week 4: educational goals, career goals, ETS comp sci test and what I learned this week
Part 1 - set your educational goals
From this online CS program, I hope to really strengthen my data structures and algorithms knowledge. From there, I would be excited to look into pursuing a Master's degree at an online university, specifically from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. They have an online Master's program, which makes it pretty reasonable to do from California. I also hope to work on more group projects with my fellow students, so I can figure out where I enjoy placing myself in projects. So far, I really enjoy helping shape projects, leading project organization, and also project management. I'm really curious to see how this can translate into my career choices, but I'm also excited to see if my interests change as I go through the program. I feel pretty comfortable with Python, so I'm excited to see how much more I can learn as time goes on.
Part 2 - set your career goals
I currently work in a tech startup, working closely with customers and helping them with various SDKs and libraries that we offer. I also help them debug their code, work on minor features, and focus on customer success. I really want to move into an IC developer role or a technical program manager role as time goes on. I definitely want to find a remote role, just like where I am now since I enjoy balancing my personal life with work. Something I really need to work on is preparing for job interviews and brushing up on Leetcode, so this will be my short-term goal while I'm in school.
Part 3 - ETS computer science test
In 18 months, I am confident that I will be in the 80th percentile. This is because after looking at the exam, I feel pretty familiar with the questions and can answer some of them as well, but I don't feel 100% confident. I have some doubts, and I think this is because I'm used to working on a computer, and not reading code and thinking about it without other resources.
Part 4 - weekly learnings
This week, I spent a lot of time working on my ethics outline. It was really interesting to write about both sides and talk about what topics stakeholders for and against my topic may argue for. As I was exploring topics, I found that I was most interested in writing about technology, social media companies, and their regulations. That was because it was a topic that I felt was relevant, where issues happen day to day.
I also read the weekly readings and learned about the 7 career goals needed to succeed. Two of the goals that stood out to me were tracking accomplishments, and allowing for downtime.
I'm pretty bad at tracking my accomplishments, and not remembering to do so frequently can lead to forgetting everything I've learned while going to school and working full-time.
I also struggle with allowing for downtime, since I tend to overwork myself. This is a good reminder to take breaks so that I don't burn out.
Hey,
ReplyDeleteIt is good that your goals are very well structured and planned out. Finding an institution already where you want to complete a master's program reflects the effort you have put in researching schools. Like you, I am also looking forward to working on group projects while taking on various roles in the group. Lastly, I think that your current occupation will set you up for success. I think that the experience you have now will be valuable to employers as you continue to progress with your career goals
Hello,
ReplyDeleteI like the goals you have set for your education. Skills in algorithms are important, and it's fantastic that you want to continue developing and enhancing those skills. Like you, I would also like a remote job, and after reading your blog this week, I’m considering taking a look at LeetCode to improve my problem-solving skills.