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Part
One: Set Your Educational Goals
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I
want to gain skills that are useful in the current industry. I want to be able
to build a foundation of skills that will allow me to learn any technology
easily. I would like to train myself to think more like an engineer in a sort
of "scientific method for scientists" (the scientific method would
most likely apply in software dev as well).
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Part
Two: Set Your Career Goals
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I
want 3 things. I want to work on projects that have meaning to the world and
make others happy. I would like to become a Product Manager at a large company
with a short commute. I would also like to make an app that makes at least $60k
a year of passive income.
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Part
Three: Take a wild guess of your percentile of the ETS Computer Science test
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The 2015 Major Field Test Comparative
Data Guide for Computer Science
(https://www.ets.org/s/mft/pdf/acdg_computer_science.pdf) listed the mean score
at 149.3 with 7,530 examinees with a median of 147 and standard deviation of
15.3. The minimum score is 120 and the maximum is 200. I believe I will get a
slightly better than average score of about 160 which would put me in the ~75th
percentile. In the 3 main categories: programming/software engineering,
discrete structure/algorithms, and systems architecture/operating
systems/networking/databases; the category with the lowest score was systems
architecture/operating systems/networking/databases (38% median 8.6 sd),
discrete structure/algorithms (38% median 9.4 sd), and the highest was
programming/software engineering (48% median 11.8 sd). With this information in
mind, I would focus more on discrete structure/algorithms, and systems architecture/operating
systems/networking/databases . I would also remember that the 2016+ test may
have differing questions because of results from the last Computer Science
Major Field Test.
· Part Four: Keep Up With Your Learning
Journal
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In the "7 Career Goals You Need to
Succeed", the author outlined 7 things all workers should do: self-assess,
network, track accomplishments, know your worth, update your skills, negotiate,
and allow for downtime. A few takeaways are that networking is important in finding
jobs in recent times. You should always keep a list of your accomplishments
with photos, video, emails and screenshots and have your manager review your
performance. Those will help when writing an action/results based resume with
metrics provided during the review.
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There are 5 types of claims: fact,
definition ,cause ,value, and policy. Claims of fact are centered on debates
about subjects that are disputable. Claims of definition are centered on the
meaning of things. Claims of cause are centered on cause/effect in order to
analyze what led to the event and what the results were. Claims of value are
centered on the morality of an event and the value systems by which people make
decisions. Claims of policy are centered on the course of action we should take
and policies we should adopt.
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In the rhetorical triangle: logos,
ethos and paths are the 3 main aspects you can appeal to an audience. Logos
appeals to reason, and is the text of the argument. Ethos appeals to the
writers character and is the credibility of the writer. Pathos appeals to the emotions
which include sympathy, beliefs, and values.
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When goal setting, we should set goals
that are SMART: specific/significant, measurable/meaningful, attainable/action-oriented,
relevant/rewarding, and time bound/trackable. We should set goals so we can
create motivation and focus our time and skills on attaining the goals. In
order to create a goal, think of the big picture events then break them into
smaller targets and then into smaller targets. One should have lifetime goals
and short-term goals (5 year, 1 year, 6 month, 1 month). A person would stay on
task by creating to-do lists and modify it to reflect priorities and
experience. The quiz reflected by goal skills accurately, I took it 2x when I
thought I didn't put much thought into it. My scores are as follows: preparing
to set goals (21/25=84%), forming goals (8/20=40%), motivation (11/35=31%), and
achieving goals (6/10=60%). The overall score is 46 which is in the middle but
closer to the lower end of the These scores accurate; I am good at forming long
term goals but bad at implementing them.
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For example, if I want to get a job in
Software Dev; I should know SQL. In order to learn SQL I can read books and do
something easy like codeacademy.com. I will do codeacademy.com one time a week
until I finish the modules until I am familiar with its most basic concepts. I
will buy a SQL book then read 1 chapter a week and do their problems. Then I
will think of projects I can make with these skills. I will ask others (mentors/teachers)
if these projects would showcase my skills or be of skill level for a Junior
Dev. I will choose the projects that pass, choosing the most important one to
focus my time on. Then I will make a plan of the project on paper or chart it
out on lucidchart.com. I would make a roadmap of when and what I want to get
done based on the software development life cycle (planning, implementation,
testing, documentation, deployment/maintenance, and maintaining via
waterfall,v-shape, or incremental models (https://www.techopedia.com/definition/22193/software-development-life-cycle-sdlc)).
I would then reward myself for achieved blocks of work with something I want but
rarely get like going to a not fast-food restaurant or Starbucks Frappuccinos.
Your career goals are general, but specific enough to where you have an idea of where to focus your time and energy. I think it is a good goal to want to better the world and make others happy, and this is a good field to study to achieve that. I have not thought much about passive income, but I think that is an obtainable and a great goal to have. Your educational goals are not super specific, but set you on the right track to narrow your scope as we progress through the program. Good job overall.
ReplyDeleteHello Julie!
ReplyDeleteI like how your career goals are focused and clear. It's something a lot of people can't say they've figured out during or after college, myself included. However, I believe it is important to have a clear goal while being flexible with changing it, as situations can always change your path in the future. Creating things that enrich people's lives and make them happy is always an admirable pursuit, and I think some of the best pieces of technology were conceived that way. Best of luck to you throughout the program!
You state that your professional goal is to become a product manager. That profession doesn't require you to be a developer, software engineer or even a computer science major. In some ways, it can be a detriment. A common saying in the software industry, "specify the requirements, not the implementation", illustrates the propensity of tech-savvy product managers to step outside of their sphere of responsibility and force their preconceived approach on developers (usually in an unwanted, infeasible and/or ill-informed manner). This is not to say that Computer Science and software development experience is not valuable for a product manager, just that a product manager needs to clearly understand and adhere to their role in their organization's software development environment.
ReplyDeleteYou also mentioned making an app the makes passive income. This is a great idea! Be sure you think of how to monetize it and how you plan to get users. Also, don't stop at one app!