stevenclark.com.au

OK here’s how I got into computing – short version. Didn’t know how to use a computer in 2001. Did TAFE certificates two and three in Information Technology. What? Still not qualified. Enrolled in a Bachelor of Computing at the University of Tasmania and did a few units while I also did a TAFE certificate 4 in Web Design and a certificate 4 in Web Administration. Yep still in first year of the Bachelor of Computing and getting nowhere very slowly. So at the end of 2005 I just said do or die and started picking up summer school units as well and all I can say today is thank fuck it’s over Mr Twinkle because my final mark came in to complete my degree – 72 per cent for Software Engineering Project B. I’m now an educated man, in a fashion.

As a post mortem on the degree I’ve had highs and lows, people I will miss and other’s who I’d never work with again. The worst experiences and the best experiences at university are always the group work so my vote for the worst group situations I’ve had to work in go to Software Engineering Project A and Software Engineering Project B with a runner up for a unit called Information Management that I dropped specifically to get out of a crappy group situation.

Best group experiences? Principles of Marketing probably wins that race but Organisational Behaviour runs a very close second. Thanks everyone, if you ever read this. Some groups are just a joy to be involved with and you walk away kind of missing the interaction. However, all groups take effort and communication so you need to have some alignment both politically and socially with the others from the outset or the storming / norming phases just never seem to work to their potential.

Best lecturers… that’s more complicated. In the computing department I tip my hat to Julian Dermoudy (now Head of School), Ray Williams, Byeong Ho Kang, Ian Lewis and Christopher Lueg. In Business Management the best lecturers I experienced would be Simon Fishwick along with Wayne O’Donohue.

And my marks speak for themselves. I did reasonably well for someone the Tasmanian Government, only a decade ago, had on official record as having below average intelligence and absolutely no communication skills. My point is that if you’ve got goals you’re able to obtain them no matter who you are or what boxes people have stomped you into for the previous 20 years. You choose every day to be what you want to be and while in the web development industry this piece of paper called a university degree isn’t essential it does represent a lot in my life. It represents years of prolonged effort and learning. And exposes the achilles heel of our institutional black heart – tarring young men with tainted brushes does little for our society.

• KXA151 Programming and Problem Solving (84% HD)
• KXA153 Computer Applications (81% HD)
• KXA154 Software Process (66% CR)
• KXA155 Professional Computing (86% HD)
• KXA156 Multimedia and Web Applications (73% DN)
• BSA102 Information Modelling and Infrastructures (67% CR)
• BMA101 Introduction to Management (87% HD)
• BMA121 Management of Human Resources (81% HD)

• KXT201 Algorithms (76% DN)
• KXA252 Artificial Intelligence (68% CR)
• KXA253 Software Design (62% CR)
• KXA254 Operating Systems (72% DN)
• KXA281 Advanced Web Development (78% DN)
• BSA207 Web Management (81% HD)
• BMA201 Organisational Behaviour (88% HD)
• BMA251 Principles of Marketing (76% DN)

• KXT301 Software Engineering Project A (80% HD)
• KXT301 Software Engineering Project B (72% DN)
• KXT307 Computer Networks (73% DN)
• KXA355 Mobile and Ubiquitous Computing (80% HD)
• KXA358 Human Computer Interaction (85% HD)
• BSA309 Multimedia Professional Placement (78% DN)
• BAA321 Corporate Internship (78% DN)

I was placed on the Dean’s Roll of Excellence for the Faculty of Science, Engineering and Technology for 2007.

So it’s over… finally. Where do we go from here? Well I’ve applied to do a Master of Business Adminstration with Specialisation starting next year but I’m not exactly sure. I’ve been working on and off in the web design / development industry throughout my degree and tried my hand at teaching as well as a bunch of general muppet work nothing to do with web standards development. I’m broadening out into design and working on some photography and otherwise having an impoverished Christmas holiday. What should one do with the rest of a life? It might be time to do a year’s full time employment and work on the Master’s part time in 2010. Big decisions.

So, thank fuck it’s over Mr Twinkle. At last. Finally… Graduation is in December.

This entry was posted on Friday, November 28th, 2008 at 10:17 am and is filed under general, reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.