CS460--Senior Capstone

My Philosophy Statement
Computing professionals are the leaders of the modern world, insofar as it is nearly impossible to live life in the United States without being inundated with technology. Computers form the core of life in the 21st Century as they are now embedded in (or in some way controlling) most objects in our every-day lives. Truly, computers have become essential to many people, and can currently do more than most people ever imagined. However, they do not stop there. The computing profession continues to evolve and expand at an astounding rate and merely hints at the astounding possibilities just beyond the horizon. As an avid user of all of this technology, I cannot help but wish to join this diverse profession. Computing is a special field of work and study because it allows adaptation based on input from varying sources, even those in no way related to the computing profession. This allows computing to adapt to the benefit of all, not just to benefit computing professionals. To be part of a growing, expanding, adapting profession like this that impacts so many lives, I believe, is a true honor, and I look forward to my chance help make a difference, whether it be for one person or for the entire world.

My Career Path Plan
For the longest time I have had only one clear and distinct path in terms of my career: to become a computer scientist. However, early on I was unaware of the title; all I knew was that my future involved computing. From my first experiences with computer technology (Apple IIe in elementary school, and Nintendo gaming systems at home), I knew that when I grew up I wanted to work with/on computers. Initially this started as a dream job to work as a video game tester (I even gave a 6th grade graduation speech about this topic), and has progressed now to the point where I feel my possibilities are endless. My future seems less uncertain as it ever has; with every topic I research, and every Computer Science class I take, I fall in love with this profession all over again. I have yet to meet a facet of this diverse field that I don’t enjoy that I now find difficulty in narrowing down my career path into a more focused direction. My most enduring love in the CS discipline has been programming, and actually, the “lower” the language the more I enjoy programming. I feel like programming at this level, especially in languages such as ASM (assembly) and C, is more fun and fulfilling because they are more powerful; they allow the programmer to be in control, instead of hiding the details in behind-the-scenes wizard generated code. Programming is most visually fulfilling aspect of the discipline to me (because you can actually see end-users using what you wrote) and therefore I believe I will take my first step in the “real world” in this direction.