Appalachian State University has allowed me to discover and highlight my career as an upcoming computer scientist in ways that I could have never imagined. They have allowed me to branch out into many different realms of the study and have pushed me to become the educated individual that I am today. One of my greatest achievements throughout my undergrad year has be in the area of functional programming. While I was under Dr. Polonsky, I was able to discover some of the amazing abilities that the Haskell programming language has to offer. He pushed me in ways I never thought possible and made sure that I had plenty to think on. Our final exam for that class was a project to demonstrate what we learned and to explore new areas in Haskell. This final was about showing how well the class impacted us and a way to show what skills we really had. For that final, I was able to make an Environmental Language called ALA. It is a programming language that allows people to build folder structures from a single file. It was one of the most difficult assignments that I had ever taken on. Not to mention that I was also taking Systems II, one of the most difficult classes of my major, along side it. I worked harder than I ever did before and spent weeks focusing on how I could be making my project. After all that hard work, I had finally made a working model. It is something still till this day that I cannot believe I made.
Outside of the classroom, I was able to create a small computer science based company. That company has led me to create a lot of different types of applications and other innovative software. One of the proudest things that I have made for that company was three websites in three weeks. I had multiple clients that needed some very complex websites and I was able to grind all three of them out just before the deadline. This was around the time that Covid-19 really started to take a turn for the worst and I was limited on things that I would normally have access to. But that greater deal of time is what truly contributed to my success. It was also a great way for me to learn how to manage my time. Overall, both of these achievements really keep me going to seek new challenges, but also keep me humble as I now know my limitations.
- AL
Hey Alcinder. Your programming languages project sounds really impressive. Being able to keep up with systems 2 while working on such a complex project is a big accomplishment. Also being able to work in the industry as part of self run company sounds like fantastic experience. It is great that you have been able to work for yourself.
ReplyDeleteHi AJ, good job managing both Systems II and Programming Languages with Dr. Polonsky. Those two classes can be very difficult at times. As a huge fan of Haskell, it's awesome to see others scratching at its potential. I really hope Haskell gets more use outside of the ivory tower in the coming years. Cool Programming Languages project, I don't remember seeing that idea as on of his suggested ideas in the list he gives his students. Plus 1 for originality there. It's wild that you've been able to found a company while you are in school. I can only imagine the challenge of managing both and succeeding in both. Here's to many more great experiences in and around Computer Science!
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Hello Alcinder, I want to start off by saying great work with systems ll and Programming languages I bet you had some pretty stressful nights. Your final for Programming languages sounds really cool. Also starting your own software compony is awesome and a lot of work.
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