My studies in science
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My studies in science
The start.
It was January and school had just restarted after the Christmas break. I was a secondary 5 student, and I had the first very important decision in my life: what program do I want to choose for Cegep? I did not know what kind of job I wanted to have later in life, but I did like subjects related to science, so it helped me narrowing down the list of possibilities. What program did I want to choose?
Choice 1 : Natural science at Édouard-Montpetit
Choice 2 : Computer science and mathematics at Maisonneuve
First chemistry class.
Almost a year later, I was almost done with my first session. I was going well for the most part. However, I found that chemistry was very difficult, and it made me lose my motivation. I never had trouble in chemistry before, but now my grade was just above the passing mark. The evening before my chemistry exam, I strongly considered the possibility of pulling an all nightery to learn as much as I could before the exam, but I would risk being very tired for my exams the days after. What did I want to do?
Choice 1 : Go to sleep
Choice 2 : Study all night
The result of sleeping that night.
Two weeks after the chemistry exam, I learned the news: I failed chemistry. If I wanted to continue this program, it was mandatory to finish the class, but there would be 2 more chemistry classes to complete after that, and I felt completely demoralised. I could also change program and pick my second option, computer science and mathematics, because I would only have to finish one chemistry class. Did I want to stay in this program?
Choice 1 : Yes, restart the class and study a lot more
Choice 2 : No, change program and go to computer science and mathematics
After studying.
I am quite happy with my decision because I ended up passing all my classes. It was time to start thinking about the next session….
Choice 1 : Continue to next session
Second chemistry class.
Only a few days after the beginning of this session, I started to regret my decision. Chemistry was not getting easier which led me to lose all motivation or interest. There was no way I would want to continue. It was tough, but at the same time, there was no other feasible option.
Choice 1 : Abandon the program
First programing class.
The first weeks in this program were very fun. We started to learn the basics of programing and I found the class interesting. But as weeks went by, we were learning more and more about the programing language, and remembering how to do certain things was getting more and more difficult. I was falling behind on the exercises that the teacher gave us. I think that I am at risk of failing, but I genuinely believe that once I learn this it will be fun to use later. Was I going to ask for help?
Choice 1 : Ask the teacher for help
Choice 2 : Do not worry and skip the exercises I cannot finish
First programing class's teacher's help.
With the help of the teacher, it became much easier. I finished my first session, and during the second session, I did not hesitate to ask for help.
Choice 1 : Continue to third session
Second programing class.
I ended up passing the class by only 1 or 2 percentage points, but now in my second class, I had the same problem. I was still struggling and the number of things to learn kept increasing. Was I going to risk failing again?
Choice 1 : Ask the teacher for help
Choice 2 : Do not worry, I will pass like last session
Second programing class after the teacher's help.
The teacher helped me more than I could imagine, everything makes sense once I started to understand a few things I had problems with. I passed this session with grades above average, I could not believe it.
Choice 1 : Continue to third session
The result of the second programming class's final exam.
I was very wrong. Incomplete assignments kept pilling up because I was completely clueless as to how I could complete them. And the final exam was not an exception either. I could barely answer to 25% of the questions. My grade for that class was by far the worst I had ever had, 23 points below passing. I felt horrible. I was going to try again, hopefully convincing myself into putting more effort into my studies.
Choice 1 : Restart all over again
Another crucial decision: University.
The last 2 sessions went very well. Programming is a lot more fun now that I already know the basics. I can focus on figuring out ways to apply what I have learned in bigger projects. It is great. But now comes the second extremely important decision of my life. What do I want to do at University? Even though I was uncertain of the career path I wanted to take, I always had a likely option in my head: mechanical engineering. And to be completely fair, it still seems like a good idea. But now that I have learned programming and grew to love it, software engineering seems like as good of an option. What would be my first pick?
Choice 1 : Mechanical engineering
Choice 2 : Software engineering
Robotics club?
Only a few days after the beginning of semester while I was walking down a hallway, I saw a board with dozens of clubs I could join. One was robotics. It seemed very fun, combining mechanical engineering with my love for coding. But I was not sure I wanted to fully commit because it would give me less time to do work for my classes. Was it a good idea?
Choice 1 : Yes, I add my name onto the list
Choice 2 : No, I hesitantly resume walking down the hallway
What now? 4 years after starting software engineering.
As expected, software engineering is very fun. There is so much more to learn that what I have had time to learn during my 2 years at Cegep. At this point in time, I am still in university and one year away from finishing my studies. I am happy with my past decisions.
Write a choice here.
What now? 4 years after joining the robotics club in mechanical engineering.
It has been 4 years since I started university and I only have one year left. Mechanical engineering is very interesting, and the robotics club really made university more enjoyable. I even got accepted for an internship in 2 different robotics companies during the 2 last summers. I got the chance to learn from employees in their day-to-day work. I am very excited for the future. I have absolutely no regrets.
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What now? 4 years after starting mechanical engineering.
It has been 4 years since I started university, and as expected, mechanical engineering is very fun. My past intuition was right, and I choose a good path. I do regret not joining the programing club; It could have helped me to continue learning to program. But that is my single regret, I am happy to be where I am today.
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