“When did you first start programming?”
Although I have been interested in computer programming for quite a long time, I only started programming in the summer of 2020, prior to my first computer science course. I used the platform and IDE, Jupyter Notebook, watching videos and attempting to grasp the basics of Python. I took AP Computer Science Principles in my junior year of high school, but the class focused more so on block code than the programming language itself.
In the present day, I have now taken 2 programming focused classes (excluding this class) and plan undertake individual project this summer. Through these, I will better prepare myself for upcoming courses and build a basic portfolio to accompany my undergraduate work.
“What is your favorite thing about programming?”
After hours of troubleshooting, browsing through Stack Overflow, and fixing logical errors, the feeling of finally having a working product is what motivates me to continue and improve my skills. The more debugging, the greater feeling it is when the code correctly compiles.
“What is your least favorite thing about programming?”
I find debugging to be a very tedious process, often reducing any motivation I have to finish a program. When it works, I love to program, when it doesn’t… not so much. However, through the tedium, skills are gained and my favorite thing about programming comes about (as aforementioned), witnessing a finished usable product.