Reflective memo 15

This is my last posting for CIT49900. I can definitely say that this has been a very strange semester. From getting my laptop stolen to spending a week taking care of my girlfriend, there have definitely been a lot of obstacles. If I didn't learn anything else this semester, I did learn that it is always better to work ahead in case unexpected things occur.

From having my laptop stolen, I definitely now see the benefits of using social media to store my information. I am very grateful to have gotten the opportunity to learn as much about social media and life streaming as I was able to learn in CIT49900. I am sure that I could have done a much better job of using the tools that we were given in CIT49900. I have always been a creature of habit. I get used to doing things a certain way, and I find it very challenging to take a new path. I learned that in the IT field, one absolutely cannot do that and be successful. Technology is constantly changing around us and if an IT professional doesn't keep up with the technology, they become obsolete. Sometimes I find myself, and I am sure everyone is guilty of this from time to time, saying that I don't have the time to learn a new way of doing things. The problem with this approach is that one never realizes all the time that they could have saved by learning a new tool. Sure, some of the tools that are out there could potentially be a waste of time, but in the long run odds are that more time will be saved than lost.

I definitely learned that it is important to get information from more than one source. As an example, In my CIT49900 class presentation, I came across 4 different average Internet speeds for the US. Obviously they can't all be right :-) The strange thing is that all of them were posted last year! Perhaps they all used different methods for testing the speed. This leads me to believe that it is important when publishing such numbers, perhaps the researcher should also publish the methods which they used to acquire them.

I also learned that just because someone claims that they are on the forefront of cutting edge technology, it doesn't mean that you should always take them at their word. :-) Another thing I learned was that if I am doing a comparison type of research that I should do a little preliminary research before choosing my comparison variables. In my project for CIT49900 I compared Dubai and the US before I even looked at the possibility that the comparison wouldn't be a good one. The shear size of the US makes Dubai fairly poor country to do a comparison with.

Ultimately, I know I am taking a lot away from this semester, both from CIT49900 and from the rest of my courses as well. While the professors were though on me, I know that it is for my own good. I know that it is more tough love than anything. They are trying to prepare me for the world I am about to enter. I know that my professors are much more forgiving than a boss would be. They were tough on me because they wanted me to understand that as tough as they were, the world will be much more demanding. They wanted to make sure that there weren't any challenges I hadn't at least been exposed to before they sent me into the world. They are making sure that I will be prepared. I consider their challenging demeanor towards us students as a sign that they truly do care. They truly do want us to live up to our full potential. I will make my greatest effort to live up to their expectation and make them proud of the job that they have done.

I truly do hope to keep in contact with all of the wonderful people that I have met at IUPUI, professors and students alike. It has been a truly enlightening, educational, and overall rewarding experience for me. While I am eager to start a new chapter in life, I will always miss being at IUPUI.