To most people who know me I would be referred to as Laurence. My full name however is Darien Aasin Laurencin. I’m a student in the School of Technology and Design at New York City College of Technology, (commonly known as City Tech), obtaining a bachelor’s degree in Computer System Technology. Computer System Technology, also known as Computer Programming dates back to the early 1950s when programming was just zeros and ones, evolving to high level language, creating amazing applications and software such as Facebook, Microsoft, and Google. The love I have from Computer Programming didn’t start not long ago, while I was a high school senior in my first semester I didn’t have any idea of the major I wanted to study, but through the inspiration of a teacher, I was able to stop the lie of wanting to become a biomedical engineer and start my path as a computer programmer. My passion towards pursuing this major grew as a City Tech student. Observing the love that my professors’ have for computers, made me come to a realization that I also have a love for it. When I’m in my programming classes, the work seem to be effortless yet challenging to me compared to my non computer classes. I believe finding a career in this field wouldn’t be hard, by having various computer skills in network security, and application though my major, I would be able to go from protecting people from hackers, to creating amazing applications that can better the lives of others. With all these aspects my journey to being a great Computer Programmer will be a success.

Within the 21^st Century technology that’s being created, most of the machines have to be programed in order to do a specific task. The first programmer was a lady by the name of Ada Lovelace. Ada Lovelace was the first person to write code, or simple instructions for the first programmable computer made by Charles Babbage. According to When Faster is Slower Armour stated, “Early 1970s, the only available computer was a large main frame. When I say large, I mean physically; in memory size it was miniscule. The computer’s primary function was running a steelworks and any software development task requiring computer resources had to wait until the machine was not engaged in more important tasks” (Armour 1). This quotation showed how programming started with mathematicians using simple coding to calculate numbers on a huge computer that held little memory space. Machine language were instructions, using ones and zeros evolved to new and improve English like instructions. To understand the concept of how the history of programming evolved, in the early stages of programming to make a program instruction true or false a programmer would use one as true and zero for false. Today programmers can actually use simple words to make a program work, and programming languages such as C++, Java, and Html are used every day from making an app to making a webpage. A famous programmer that most people know is Mark Zukerberg. Mark Zukerberg is one of the cofounder of Facebook which have over 2 billion users. He has a net worth of about 35 billion. His programming journey didn’t start of easy. First Mark Zukerberg had to study, and that was what he did. He became a programmer at 12 and learned C++. He did created a program that made his parents two computer interact with each other. Mark Zukerberg along with his colleagues made an app that allowed people to interact with other in Harvard University, which started the idea of Facebook. To me the “Golden Age” of programming was in the early 2000s. This was when applications and software was making billions such as Microsoft. Microsoft profits increased substantially by making programs and applications such as Internet Explorer, Windows 2007 operating system, and Microsoft Office. Because Microsoft made all these applications, the CEO Bill Gates became, and still is the richest man in the world.

It was the first semester of my senior year in high school and my counselor handed me a piece paper of my class schedule. The schedule had English, Pre-calculus, gym, and HTML web design. All the classes I received were familiar to me except for HTML web design. I was thinking, “What the heck is a HTML.” The class seemed hard, so I was tried to switch my schedule while I had the chance. My counselor convinced me to try the class for a semester, and if I want I’ll be able to switch. During the first few days in the class the teacher, Mrs. Duffus, said HTML meant Hyper Text Markup Language and it’s a high-level computer language that most people use to make web pages. I thought making web pages would be fun, but it’s not for me. For the first few weeks the teacher was mostly talking web pages and learning how to make webpages, until one day it was time to finally create a web page. The first web page I ever created was supposed to show at least four people that inspired me in life. It sounded easy on paper, but when it was actually time to make the web page come to life, I struggled. There was days I spent extra time in class after school when me and my teacher would work together on my web page. She taught me various ways to make the styles of webpage, and use different website making programs such as Dreamweaver and Notepad++. Due to her extra support I was able to put my first ever web page up online before anyone else in the class. By the time it was time I was making my second webpage, “All about me,” I became a pro. I used more advance colors, and coding to create my website. I knew that I wanted to stay in this class my second semester. I soon found out there was other ways to program besides HTML and wanted to learn it all. HTML was my first program I became a pro at, then went on to CSS to help my webpages become more interactive. I made a decision that would change my life forever. I initially set my major to a bachelor degree in biomedical engineering at the University of Rochester, but then at the last minute made a decision to study Computer Systems Technology at City Tech. At the end of my high school year I left with a love for programming, creating three webpages and won the Award of Technology.

Going to college is both an exciting and challenging experience, from joining clubs to dealing with strict professors. As I progress in my first semester in college I had to learn everything it takes to became a computer programmer and graduate with my bachelor’s degree. To know what it takes to graduate at City Tech with a person major, someone will refer to the City Tech College Catalog. The City Tech College Catalog stated, “A grade of “C” or better in each course designated with the prefix MST and/or CST will be required for progression towards graduation” (College Catalog 222). So in order for me to get one step further to my goals I would have to get a C grade or better to graduate with my bachelors. City Tech College Catalog also said that I would be able to take a course in Multimedia and Mobile Device Programming. This course according to the College Catalog, “Covers Java language support of applications on cell phones, PDAs and other small computational devices. Strengths and limitations of using the Java Virtual Machine (JVM) on small devices. Issues involved in moving large multimedia files between platforms and their storage in databases” (College Catalog 227). This specific course in my Computer Systems Technology degree will help me create applications. Being able to learn how to make application on a cellphone has been something I’ve wanted to do since I was fifteen years old. In addition my present time at City Tech have been both challenging and exciting. In my, Introduction to Computer Programming class, my professor thought me how to turn the decimal numeric system which is numbers zero through nine to the binary numeric system which is just zero and one. When I was thought this is was challenging at first, but when I got the hang of it, I had fun converting the numbers. My professors also helped add on to my goal of being a computer programmer, and graduate with a Computer System Technology degree. When my computer programming professors teach, I observed they teach with passion and excitement exemplifying their love for programming. This made a deep connection between me and my professors. Within the next 4 years I will obtain a bachelor degree in Computer Systems Technology. With this degree I will then start my journey to become the best computer programmer.

The hardest challenge I believe that will face on my journey to being a computer programmer is finding a career in where I’m financially stable. According to the Occupational Outlook Handbook my major allows me to go into many career feels such as, Web development, Software Development, and Information Security Analysts. Between those three careers the one I’m mainly interested with Information Security Analysts. The reason for this is because The Occupational Handbook stated about Information Security Analysts is, “Employment of information security analysts is projected to grow 37 percent from 2012 to 2022, much faster than the average for all occupations. Demand for Information Security Analysts is expected to be very high, as these analysts will be needed to come up with innovative solutions to prevent hackers from stealing critical information or creating havoc on computer networks” (United States para .5.). Knowing that there is an increase demand for this type of field may insure that I get a career faster then the average person. In addition being in the Information Security Analysts field allow me to make the Internet safer for people to use and ensure that I acquire the knowledge to protect my own self from hackers. The Occupational Outlook Handbook also stated that the annual pay rate for that job is $86,170. Earning $86,170 would make me financially stable and also help my parents retire early. Being in the Computer Systems Technology field will allow me to gain access to computer knowledge far beyond what people just see on a computer screen. Each time I’m in Manhattan I would usually go in the apple store and observe the work environment. During my time at the apple store I received a warm and friendly welcome, and in addition I would observe the tech specialist work on fixing people broken or malfunctioned Ipads, IPhones, and MacBook’s. Due to my observation before I receive my bachelors degree I would like to work with apple at the apple store and become a tech specialist. If I become a tech specialist I can utilize that work experience to move on with my career or hopefully get promoted at the store.

Being a computer programmer would be a fun, but it takes a lot of hard work and determination. The belief that one day I’ll grow up and become successful in the computer field have been instilled in me ever since I graduated high school. I believe my true journey to success has not even start yet. My parents always told me work hard; play later, maybe that’s why I’m both a full time student and full time worker. No matter what bumps and bruises I face I can achieve anything and my love for computers will help me keep my sanity on that journey. If I’m ever upset or down, I would just turn on my computer and start designing a new webpage or study more on programing. The famous Mark Zukerberg said, “The biggest risk is not taking any risk… In a world that changing really quickly, the only strategy that is guaranteed to fail is not taking risks.”

Work Cited

Armour, Phillip G. “When Faster Is Slower.” Communications of The ACM 56.10 (2013): 30-32.                       
Academic Search Complete. Web. 28 Oct. 2015.

New York City College of Technology- College Catalog 2015-2016 (City Tech). New York: New York City College of Technology, 2015. PDF

United States Department of Labor. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Computer and Information Technology. Occupational Handbook. Washington: Bureau of Labor Statistics, 8, January. 2015. Web. 28 October 2015