Cumulative Reflection: From Then to Now

When I transferred to Iowa State University from Kirkwood Community College, I felt
that I already knew the ropes. I had an entire associate’s degree under my belt and did not feel
very much like a college freshman, despite the three-and-a-half years I still had to go before
graduation. Reality hit me, however, after my first few midterms. I was going to have to try my
best and apply myself to be able to succeed and grow my abilities – especially if I wanted an
internship or a competitive advantage over my peers. In this reflection, I will discuss the
different ways ISU has prepared me to solve problems, work as a team, and become a
professional in my engineering field.
The difficulty of CprE 185 came as a big shock to me. The only prior coding experience I
had was with HTML and I did not truly understand the nature of software development itself.
The class taught me how you could use basic C code to complete many different tasks, and how
the C language can easily communicate with physical hardware. I enjoyed programming in C
until I took Com S 227/228 and realized that there were languages that are actually somewhat
simple to write in! I learned how to use software development IDEs such as Eclipse and IntelliJ,
and how to debug and test code with the appropriate tools. Many of the projects that these
classes had us do had concepts that were quite difficult for me to grasp, so most of the time I
had to do my own research outside of class (online or otherwise) to get more information.
These software classes taught me by letting me code things on my own, giving me a lot of time
and experience with the development process.
Engineering Career Services has done an excellent job providing me with information
and resources on how to further my career opportunities while at school. After searching out a
few seminars on elevator speeches, resume building, and interviews, I felt well-equipped to
tackle the nerve-wracking career fairs hosted every semester. After landing a few interviews
and an internship offer, I was able to work as a Co-Op engineer for Western Digital in
Rochester, MN during the 2018 Summer/Fall semesters. During these seven months, I was able
to use the understanding of programming languages that I learned from my classes in ISU to
learn Python on the job without previous experience. This position taught me to be able to
adapt quickly on the job, work within a team environment, and to grow better from peer
review feedback.
After my Co-Op, I returned to school to take a combination of Com S 309, 319, and 311,
as well as CprE 381 in a single semester. This was very difficult, as three of the classes had
semester-long projects that needed to be completed. I did not have time to waste, so I was able
to gain a lot of experience with project management and teamwork very quickly during this
time. In 309, I learned about how Android Mobile development works and how the front and
back ends of a project connect. With 319, I was able to delve into Javascript and Node.js,
learning about web applications and user interfaces. 381, or Computer Architecture, taught me
how a CPU works and even had me design one myself using VHDL. That semester I learned
many different types of coding languages and uses; and even though it was extremely hectic, I
learned a major thing about myself. I enjoy learning when it comes to software development!
That following Summer, I was able to work for Netsmart in Kansas City. I was excited
when I heard from them that I would be developing in Python as well as a newer Javascript
framework named Vue.js. It was nice to be able to use my previous experience with Python and
get even better at it in a real-world situation. Within the first few days of the internship, it
became very clear that the work I was doing was not just another “intern project” but was
actually a product that would be deployed and used by our clients by the end of the Summer. I
was glad to have learned about the SCRUM process model in 309, because I started working on
a team that was dedicated to their implementation of an agile framework. The internship
ended well, and I was able to accept a full-time job offer from them shortly after starting in
June 2020 (after graduation).
In conclusion, as I now am in my final year at ISU and about to embark on the rest of my
life, I believe that Iowa State engineering classes and resources have done very well in
preparing me for my future career and enhancing my problem-solving abilities. ISU has
embedded in me a drive to continue learning, picking up new software languages from tutorial
videos on YouTube or just learning to ask questions to my mentors in life. I will look back with
positivity to my time here at ISU as I am able to look forward into my bright future because of
it.