I am currently a first year student attending City Tech and I plan to study in the field of computer science, specifically in cyber security. I believe that this is the best career  for me because of how it’s so diverse. Diversity leads to experiments and experiments lead to thinking and logic. I enjoy constantly expanding my mind and going from something rudimentary to intricate and complex. In this essay I will exhibit how these three reasons can be unified together into harmony.

In order to obtain a job in cyber security I must first get an associates and bachelors in computer science as a threshold to specialize in cyber security. As in computer science it means the language of program and it relates to our melting pot of languages. Since the associates is just the beginning, I will learn from a wide variety it must be general because in order to protect a system you must know the system. As to how I can utilize my college to achieve my degree and job standing I hope to learn from the professionals and earn the job I desire.

The first reason why I believe this is the best major for me is because of it’s diversity. In an interview with Professor Tony Holley I asked him “What do you think is the most important quality a prospective student needs for this career field?” and he responded with “An interest in science  and a strong curiosity.”. A constant curiosity is something I have and researching different methods is something that entices me. According to “An Evaluation Framework and Comparative Analysis of the Widely Used First Programming Languages” there is a chart made that shows the some of the major languages taught starting from 1994 to 2011. They stated 9 of the most known languages, Ada, C, C++, C#, Fortran, Java, Modula-2, Pascal, and Python. Each of these codes do something different and all require a decent amount of practice and studying to master it. In 1994  6 out of 9 languages were taught but it began to decrease. In 2014 Ada and C# was neglected and only 1% for both were being taught. This reinforces selfstudy but some languages are either not taught or rarely taught. I was never fond of always just studying one topic or one thing. A habit I maintain that will I hope to continue is studying something general. Something that will continue to grow and continuously amaze me and make me ask myself questions as to “How do does this work?” or “How can I apply this to another subject?”. Each computer science language has it’s own function. An example would be Javascript, it is used to created websites and make them respond to the user. It’s very intriguing that we can make something that’s not living but rather a piece of technology respond to us with different codes and programs. Diversity is something that is rare in a major, it gives me to pleasure to know that I will always have to continue to expand my mind and be open to new ideas compared to knowing one thing and never changing that view. It’s amusing how computer science can turn something factual into something that’s factual into something that’s experimental because of diversity. These symbols displayed are some of the crucial things that one needs to code with and constant experimentation will help perfect my ability to know when to use and either or not it is wrong.

My second reason for why I believe this major suits me best is because of how experimental and flexible this career is. I like to solve problems and I learn better when I can apply the lessons myself. To experiment is to learn and to learn is to understand. I believe in order to love something you must understand it. In a way computer science is a relationship. You must know it’s advantages, disadvantages, and have your problems but be able to find solutions as well. To see things in a different light and being able to constantly destroy codes and remake them into something better is something that comes rare with other careers. Some have a set of rules you must follow or your formula is wrong while other careers only have one way of doing something. An example can be taken from “On Language Equations with One-sided Concatenation” as they state “For a fixed finite alphabet Σ, we consider systems of equations of the following general form: ψ1(X1, . . . , Xn) = ξ1(X1, . . . , Xn).” These are basically substitute for unknown numbers as stated above. Just like our  modern day math there is also math in computer science, just not the same way it’s applied. There is always a constant and a way to formulate a code or program. The image below is command prompt which some of you may know. We use this to verify certain things such as, finding out our ping (internet speed) and you can also abort commands with ctrl+c. By typing in “ping google.com” it will list out the speed and the average speed your internet goes at.

Third reason is basically, logic. If a brain does something constantly you remember it and it can become a second function. Expanding my mind is the most one of the most important things to a person for them to continuously grow. I do not want a job where I can’t excel because I no longer have any material to study from. I want to think and further improve myself. That is another thing NYCCT will help me in and my major as well. In NYCTT’s 2014-2015 catalog they say “The AAS in CIS prepares students for entry level jobs.”. As it states in the catalog an associates can only help me in getting a position that’s entry level but when I get in preparation for my bachelors and future I believe NYCCT will aid my attitude and tenacity. I hope to utilize the resources from my college and get an idea of how my future will be and prepare for it while I can because I know this major is not easy. In reasoning and logic there is always an opposing side so I must achieve an idea of how I can forge something with two different ideas that will work in unity. That may take me years but it’s a challenge and I would feel accomplished if I did manage to understand a theory and piece it together. The image below is a website called CodeAcademy where they teach you different coding languages and ask you to do task such as using what you learned in the lessons to get a certain outcome.

Computer science is another world for some people, it can feel like an escape from reality. I see it as a way to relieve stress because you are able to change things unlike in real life where if you cannot always have control over the situation. When I interviewed Professor Tony Holley I asked him, ”s being in the CST career field exciting?” and Professor Holley said “It certainly is! Especially in the area in which I specialize – web design. Constantly, new products and expansion of old products are being introduced that need to be shared with students.”. Further analyzing what controls the future of our technology is something I would like to do. As computer engineers make the technology the coders make the programs that bring the computer to life. In order to accomplish such a task I will seek the aid of those in NYCCT as a mentor for the things I cannot understand for the things that they have learned throughout their own experiences. It will serve as a memento to look back on. As computer science is a combination of many things the most important is grasping the concepts from my professors and learning persistence and dedication.

Citation

In an email interview with Professor Tony Holley, he says, ‘’”An interest in science  and a strong curiosity” (Holley Par.3).

In an article “On Language Equations and One-Sided Concatenation” Franz Baader and Alexander Okhotin says, “For a fixed finite alphabet Σ, we consider systems of equations of the following general form: ψ1(X1, . . . , Xn) = ξ1(X1, . . . , Xn).” (Baader and Okhotin Par.4).

New York City College of Technology (City Tech).College Catalog 2014-2015. 2014. PDF. 12 Nov 2014.

In an email interview with Professor Tony Holley, he says, “It certainly is! Especially in the area in which I specialize – web design. Constantly, new products and expansion of old products are being introduced that need to be shared with students.” (Holley Par.6).

Works Cited

Farooq MS, Khan SA, Ahmad F, Islam S, Abid A (2014) An Evaluation Framework and Comparative Analysis of the Widely Used First Programming
Languages. PLoS ONE 9(2): e88941. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0088941

Baader, Franz., and Okohotin, Alexander. “On Language Equations and One-Sided Concatenation.” Fundamenta Informaticae 126 (2013): 1-35. IOS Press. Web. 6 Dec. 2014.

New York City College of Technology (City Tech).College Catalog 2014-2015. 2014. PDF. 12 Nov 2014.

Holley, Tony. Personal interview. 5 Dec. 2014.

Su, Janie “Symbols” Flickr. 6 December 2014. 8 December 2014

Su, Janie “CodeAcademy” Flickr. 6 December 2014. 8 December 2014

Su, Janie “Command Prompt” Flickr. 6 December 2014. 8 December 2014

Introduction

For the duration of this project, I channeled my brain’s ability of multi-modality with the use of recording a full day of thoughts, writing and revising notes on a daily basis, taking pictures of objects/events that stood out to me, and last was to use all three parts to plan out how I’d think in the future and how it would effect my future. In a way this project was about collecting data for a hypothesis of the future versus what we aspire to think like. Though change isn’t easy I believe the biggest obstacle that makes us hesitate to change is having the epiphany that we need to change. This project helped me see how I would think and gave me a chance to explore how my mind thinks on a daily basis.

Thinking in Writing

My entire body is sore, wonder why? – 11:00am
5 more minutes… -11:30am
Must get out of bed. MY HAMSTERS ARE CALLING FOR ME. -12:00pm
If only pets understood human speech. The conversations we would have though. -12:30pm
Note to self: Special K chocolate cereal is not all that great. -1:00pm
Why must my hamster poop on me every time I hold her? -1:30pm
I’d love to work at the zoo, possibly. -2:00pm
I want punch someone. These dramas always make me sad. -2:30pm
I think dramas are just something to make females angry. -3:00pm
Don’t just eat the food, BE THE FOOD. -3:30pm
I really want Starbucks, a lot. -4:00pm
TEACUP ANIMALS ARE TOO CUTE. -4:30pm
30 minutes later and I’m still looking up videos of teacup animals, what life do I have? -5:00pm
Why must my parents not use keys and decide to disturb me in my teacup animal phase? -5:30pm
I think my friend giggles like a girl. It’s manly giggle, more men should do it. -6:00pm
I should probably finish up my homework. -6:30pm
Sometimes I feel like everyone should have a pet. -7:00pm
Oh, I missed a cat cafe today. Hamsters comfort me. -7:30pm
I should probably sleep early today. -8:00pm
I feel like eating again. -8:30pm
I love my toothpaste.- 9:00pm
I’m sleeping at 11 today! That is the goal. -9:30pm
No I lied, I’ll sleep after this episode. -10:00pm
I still haven’t done homework. Oh no. -10:30pm
I CAN’T SLEEP YET. I don’t feel sleepy. -11:00pm
I need more food..raiding fridge now. -11:30pm
Ok, I must sleep. My people need me. -12:00am

Thinking Visually

“Monica’s Art”

This was a picture a friend of mine drew to to celebrate my birthday and to show appreciation as a friend.

“A Day at The Beach”

Simplicity. My friend was really creative and made her own camera thus why the quality is a bit iffy but simple things like this, despite being just a picture is reverie.

“Most Memorable Birthday”

On my birthday I decided to play pool and my friend suddenly dragged me into the bathroom claiming she needed it and kept me in there for about 3 minutes until she dragged me out. I was so surprised to see this sitting on the table, but one of the first birthday’s I’ve celebrated.

Thinking Rhetorically

My name is Janie Su, I am currently a freshmen attending City Tech majoring in computer engineering. However, I don’t have the slightest hint of what my future might hold. I’m not sure if I’ll switch majors or continue to stay in computer engineering. Though truthfully I’m  following the motto I never wanted to follow “Money makes the world go round.” This project made me see something I never saw before, I was being naive. Yes, money does make the world go round but it can’t buy happiness. My thoughts have always been inside the box and practical. I feared to take chances was what the thoughts I collected screamed to me. This will both affect my future and my present, personal or career wise. I should’ve learned to cherish the simplicity of life, cherish those who have had a positive impact on my life, and begin to believe that pursuing happiness instead of money will give me the greatest result in the end. I realized I needed to change.
Change, it’s something we learn over time. No one teaches us the meaning of change rather we learn it ourselves through experience. That’s why we change without even registering that we did. Though ironically when we actually try to change, we struggle with it. I believe it’s because when it dawns upon us that we may need to change, a part of us says no immediately because the first step to changing is figuring out what to change. That causes us to see what flaws we have and that epiphany alone gives us a cold reality check sometimes. The most important kind of change are the ones that we implement on ourselves, where we see our flaws and admit we need to fix them. By pooling together information for this project I developed a list of my ideals, reasons to change, and how it might affect my future if I do or don’t change.
Simplicity. The mere word brings me a sense of gratitude and appreciation. The world as it is now seems to be wrapped around money, power, and fame. It seems the word “simple” has lost it’s value to a mere summary of instructions for workers rather than value small things. My train of thought has blended in with the belief that simplicity is no longer something we are able to hold close. Every day seems to be chaotic and competitive, I seem to forget the simple memories and the small things I did to cheer myself up when I was down. In a day of thoughts I wrote “MUST GET OUT OF BED. My hamsters are calling for me.” I only got the hamster and weeks ago but they are one of my prime reasons for being happy each morning. Something as effortless as them standing on their hind legs brings a smile to my face. I do not want to become part of the culture where the word simple no longer exists as a positive term. The future I set for myself as a child would be completely gone and destroyed if I allowed myself to forget the true meaning of simplicity. In the day of thoughts I wrote “I’d love to work at the zoo possibly.” Even though I know I probably won’t the mere of thought of it makes me happy. The idea of being around something I’m fond of enlightens me and I hope I still continue to hold the same train of thought years from now.
I believe the saying, “A person’s past will reflect on a person’s future.” I wish to hold close those who have put their trust and effort in me, without certain people I would not be able to be the person I am today. I wish to rid the regrets of my past and see them as stepping stools to my future. In “Most Memorable Birthday” the picture was taken on my 17th birthday. I never celebrated my birthday but that was one of the first times I did, my friends surprised me with a giant cake while smiling at me wishing me happy birthday. Those same people were the ones that were  there for me when I needed the most and till this day they still remain close to my heart, maybe a bit hidden but they’re there. But I recently have began to forget how important they are to me and if I were to forget what they did for me, shame on me. I hope for the years to come that I never forget their kindness towards me.
The future is something unknown to us all the only people who may know would probably be Father Time.  I may not know what will happen in the future but I do have an idea now about what kind of person I’ll become and if I can change it or not. I have taken so many things for granted and distanced myself from so many people that I find it disappointing. In “Monicas Art” a friend drew it for me as a gift to show her appreciation to me yet today we don’t even speak anymore. I don’t wish to continue on like that, I no longer want to distance my friends away from me nor do I wish to forget the good memories.  All of them will be locked away in my personal box of treasures deep in my heart.

However the future is something I want to look forward to, with the new found knowledge of what I may think and how I can fix it I do not wish to falter from it. I want to keep the promises I made as child and I want to continue to keep them because the promises made when you were younger will always be the most genuine ones since they were left untainted and forgotten. Change will be something I am constantly going to keep working on and something I will continuously keep trying to improve on. The way I think now will affect my negatively in my future unless I am able to revise my ways.

Works Cited

JanieS [Janie Su] “Re. Project1: Thinking in Writing.” openlab. ENG 1101 D377 English Composition 1, FA 2014, 22 Sept.2014. Web.13 Oct.2014

Su, Janie “Monica’s Art.” Flickr. 14 Oct, 2014.Web. 14 Oct, 2014

Su, Janie “A Day at The Beach.” Flickr. 14 Oct, 2014.Web. 14 Oct, 2014

Su, Janie “Most Memorable Birthday.” Flickr. 14 Oct, 2014.Web. 14 Oct, 2014

In a day of thoughts I wrote “MUST GET OUT OF BED. My hamsters are calling for me.”(JanieS Par 26)

In the day of thoughts I wrote “I’d love to work at the zoo possibly.”(JanieS Par.31)