Week 1 + 2 Recaps and thoughts

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So I know the last post read a lot like an English essay assignment, that's mostly because I didn't really know how this course would've played out and treated it like any other assignment, straight to the point. But throughout the week I came to realise how casual and freeform this Open Source Dev course is and it's definitely got to do with our Professor, David Humphrey and the way he's set up the course. 

Firstly, the fact that it's asynchronous so my 13 hour time difference doesn't make things hard, unlike other courses that last until 2 am where I am. Also just cause it's asynchronous doesn't mean our interactions with him are practically none. In fact it's much more than any synchronous class. He's set up a slack group for the class that he's emphasized is pretty much imperative for success in the course, and because of that, communicating with the prof and even the class is a 24/7 thing rather than limited to class time. So I find myself reading new messages all the time, as Slack stays on in the background, and obtaining insight from everyone in it. Though I don't find myself participating in the messages so much as I lurk since Imposter Syndrome still creeps in my mind. Which brings me to my next point

When the prof was giving out his lecture, in the form of a recorded YouTube Video for asynchronous purposes of course, I felt as if he read my mind (and others I presume) about how some of us less talented programmers, so to speak, suffer from the infamous "Imposter Syndrome" He elaborated on that topic and was basically ensuring how it's normal for any of us feel that way and that the whole point of this Open Source Dev Community is for the sharing of knowledge and not to be intimidated by your lack-of. That's pretty much when I knew this course was the right decision. It's only been a week and I feel like a way better and motivated programmer than I have been the past few semesters.

I think the past few semesters my ambitions and motivations for programming have been fluctuating. I find that's it definitely got to do with the course and Instructor. A good combination of both can really bring out the best in me and peak my interest. The opposite just makes me treat it as a course I have to pass. A meaningful purpose and interesting topic of a course added up with the enthusiasm and competence of an instructor makes me want to become a better programmer and influences me to follow my curiosity, and Prof H's definitely got both those boxes checked.

Anyways, next post is going to be about a program that he's got us working on for the past week so I'm gonna separate this rambling post with that one.

Thanks for reading :)

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