CS3216: What I will learn

In the Fall of 2019, I took a truly transformational class CS3216 at the National University of Singapore. The class is no ordinary class - it asks more of you, and gives more to you. At the start of the class, we were all asked to quickly write out our learning objectives in a written assignment. Though its raw and simple, I have reproduced that in the blog below.

One idea that has stuck with me is that ordinary people can do extraordinary things (Elon Musk). In essence, it captures the idea that any ceiling we define for our own abilities will only serve to limit us, and the only true way to keep improving is to always increase “the ask” from ourselves. This is the mindset I bring into CSS3216. My learning objectives from the course are hence of two streams.

Developing a software product and working through the (long) path from ideation to solution.

I am interested in learning about and experiencing the process of identifying a problem statement, and understanding some defining traits of a good product. I hope to be a resourceful teammate who can quickly adapt to different teams and projects, and contribute to the effort by hitting the ground running. Alongside, I would like to leap out of my comfort zone (in terms of tech stack or role within the team) and learn to contribute in roles that I currently do not feel confident in. After all, in a world as dynamic as software product development, there is no skill we can wave away as unnecessary.

Through this process, I would also like to engage in peer learning. During the networking activity in the first lecture, I discovered several (future) teammates who have skills I would like to pick up (design, UX, etc.) and I would like to actually learn some tangible skills from them. To me, it appears that the problem statements of the assignments are opportunities to help with me learn from my peers. Finally, and most obviously, I would like to gain experience building quick prototypes that have the ability to showcase the impact of an idea.

Embark on a truly involved thought journey on the traits of highly motivated people and discover the limits of my abilities.

“The Last Lecture” was truly an incredible way to begin this journey, and I found myself inspired to think more about this stream of learning objectives. I am entering CS3216 with intent to push myself further and learn several things from this process. It is my previous experience that every hard learning experience teaches me some valuable lessons about how to learn better in the future, and they have served me well in every part of life. At the end of this module, I hope to emerge with a more refined process of learning, and valuable insights on how I can improve my work style. I want to teach myself to not be satisfied with a project, and go through with that extra iteration (or perhaps ten) that will help me improve even more.

I am sure my learning goals in CS3216 will evolve over the semester owing to the diversity of class, and the varied nature of the tasks. I look forward to the experiences, and of course “staying hungry and staying foolish”.