and getting involved in other communities is also another great way to learn and hone your craft because it allows people to communicate their interests to one another and ask for help and advice on things that they might not get or are having trouble with. I want to continue to learn about computer science so the chapter on perpetual learning was really interesting to me and helped me learned new ways to learn more about how I can learn more in the field of computer science.

From the blog CS@Worcester – Tyler Quist’s CS Blog by Tyler Quist and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.