Future Goals

Mon Dec 09 2024

Where I Was

I am pretty sure that I started programming at the age of 8. I was a young, fresh-eyed kid who admired his dad's work as a software engineer. I even mistakenly bragged to my friends that he created Instagram (even though he only worked on what I think was the Instant Ink software for HP). Unfortunately, I was not some sort of prodigy at programming. I learned Python, Javascript, and whatever else interested me on this free website I found, although I only really remember learning the first two. Years later, in my 7th grade introductory computer science class, I learned HTML and CSS, creating the most basic of websites (my favorite was the fictional McMoonalds, which served milk burgers). During the COVID years, I stitched together a basic platformer in Godot out of tutorials I found online for the engine, sprites, and whatnot. In high school, I programmed for my FRC Robotics Team and my AP Computer Science A class with Java, creating my first "real" projects involving websites, arm controllers, and trajectory calculators.

But I still wished I had something that I could be proud of. None of my projects had a tangible impact on anyone besides mostly myself. (And as for my work on FRC, I felt I didn't contribute enough to call the work I did truly impactful.) And unfortunately, that was the most I could back then.

Where I Am

As of writing this, I am finished with my first quarter of college. It's strange how fast and slow the time goes. Metaphorically and literally, college becomes your entire life, becoming a trance-like stream of day-to-day lectures, homework, career work, clubs, exercise, and excursions. I never feel like I can truly relax here, which is both beneficial and detrimental to my progress as a programmer. One on hand, I find it easier than ever to lock in and work on personal projects or apply to internships. I feel unrestrained by the few responsibilities I have and the barrier to starting work is virtually nonexistent. But on the other hand, I've become dependent on this environment. Right now, I'm back at home and I find it extremely difficult to even get started on work. It's like the sudden relapse that certain addicts experience. They are perfectly clean and healthy at rehab, but as soon as they come back they become addicted again within days. I'm not saying that addicts are weak for relapsing but that it's easy to improve your situation by depending on your environment rather than bettering oneself. And that is what I want to work on here.

Currently I have a few projects I'd like to finish by the end of this school year (June 2025). First, I need to get this website out (even if it may not look amazing). Next, I have a basic AI project that I finish from highschool (this will take maybe a month or two of work to finish). Then, I have a fun idea for a video game (and I suspect this will take the longest to complete). I might also revamp this website after gaining more experience. Of course, I'll probably come up with more ideas as I start creating, and I also have some group projects from hackathons or clubs or whatever. I'd say all of these projects will extend into the next year or two here at UCSB. Plenty of stuff to do.

Where I Will Be

Currently, my future plans beyond college are vague. I wouldn't mind working at a big tech company, but I don't think that will be all that my career amounts to. Really, I just want to explore a lot of options. Personally, I'd like to try working all kinds of jobs. Maybe I travel a lot, maybe I work from home. Maybe I work overtime every day, maybe I work for 4 hours a day. Maybe I'm developing software, maybe I'm researching AI. I think that'd be fun. I just don't want to work one job for one company for the entirety of my career. I think there's a lot more to programming than the narrow scope of a single job.

Conclusion

I have a lot to work on. Don't expect another blog for at least a few months.