WEEK 4: My Career Goals and Ethical Thinking
Setting my Educational Goals
I ultimately want to do the best I can in this program. I know that on top of full-time work and wedding planning that completing a CS degree is not going to be an easy task. I am very determined to start a new life outside of entry level accounting positions. I don't want to "just pass" I want to fully immerse myself with what I am learning so I can apply it to my future career. Sorry to get personal, but I have felt stuck since taking a step back from my education and a new fire has lit under me in enrolling in this program. I know that I am capable of so much more and being a successful student is the first step I am taking to get there.
Setting my Career Goals
I want to be a successful programmer in a field that I love. I would love to be a Data Scientist or a Data Engineer for product development. I wrote my Industry Analysis essay on how I would get there. I want to use my accounting experience as a steppingstone to get into the Data Science industry. I have absolutely no knowledge on Audio Systems but that is another field that I am very interested in. Maybe my accounting experience won't help me too much in that aspect, but I will study where I need to do get into that space. Seeing a project come to life is one of my favorite things about coding.
ETS Computer Science Test
If I am going to struggle in any area it would be Discrete Structures, which is unfortunate considering that is the largest part of the exam. Proofs are something that if it is shown and explained to me, I think "Well yes! This is clear and straightforward." But once I am asked to do one myself, I completely blank and get sidetracked. It is the exact reason I realized I changed my major from Mathematics to CS. Otherwise, I believe I would do fairly well on the test. Will I ace it with 100%? Not sure but I definitely shouldn't be worried about failing if I apply myself correctly. (Vain?)
What I Learned This Week
This week we were introduced to Ethical Arguments. I enjoy this as a CS student because it works our brains in a different way. We're normally using our brains for computing. I see online that there is a lot of discourse on the use of AI. AI has been the cause of layoffs and there is an environmental factor to consider when using it. These are things I am completely aware of and understand but as a CS student.... I am 99% sure that I will be working with AI, there is no going around it. That was the topic of our discussing this week. How will AI impact me personally in my professional life? I basically said that I think AI is amazing and it is not something that should be limited at all. But it does raise the question that if AI can do my job for me, why would a company keep me on? I think it's important for all CS students to get familiar with AI.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHello, Claudia! We have similar educational goals, the way we want to do our absolute best and achieve what we can within the computer science program. Having a full time job, while planning a wedding, and taking an online computer science course must be extremely busy. Knowing you for the past few weeks, you seem very motivated, organized, and most importantly all, excited to be apart of the program, all of which leads me to believe that you will be very successful within this course. Career wise, I'd also try to be the most successful programmer I can be within my respective area, which would be software engineering and into machine learning. You appear to have much of the necessary qualifications to pursue a career in data engineering, especially once you obtain your bachelors in computer science.
ReplyDeleteI can relate to what you said about feeling stuck and wanting more. I also took a year off, so I understand what it feels like to be stuck or feel a little behind. Like you, I’m balancing full-time work while trying to shift into a new field, and it’s clear you’re bringing a lot of determination into this program.
ReplyDeleteOne suggestion would be to set some clear short-term goals. For example, where do you want to be in one or two years? You might consider aiming for a certification, an internship, or building a personal project related to data science or audio systems. Breaking things down like that can make your big goals feel more achievable.
You’re definitely on the right track. Good luck!