When I first set my sights on a programming degree, my first thought was “I really want to get into designing video games!”. I am pretty sure that is what several other programmers thought as well, that they wanted to develop or publish games that rival Triple A titles from companies like Electronic Arts, Activision, Microsoft, etc. However, as time progressed… I really do not know where I want to go! There are so many paths, so many options, and so many different careers that at this point, it is a challenge on choosing which one is the right one for me. I am sure that the same programmers had the same thought that I had.
Of course, while my brain is still spinning in circles about what approach I want to take, there are some skillsets that I do want to develop. First and foremost, software engineering; it is no secret that everything these days can be done digitally. From managing your own schedule, to studying, even troubleshooting and patching the very games that we play on our smartphones, computers, and gaming consoles. However, without even a basic understanding of software development, there is no way that I will be able to reach that point. Hence is the reason why I am taking a number of programming classes; to better hone my skills. In fact, I see ICS 314 as a big stepping stone; there will be a lot of challenges that I need to undertake, but it will ultimately help me with future career opportunities and just software development in general. After all, a number of ideas that I have in mind for video games or tools that can help the people can be conveyed through several hundred thousand lines of code.
Additionally, I want to be able to make an app or two that could really help people out. I will say this right now, I am a fairly slow thinker. While I have great intelligence, it usually takes a while to get rolling. One thought that I had to mitigate that was to create some sort of a brain exercising app to help keep people mentally active, providing a range of puzzles, math problems, and much more to help people mentally exercise. It will definitely require a lot of practice as well as a lot of learning on Javascript and other software development tools, but it would be a dream come true to develop something that would ultimately benefit society, one way or another.
I realize that reaching the end goals that I have in mind might be a long ways since I am still learning how to program and code, but I am really hoping to hone my skills, both programming and cognitive, as I continue through my programming journey. At the same time, I will try to have as much fun as possible! I mean, programming tends to require a lot of practice, so why not try to create something with the knowledge provided? One of my original ideas involved a simple program that would help me keep track of profits that I earned through Grand Theft Auto: Online through the games’ businesses! Maybe I can do more with it than to just keep track of in game funds and microtransactions; maybe make a wishlist that contains prices and updates itself when items that I want are on sale, or maybe predicted prices of items that I need for when I go grocery shopping. The possibilities truly are endless.