Surpassing Expectations
13 Dec 2023
Got more than I expected
When going into this class, my only expectations were that this class would teach me more about software engineering, similar to previous ICS classes that I have done. Although, it caught me by surprise how much more I got from this class. From getting hands-on learning to experiencing the process of software development, the learning experience was completely different from my expectations. I didn’t expect to get real-world applications like creating websites and managing them with a team. These assignments really helped me understand the effort that is put into software development and made me feel more confident going into this field in my future career.
The Process is More Important than the Outcome
One of the topics that we discussed in this class was design patterns, which are general reusable solutions to common issues that act similarly to one another. Basically, a solution that you found works for a problem and that you apply it to another similar problem. This concept, even though I only just learned it, has been used constantly throughout my life. I never knew the reusable solutions that I have been using were considered design patterns. With that being said, the concept of design patterns has helped me throughout ICS 314 without realizing I was using it. In this course, we were given many problems and of course, were tasked to solve said problem. There were many times when I ran into issues that were similar to previous problems. For instance, there were three WODs in which we were tasked to recreate the same website but with different applications. Whenever I ran into an issue with the two WODs after the first one, I would typically look back on my previous solutions, and draw up an updated solution. Overall, the method of design patterns really helped me understand the process of creating an optimal solution.
Another topic that we went over in this class was coding standards and how this helped, not only me but my group as well during our final project. For our final project for ICS 314, we were tasked to make a functioning and working website, where all of us had to work together on the same application. If it weren’t for the coding standards that were enforced for ICS 314, the individual codes that we tasked ourselves with would have been unreadable. However, luckily everyone had a similar coding standard which helped everyone understand what did what in our code. Which made it a lot easier and simpler to ask for help from one another, as now the code becomes a simple read. This really showed me how important it is to have a set code standard when working as a team. Knowing that everyone is doing their part and that you understand what they did wrong or what they did right.
Overall, ICS 314 has taught me the many parts and the amount of effort that goes into software development. From the complex and repetitive nature of going through a process to find solutions to the effort that goes into group projects, all these things helped me acknowledge the process of software development.