One Year Down
one year ago i was a high schooler who liked coding. now i'm a university student who still likes coding but with significantly more imposter syndrome and a lot more git commits.
time is weird.
the year in numbers
- courses completed: 8
- assignments submitted: 24
- all-nighters: 3 (regrettable)
- hackathons attended: 1
- friends made: 5-ish
- existential crises about AI: 2 (and counting)
- times i wanted to drop out: 0 (surprising even to me)
what i learned academically
programming fundamentals (properly this time), data structures, algorithms (still hard), discrete math, and a bunch of foundational CS theory.
the thing is, it's not just about the content. it's about learning how to learn at this level. how to read documentation. how to debug when google doesn't have the answer. how to ask for help without looking completely lost.
(spoiler: looking lost is fine actually.)
what i learned about myself
- i like this. like, genuinely enjoy it. even the hard parts.
- i work better with deadlines than without them.
- i need people. solo work is fine but i thrive with a team.
- my imposter syndrome is not going away, but i can work despite it.
- sleep matters more than i thought (still bad at this).
highlights
best moment: getting my first 80+ grade on a challenging assignment. the improvement curve started steep.
coolest thing i learned: how computers actually work at a low level. memory, pointers, all that. terrifying and beautiful.
most fun: the hackathon. chaos. bonding. creation. 10/10.
best discovery: my friend group. still can't believe i was worried about making friends.
lowlights
worst moment: the group project crisis. you know the one.
hardest week: three assignments due in four days. never again.
most humbling: realizing how much i don't know. the dunning-kruger peak was steep.
what's changed
me at 17: "i'm pretty good at coding" me at 18: "i am a small fish in an enormous ocean and i know nothing"
this is growth, i think?
looking ahead
next year: more advanced courses. probably some ML stuff. maybe an internship? the world is changing fast (chatgpt just dropped, what even is happening) and i want to be part of it.
but also: rest. friends. hobbies that aren't coding. i hear touch grass helps.
final thoughts
i came to uni to learn computer science. i'm leaving (well, finishing year one) having learned about myself, about people, about the world, about how little i know and how much there is to explore.
that's pretty good for one year.
see you in 2023. i have a feeling it's going to be a big one.