Linh
what is the most inspired course you have taken?
As a high school student, you suppose to take many classes as you want. But there are some courses that will be your favorite and determine your career path. So I want to ask many students about their stories, which we can share many variety information and come up with a better answer for ourselves about career path. #computer-software #science #biology #healthcare #marketing #mathematics #foreign-languages #genetics
4 answers
Diego Puppin
Diego’s Answer
There are many, but if you stick to Computer Science, I did a very beautiful class in Semantics of Programming Languages, which really helped me think about Programming in a new way. Take as many core classes as you can, you'll really build up on them down the road.
I have taking Computer Science in senior high year but I'm feeling so lost in it. The class is going so fast and I can barely ask the teacher anything. Do you have any suggestion that will help me improve in coding?
Linh
Everything is easier if you have fun doing it. Back then I tried to write my own games. I started with something very simple (e.g. guess a random number, by doing binary search). Then I started writing some programs to test what I was learning in school (e.g. trigonometry). Try to pair up with somebody more skilled and challenge them to build something you may enjoy or use (e.g a tool to solve linear equations or matrixes).
Diego Puppin
Jennifer Campbell
Jennifer’s Answer
This might seem like a really strange answer -- but one of the courses that really stuck with me - comparative religion. I was raised by two atheists, and having that exposure to the religions and cultures was invaluable to me. I didn't come out an expert, obviously, but with enough to have a general understanding. That has served me well in my career as I've often been in international roles dealing with people from all over the world. Religion and culture are so intertwined, that having an understanding of religious beliefs and traditions helped me in understanding the diverse people I meet (and continue to meet).
Joe Notter
Joe’s Answer
I love your question. My favorite course was Developmental Biology.
I am a wireless engineer who studied Electrical Engineering, but not before pursuing a major I thought was going to be the right one. I started as a Biology major with the interest in becoming a Physical Therapist. It wasn't until my third year of college that I started questioning my plan and shift majors. I decided to go into Engineering, but there was still room in my schedule to continue with a couple biology classes that helped me hit my credits quota.
In Developmental Biology we spent a lot of time talking about the development of life from the one-cell stage to birth. We copied diagrams the professor drew on the whiteboard using colored pencils. We found out how the innards of us come to become what they are and how they function at the most basic level. It was just fascinating to discover such amazing intricacies... even though I no longer was going to pursue that profession. (A close second was microbiology, but that's a different story).
John Stokes
John’s Answer
Truthfully, it was my teachers more than my classes that inspired me. If you find a teacher that you like and learn from, take as many courses as you can from him/her.
In my school career, though, two courses stand out: Database Design Principles and Software Application Development. In Database Design, I learned the theory behind designing good databases and how to "normalize" them. It didn't deal much with SQL or any specific vendor's database, but rather what makes an efficient database design.
Software Application Development was a practical class in which we came up with a program concept and wrote the program. The only criteria were we had to put at least 80 hours into the project, and it should compile and run (even if unfinished.) Making a full-fledged, "customer-ready" program taught me so much more than the little command-line programming exercises we'd often do in class.