Week 4 – CST – 300 Module 4

OLI – Module 4 and 5

This week’s OLI required us to meet with our team and discuss what we have learned from this unit. It was interesting to compare what I have learned to what the rest of my team learned from their experience with the unit. The assignment included an activity called “2 Truths, 1 Lie” which required each team member to share three strengths related to our group project. Of the three strengths, two were supposed to be truths and one a lie without disclosing which were truths and which was the lie. The rest of the team had to guess which of the three was the lie. For the most part, we were all able to pick out the lie from the strengths. That activity showed me that we are becoming familiar with our team members’ strengths which will help in assigning tasks during challenging projects. The last part of the assignment consisted of answering questions from what each of us shared. Everyone of our members agreed that it is a good idea to allow for social time before each meeting and that we should take some time to think before making decisions.

 

Part One: Set You Educational Goals

My educational goal is to earn a bachelor’s degree. I can make this goal more attainable by applying the SMART method. My goal is to earn a bachelor’s degree in computer science at California State University Monterey Bay by December 2025. Since I plan to achieve this goal in two years, I can break it down into smaller goals to make it more manageable. For example, another goal is to learn enough to get an A in the ETS Computer Science Test in 18 months. If I can get an A in that exam, it will reflect the knowledge that I have gained through the CS program. I can further break down this goal by setting smaller goals that will lead me to that goal. Another goal would be to earn an A in my class CST – 300 at the end of February 2024. Lastly, I can set a goal to satisfactorily complete all the assignments for this week which will help me in achieving my goal to get an A in CST – 300.

 

Part Two: Set Your Career Goals

My main career goal is to become a software engineer. Using the SMART method, I can make this goal more powerful. My goal is to become a Full-Stack Engineer for a FAANG company by 2029 (five years). I will first need to become a senior software engineer for a comparable reputable company within four years. To become a senior software engineer, I will first have to learn as much as I can as a junior software engineer for that same company so I can apply for a promotion to senior software engineer within three years. To become a junior software engineer for a reputable company, my goal is to get a computer science degree from CSUMB and get an internship to build up experience within two years. I believe that keeping these smaller goals in mind and completing them one at a time will allow me to achieve my main career goal.

 

Part Three: Take a wild guess of your percentile of the ETS Computer Science Test

After reviewing the ETS page, test description, and sample test, I felt extremely nervous. I was thinking of quitting the program while I was ahead. Luckily, I will not have to take this test for another 18 months. I am confident that all the courses I will be taking and the professors and staff I meet in the next 18 months will provide me with the knowledge required to excel in this exam. I will aim to get a percentile of 90% or above. Getting that percentile in the exam will motivate me and give me the confidence that I need to excel in getting a job as a junior software engineer.

 

Part 4: Keep Up With your Learning Journal

Lecture Module 4

The lecture for this week taught me about goal setting. The article titled “The 7 Career Goals You Need to Succeed” was informative and had great suggestions. The seventh goal was to self asses. You must take the time to analyze how you feel about your job, where you want to be, and what you need to do to achieve that. The sixth goal is to network. Networking is one of the best ways to find a job. The fifth goal is to track your accomplishments. It is important to keep a clear record of your goals, those that you have achieved and the ones that you still need to tackle. The fourth goal is to know your worth. You must constantly know how much people that are doing the same job as you are getting paid. This will let you know if you need to ask for a raise or look for another job that pays better. The third goal is to update your skills. The skills required for the job market are constantly changing so you must always be ready to adapt by learning new skills. The second goal is to negotiate. Learning how to negotiate and counteroffer will allow you to get competitive pay. Lastly, the first goal is to give yourself a break. This means that you must work on yourself by dedicating time for family or travel for vacation to give yourself a boost and avoid exhaustion.

The lecture also introduced us to the ETS Major Field Test. Although the test description and sample content made me nervous, it is an effective way to keep track of the subjects and areas I need to focus on for the exam.

 

Writing Lab Module 4

The writing lab for this week continued with drafting an argumentative essay. It introduced five types of claims. The claims are fact, value, policy, definition, and cause. The claim of fact asserts that something is true or not true. The fact of value seeks to prove an action, belief, or condition right or wrong. The claim of policy asserts that one course of action is superior to another. The claim of definition assumes that the audience agrees with the meaning of a term. A claim of definition is hard to debate, only use if it debatable. The last claim is the claim of cause. This claim describes that one event can cause another. These claims helped me better visualize how I want to lay out the argument in my essay. I will also be using the sample outline to guide me through my own outline.