CS373 Fall 2018: Aaditya Murthy

Aaditya Murthy
Sep 3, 2018 · 2 min read

Week 1: 8/27/18–9/2/18

What did you do this past week?

This past week, I went to the first two lectures for CS 373 Software Engineering. During the first class, I was exposed to the syllabus and some of the guidelines for how the class will be run. In the next class, Professor Downing went over some of the basic syntax for setting up Docker images and Docker files. I was blown away by the level of detail that Professor Downing goes into in his lectures. I also got called on in lecture for the first time, and although it was intimidating at first, Downing’s conversational style of lecturing really made me pay attention for the entirety of the class.

What’s in your way?

So far, nothing is really in my way right now. Syllabus week has not provided any significant obstacles in this course, besides getting acquainted with docker and continuous integration. I’m sure that as the course progresses however, more obstacles will present themselves.

What are your expectations for this class?

In terms of workload, this class definitely looks like it will have quite a heavy workload associated with it. I am expecting at least 10 hours a week, if not more. I am taking other courses, so I really hope that I can get my time management skills in check, in order to put the required level of effort for this class. However, I’ve heard from various former students of this course that all the hard work will be super worth it, since it will sharpen one’s software engineering skills and will promote good practices that are used in the industry. In particular, one student said that this class helped him land his summer internship at Google. If that’s anything to go by, I definitely expect to come out of this class as a much better programmer.

What will you do next week?

Next week, I will definitely try to get a head start on this class by completing all the assigned readings. I am hoping to also get a chance to go to Professor Downing’s office hours, so that I can clear up any doubts that I currently have about this class.

What is your pick of the week?

My pick of the week would definitely have to go to vscode. Vscode is a cross-platform, open-source text editor made by Microsoft, designed to support many of the most popular programming languages. After using many text editors such as vim, Sublime text, and emacs/spacemacs, I definitely feel that vscode works seamlessly, but is also very easy to use for newcomers. Try using it as your main editor, and see what you think!

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade