How I started programming.
There are many great free resources online that enable us to improve ourselves.
Did you know you can lookup stuff you don’t know on the internet? There’s a lot of free resources and I am making the most out of them.
I’m writing about my experience and what resources got me started regarding computer science. I do a lot of learning outside of the traditional classroom.
My first introduction to programming was ‘Intro to Java’ my Junior (3rd year) at Wakefield High School. It was boring because I couldn’t imagine the code I was writing ever becoming something useful in the world.
The last week of junior year before the summer started, I and the STEM Specialist at my school brainstormed how to solve the problem that it’s difficult for students and teachers to keep up with events at the school. The solutions we brainstormed involved creating a mobile application. Motivated to take on this challenge and asked my older brother, Richard, for assistance. He introduced me to free online resources.
I was motivated and had resources to work with. Mid-summer after a summer academy in July, I completed the four Udacity Android Courses above and made the Android App. I then took courses on Udacity to learn how to make the app for iPhones. Creating the iOS app was faster because I was basically writing the same logic but in a different language. Documentation is a thing too. If there’s something I want to do, I read documentation to see if I can envision a system I could create that fits my criteria. During the process of creating, the documentation certainly help with debugging issues.
Both apps were published February after I received permission to use the Wakefield High School Brand. More info can be found here: Project Link
Several projects later and I am still in this cycle of finding a goal, learning online, then implementing what I learned to achieve my goal. For Abstract Assembly I don’t know much about AI, so I am taking a free online course on Udacity Taught by Stanford Professors and reading up on AI online.
Soon I’ll be watching how to do make AI without a PHD on YouTube a resource that Richard finds useful: TensorFlow and Deep Learning without a PhD, Part 1 (Google Cloud Next ‘17)
Improving myself is a cornerstone of who I am and the internet is a free way to do that. We live in a digital age where internet is always there to teach and assist me. It’s a great tool to improve yourself.
As always, be sure to visit our website and Facebook page if you’d like to learn more about Abstract Assembly and about the AI we’re building for engineering design.
