C188 Software Engineering

This class was a lesson in procrastination. I came up with the 5 requirements and picked a CRM. Then the project sat for a week (I had meetings after work that week). By the time I got back to it I finished in two days.

I went about this one backward. I picked a CRM first, then I found the requirements that it met. Around that time I built a scenario around why those requirements would be needed. I wrote up unit tests next. Then I worked on the introduction, scope, etc. Of course the last thing I did were the visuals ... I need to take a serious course in data visualization sometime.

One thing I wanted to note about performance assessments in general. There is some leeway when it comes to working with the scenario given. As long as what you're writing doesn't explicitly contradict the scenario, you can make assumptions to help argue a point. For instance, you can say that documentation is important to a company or that documentation is not important to a company and both assumptions would be accepted (just don't claim both in the same paper, lol).

I keep going back and forth between wanting to finish the degree or just withdrawing at the end of my term. I'll keep considering my options. I can't figure out if I'm more likely to get accepted into the math program if I finish it or if I withdraw from the program, lol. I wish they'd tell me what they want. I just want to study math.

I also want to help figure out a way to teach advanced math to visually impaired students. My current path is B.S. Computer Science to B.S. Math Ed to M.S. Computer Science to M.S. Special Ed.

BACHELOR OF SCIENCE Mathematics Education (Secondary)

I met someone the other month that contradicted the reason WGU gave me for not allowing me to enroll in the math program I wanted. Even the website says this leads to licensure and they said I needed one to get into this program.

I don't understand why they had to be dishonest about their reasons for not letting me switch degree programs. I have a legitimate reason for wanting to study math: I am a Nemeth braille transcriber and my current level of math limits the types of books I'm able to transcribe; I also want to eventually pursue teaching mathematics to VI students (when I'm ready to wind down whatever career I end up with). So I'll try that again when I convince them I'm not planning to finish BSCS at WGU, either because I finished it or because I withdrew.

C482 Software I

This is one course in which all the work I did over spring break really paid off. I had completed SoloLearn's Java course and watched Bucky's Java and JavaFX tutorials. I also went over Jaret Wright's SceneBuilder tutorials which really made up the bulk of the work. By the time I started this course, I was able to jump in after watching the cohorts (I built the GUI first because that was fun).

I think I thought the programming was the easy part until I hit the last 20% of the requirements. I started to put in a lot more hours than I normally do and managed to finish in under two weeks (closer to five weeks if you count the work I did over term break).

The mentors give us a lot of code samples in the cohorts that made up a lot of the pieces we need for the project. I spent a good deal of time pulling those apart and putting them back together a few times to make them work for this project. I had to redo the entire program a few times before I build a solid enough skeleton to just keep building. But I think that's not unusual for someone who is still really new to programming.

I think for the most part, I still consider myself a quilt programmer. I can take various pieces of code, edit it to work for my situation, then stitch it all in the right place. It's a lot more involved than what I did in MSDA for sure (you can't do this kind of quilting without a solid understanding of what the code does and how to make it work for your situation). However, I'm not feeling like 'a programmer' just yet. I don't think I could do a lot of it from scratch or figure something out without seeing how someone did something similar to what I was aiming for.

I'll be working on this after my term ends. I want to feel like a competent programmer before applying to Georgia Tech and since their deadline moved from September to July, I'm now aiming for July 2020.

C191 Operating Systems

This course was supposed to last a week because I had completed the bulk of the reading over term break. I finished this five weeks after my term started. Most books on the subject is filled with so much jargon, it took a while before everything started to sound like English.

I eventually ended up creating a test bank with all the questions on sanfoundry (that website doesn't shuffle the questions or answers so it's easy to remember where the right answers are without actually learning the right answer, lol). It took a few days to debug it but working on that helped solidify the terms I was getting mixed up. It also clarified the concepts that didn't make sense because I was getting certain terms mixed up. So it was a good experience and I hope the bank helps others.

I think the exam for this one throws in a little too many oddball questions that I can't imagine most people being able to retain from 900 pages of text. They aren't challenging questions, they just weren't related to any of the major points or any of the overviews we get with the course materials, things that you wouldn't think were important to study thoroughly.

Anyway, I'm glad this one is finally done. I started going over OS topics back in December so I spent A LOT more than five weeks on this course, about four months total though only the past 5 weeks consistently. I think when my term is complete I'll give Operating Systems: Three Easy Pieces another read. That was more helpful in understanding what this class was supposed to teach me than any of the materials we were given or recommended lecture sets.

Here's the test bank link again - http://www.quizsail.com

C482 Software Quality Assurance

I had been spending so much time on Operating Systems since I returned in March that I needed a break to push through Software Quality Assurance. Someone on slack created a test bank with questions from the popular quizlets and I helped test it. It is similar to mastery mode in ucertify in that it required you to answer a question correctly three times in a row before exiting the current stack.

Finishing the engine made me confident enough to skim the reading on parts that seemed confusing. I ended up scheduling the exam the next evening and passed with a score of 81% (cut is 70%).

The questions on both the PA and OA are a little evil and I understand why so many students end up needing retakes. A lot of the questions are misleading and will add a word that completely changes what the question is asking. The nuance reminded me of the ITIL and Oracle exams. The test bank I used can be found at http://www.quizsail.com, highly recommended, though do yourself a favor and don't use quick mode for this one, lol.

I completed this class back in mid-April, I'm behind in my posts and am working on catching up. I a thankful this was an easy one and gave me a boost to help polish off Operating Systems.

Course Order Recommendations

I just posted this on reddit and thought anyone who finds these posts would want to know it as well. So here are my course order recommendations for WGU's BSCS program. They're more for students without a prior background in Computer Science topics.

• Network and Security Foundations - I don't recommend taking this early but it will often fall into the first term without your input. There aren't any other courses that will help you pass this one. The only upside to this course is, Security will be cake by the time you're done.
• Fundamentals of Information Security - if you managed to transfer in Networking, congratulations! This one should be easy and can be saved for when you need an easy course. If you had to take networking, you might as well get this one done while the info is fresh.

... This group is pretty much your introduction to programming. I would take these three in this order if I had to do it over again. They don't need to be taken back-to-back. Feel free to shove any general ed between them as needed.

• Data Structures and Algorithms I - this used to require Software I first but most mentors have relaxed this rule due to a lot of feedback from people like me ... if they're giving you trouble, mention me, rofl
• Scripting and Programming Applications - DSA1 is a better introduction to programming than this course, I highly recommend taking that one first
• Software I

• Discrete Mathematics I - This can be taken as early as after Calculus I, though some prefer to take both DM's back-to-back. It's a stand-alone course for the most part though I don't see the point in learning the trees segment without knowing the contents of what you learn in DSA1 first.

• Discrete Mathematics II - working out the pseudocode in this course is really rough if you haven't worked with real code before which is why I recommend taking all the courses in the intro to programming group beforehand. The algorithms part is more difficult than the questions you get in DSA1 so review those notes if you were able to pass while skimping those topics.

• Data Management Foundations
• Data Management Applications
• Structured Query Language
• Software II - this project requires a lot of SQL. I had a lot of SQL experience so I took these early to get them out of my way. For those of you who don't, it makes sense to learn it right before putting it to use in this course without giving yourself time to forget it. I don't think it's necessary to take Software I close to it. Those with programming experience is more likely to take them back-to-back to avoid switching between languages but as beginners, we're already doing that.

• Data Structures and Algorithms II - this can be taken either before or after the Software II group of courses. It's a matter of preference. I moved this later because I wanted more pieces in place before taking it on --being the most heavily tested topic in technical interviews. Also, if statistics is in your degree plan, be sure to take that before this one!

• Introduction to Artificial Intelligence - this can be moved to anywhere after DSA2 because it is a prerequisite.

• Computer Architecture - Don't take this before Discrete Math I. Take it any time after the intro to programming group. It may have been helpful if I waited until after Software II ... I recommend attempting to read Chapter 3 before deciding whether or not you want to take it after the Software II group. It references a lot of coding topics and issues that was difficult for me to integrate at the time.
• Operating Systems - I recommend taking this one right after Computer Architecture because a lot of those topics are revisited. The main challenge of this group is getting through the technical jargon. This specific course is easy if you can get passed the reading and translate it into proper English. Attempt a random paragraph in any chapter to see what I mean. It will be helpful to review those networking notes. If WGU didn't insist on having Networking so early in the degree plan, I'd recommend the three back-to-back.

• Technical Communication - not everyone will have to take this course and it's not necessary to take it later, though it is more useful if you take it close to capstone

• Software Quality Assurance - kind of an odd course that isn't hard but it has very little room for error. You can take this earlier but it's easy to miss cut if you don't quite have all the pieces in place. I recommend taking it any time after Software II.

Today I am thankful for Amazon and my Amazon friends. May you become more than that to me again some day. 

Heading Back

My term break is nearly over and I was able to complete the reading for my remaining courses; there's one book left but I'll have that done before March 1st. 

I originally planned to work on programming more but I found myself having to look for more work and it took a few weeks to land the position I wanted. Luckily, working on programming seemed to become less necessary as I worked through my reading to fill in the blanks. At least I noticed that I was able to complete SoloLearn for Java with much greater ease than C++ and I expect Python to give me even less issues. 

I'm working full time and I don't expect that to change at all in the next few years. So finishing BSCS in another term might be a bit of a stretch. I figure if anything, I should be able to complete all but capstone and then complete capstone a few months into the new term. I still want to apply to Georgia Tech in September since completing a BSCS is not actually necessary to get in. 

I still want to earn my CPA so if Georgia Tech doesn't happen, that's where I'm headed next. And if GT does happen, I'll work on the CPA afterward.