I always think I'm going to post more than I do, but I always forget to update. I will be continuously adding to my course review list for OSU at the bottom of these posts.
So for winter 2023 and spring 2023, I lightened my course load because I was doing my JPL internship. This was a Space Grant sponsored internship. I worked in the Biotechnology and Planetary Protection Group. Although I participated in multiple projects, I primarily contributed to this paper! It's still a pre-print as of today, but I'm third author and I think that's pretty cool. I'm actually going to the Oregon NASA Space Grant Consortium (OSGC) next week to present on this internship! I'm super excited to visit Corvallis and see my good friend Gretchen again!
Just a few weeks after my internship at JPL ended, I moved from LA to Seattle for the summer! I interned at Avanade as a software engineering intern. My project for this internship was a .NET application to parse through dynamic JSON related to Power BI reports. This project definitely challenged my object oriented programming knowledge. But my mentor let me know that many team members had already started using my project just days after I finished it. I already miss Seattle so much. It was so much fun and I definitely see myself moving back there next year!
My time in Seattle was fun, but short. I have moved back to LA for the next while. Currently I'm taking CS 271, CS 340, CS 361, and TA'ing for CS 391. I put more details about the classes below. But since I did not receive a return offer from Avanade (many reasons why that didn't happen, mostly because of the current market), I have been looking for software engineering jobs. Mostly, I would like to find something for when I graduate from the program next June. But I also have just been applying to all entry level roles because I figured I could finish school while working if I end up finding the right job. Not sure where that quite leaves me right now besides stressed and applying to every job I can.
CS 162 (Intro to Computer Science II): It has a few assignments that were fairly difficult for me because I feel like I didn’t get a strong understanding of object oriented programming from the cc-equivalent class I took for intro to cs I. Be careful of the hidden tests! Just because you pass the visible tests does not mean that you will get 100% on the assignment so go to office hours!
CS 225 (Discrete Mathematics): This class is not easy for most people. Make sure you have reviewed basic algebra if you haven’t done it in a while. Take advantage of office hours and make sure to do the practice tests because they are very similar to the actual tests. The final is proctored, but I had no issues when I took it.
CS 290 (Web Development): This class is nice if you are missing side projects because the final project is a website you can use as a portfolio website. This class also gives you the skills to create a separate portfolio website if you want.
CS 352 (Introduction to Usability Engineering): This is a nice filler elective class unless you are really interested in usability engineering. For me, it was just a nice group project class because my group was very nice and everyone did their work for the most part.
CS 261 (Data Structures): The lectures are very very minimal in this class. I have done a good amount of leetcode so I think I understand the underlying concepts so far. If you do not have any background knowledge on data structures, you will need to find a lot of supplementary material such as Abdul Bari
CS 271 (Computer Architecture & Assembly Language) - in progress: This class is a lot. The modules are very dense and tend to go over my head until I start working on the projects or the exercises. I think this class is honestly my least favorite so far in this program. There's also a midterm and final for this class so we shall see how that goes.
CS 340 (Introduction to Databases) - in progress: I really like this class so far. I think SQL can be fun, and the project is very reminiscent of web development. The project for this class is with a partner, so maybe it's also partially dependent on who your partner is. The videos and source code are pretty good examples of how to do the project. I also think that working with the OSU Flip servers is a lot of fun.
CS 361 (Software Engineering I) - in progress: This class has a lot less structure compared to other ones on purpose. Once you get past the first few weeks of lectures and other content, you are starting the sprints. This means it's two weeks before the next assignment is due. So if you or your group members procrastinate, it could mean a lot of trouble. So far I am trying to implement a project I've been meaning to do for about a year. But the requirements sometimes are a little vague and I feel like I don't necessarily have the knowledge to implement my project without looking up a lot of help.
CS 391 (Social and Ethical Issues in Comptuer Science): I just realized I never added my review of CS 391. I know it's an elective but now that I'm a TA for this class, I think I need to add a review. Much of this class is of reading/writing. If you don't like writing discussion posts and short essays, then skip this class for something else. Otherwise, I think the content of this class is super interesting. It can definitely be concerning information sometimes, but I think it's better to think about these issues than to not.