Organized Chaos — One Semester In
When I first started the Strategic Communication Design program at CU Boulder I had no idea what I’d be doing in class, what I’d be learning and how any of it would translate to the professional world. That is exactly what I was looking for as I was feeling bored and stagnant in my life. This program is fun, engaging and challenging. With the first semester coming to a close I can’t help but reflect on how I have changed and how I will continue to change in the coming semesters.
While very important, it isn’t the actual knowledge I am gaining that is what I value the most. What I value the most is the way the program forces me to learn and how that is reshaping how I look at problems, people and everything. Before the program the notion of coding or using a circuit board to build my own motion sensing decoration was intimidating and daunting., I didn’t know where to begin. The individual pieces were lost on me and I could only see the big picture, and not the parts that made it whole. This was the limitation that the SCD program would force me to overcome. Just a semester in I can already see results. The things that fascinated me but seemed like magic are still fascinating but no longer mystical. I have begun to rethink how I look at things and how I solve problems. Everything can be broken down, made simpler until I’m down to an understandable part. I can give some specific examples.
Before the program, I did not consider myself ever able to sketch or design. I could learn to use the software but I could not look or visualize something and then re-create it. Now, one semester in I would tell you the exact opposite. I would never say I am a great sketch artist, but I can certainly convey an idea. Nor would I tell you I’m the best designer, but I am now able to sketch and then design complex works of art. I could do this because I am starting to see the world in manageable pieces that I know how to re-create in the software.
Another example of something that I could have never done before, is coding. While I was always very interested in what code allowed our computers to do and applications for those computers flew through my head, the code itself remained a mystery. I had no concept of the small, simple bits of code that were used over and over in different ways to create more complex works. As my perspective continues to shift, I am able to further unravel the mystery and reveal the reality. That reality is everything starts small. When I don’t understand something, break it down until I understand that part. Then go back up.
As we finish up this semester and go off to break I am excited to have the time to dive deeper into some of the things we’ve touched on. Using my new way of thinking to improve myself. When we return, I am thrilled to continue reshaping the way I learn and look at problems which will allow me a greater ability to better myself. That is the only way I can avoid boredom, stagnation and be happy. It is something I look for in a job, in an educational program and in the people in my life, a passion or opportunity for self-improvement, a thirst for understanding and the drive to make it happen.
