Week 1 - The Start of the Byte Trail

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I’m excited to start this 100-week-long journey. I can’t say I’m a not a bit worried about the journey ahead. I suppose a little stress is good because it’ll ensure I stay out of my comfort zone. A few months back, I was admitted into a handful of Cal States. After some consideration, I decided that CS Online at Cal State Monterey Bay was the best option for me even if it meant I had to defer my admission to the summer semester. The flexibility this program offers will push me to make strides at my own pace while managing it into my daily schedule. I have a background in IT as a technician, but I’m looking to strengthen my abilities by going deeper into the engineering and science aspects of the field.

Week 0 and 1 served as a great introduction to the course. I’m glad we’re starting this program off with writing because it’s something that I’m comfortable with. Though I acknowledge that I’m not perfect at it, I consider myself to have a strong ability to express myself through writing. This course will help ease the transition into the technicalities that lie ahead in this computer science curriculum. Throughout the past couple of weeks, I was forced to really clean up my portfolio to make myself look more appealing as a student and a jobseeker. Although we had mock-up resumes, they served me well in thinking about how I want to portray myself and how I want others to perceive me moving forward. I got to meet my teammates and some of my other peers in cohort 20 including my professors and TAs. Many of my peers seem to have quite impressive and diverse backgrounds and they all reside around the state, the nation, and the world.

All in all, this seems like an excellent program. My advisors and my professors have introduced this program in a way that has made me feel welcome and I’m looking forward to being an Otter for the next two years.

Cheers!

-Gerek

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