Amazingly, we are already in the second half of this semester and it’s getting to be time to plan out next semesters schedule. I’ll be sad to see this one go because I’m really enjoying my classes but I think next semester could be even better.
I’m currently signed up for four classes, EE 201, CSCI 270, CSCI 201 and ITP 300
EE 201 is a second level electrical engineering class working with more advanced circuitry and logic. It gets more into actual computer components than the 101 class I’m in now, working with things like SRAM, RAM and CPUs. While I don’t have the Computer Engineering focus like Rob does, I do have to take a few electrical engineering classes and I think it’s pretty helpful for programming to understand a bit about what is going on inside of the computer.
FPGA board like we will use in EE 201 to implement designs
CSCI 270 is an algorithms class which is a followup to the Discrete Methods course I am currently taking. This class will make sure I understand every major sorting algorithm as well as the back of my hand. According to my current professor, by the end of 270, if someone wakes me up at 4 AM and asks me to implement a merge sort, I will be able to do it no problem. Understanding algorithms is what Computer Science is all about so I’m excited to finish off the two course series that I am about to be halfway through.
CSCI 201 is an advanced Software Engineering course that focuses on the principles of software development instead of just algorithms. It will help me work on my large-scale development skills as well as my principles of design. An important part of programming is being able to architect a system properly before diving into it and creating code that is working, reusable, clear and well designed.
Finally, ITP 300 is a web development class focusing on PHP. I took the first course in this series last semester and I am really looking forward to this one. I have been wanting to learn more web development and this class will really open up the gateway to the rest of the web dev courses in the ITP department. The only sad part is that I can’t take both this class and the Mobile Application development class but I might find a way to squeeze another technical elective in.
The best part about getting further into the Computer Science program is that I get to have more flexibility in the classes I take and I really love the ones I have been taking. Next semester looks like it will be a continuation of this semester and I’m really looking forward to learning all those new skills.
