Wednesday, April 25, 2007
All systems go
Near the beginning of this year I took up a project, that I had conceptualized, and started designing the actual system with a good friend of mine. The project was a customized scheduling system for the company I work for during the school year. Scheduling systems aren't truly exciting or awe-inspiring for the most part, but it's been a great experience so far, and I am continuing to learn a lot from it.
The main thing I've learned is that engineering a product from the ground up is actually a lot more fun than I thought. Like everyone in my major at Rose, I've done several systems like this in the past, though on a much smaller scale. However, this one proved unique in it's own ways, and I've had more fun that I thought I would.
Anyway, yesterday my partner and I demoed the project to 115 people and fortunately it didn't break! Which is especially good, since it launched today at 12:01am. Well, now that's it launched I can stop stressing over it, since the development can slow down in pace a bit. Maybe I can spend a little more time planning a summer in the "cousin-loving" (sorry, had to) state of Kentucky...haha
The main thing I've learned is that engineering a product from the ground up is actually a lot more fun than I thought. Like everyone in my major at Rose, I've done several systems like this in the past, though on a much smaller scale. However, this one proved unique in it's own ways, and I've had more fun that I thought I would.
Anyway, yesterday my partner and I demoed the project to 115 people and fortunately it didn't break! Which is especially good, since it launched today at 12:01am. Well, now that's it launched I can stop stressing over it, since the development can slow down in pace a bit. Maybe I can spend a little more time planning a summer in the "cousin-loving" (sorry, had to) state of Kentucky...haha
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Light at the end of the tunnel
Sorry, it's been quite some time since I last posted. Life has been busy, and I haven't made time to post until someone complained yesterday...
New York City:
For spring break I made a little trip w/ the folks to NYC. Wow, this place is pretty crazy. It's absolutely incredible how much there is. Another surprise was how clean (relative to my expectations) and safe the subway system felt. Of course, we only used it during the day, but it was better than I expected. However, after doing some research, I learned that in the last decade NYC has moved into the top spot in the ranking for crime safety for the 10 biggest cities in the US (as in it's the safest). Nonetheless, I think I'd seriously consider a job offer if I landed a decent one in the big apple!
First launch event:
Well, this Tuesday is my first ever launch event. I get to announce a new web application I've been developing with another guy for about 3 months. We have to demo it (crosses fingers) in front of around a 100 people including the directors. But we've worked hard and I'm confident all will go well. It's been a great experience doing the project and I think I'd be happy doing web dev as a career later on. Wish me luck on Tuesday
Light at the end of the tunnel:
The best news right now is that I'm over halfway done in my last really busy quarter at Rose-Hulman. I'm taking 20 hours of class, and combined with a gf and a job I get busier than I like at times. But that's alright, time goes fast and I have next year to look forward to. Hopefully I can land a job in the fall (pending a potential recession) and cruise through my senior year.
New York City:
For spring break I made a little trip w/ the folks to NYC. Wow, this place is pretty crazy. It's absolutely incredible how much there is. Another surprise was how clean (relative to my expectations) and safe the subway system felt. Of course, we only used it during the day, but it was better than I expected. However, after doing some research, I learned that in the last decade NYC has moved into the top spot in the ranking for crime safety for the 10 biggest cities in the US (as in it's the safest). Nonetheless, I think I'd seriously consider a job offer if I landed a decent one in the big apple!
First launch event:
Well, this Tuesday is my first ever launch event. I get to announce a new web application I've been developing with another guy for about 3 months. We have to demo it (crosses fingers) in front of around a 100 people including the directors. But we've worked hard and I'm confident all will go well. It's been a great experience doing the project and I think I'd be happy doing web dev as a career later on. Wish me luck on Tuesday
Light at the end of the tunnel:
The best news right now is that I'm over halfway done in my last really busy quarter at Rose-Hulman. I'm taking 20 hours of class, and combined with a gf and a job I get busier than I like at times. But that's alright, time goes fast and I have next year to look forward to. Hopefully I can land a job in the fall (pending a potential recession) and cruise through my senior year.
