CS373 Fall 2020 Week 12: Caitlin O’Callaghan

What did you do this past week?

This past week was a pretty normal week for me as far as school goes with homework in all my classes and quizzes in the usual classes. I was also working on something for my internship which took up quite a bit more of my time but overall I felt that this past week was much more balanced than previous ones.

What’s in your way?

The one thing that is still in my way is struggling to pay attention in class. I find it incredibly difficult to focus in long Zoom meetings, especially in the mornings when I am still very tired.

What will you do next week?

Next week I hope to implement more structure in my personal life, focusing on getting more sleep, eating healthier and more regularly, and getting to spend time outside. Taking breaks outdoors has boosted my mental health tremendously this semester.

If you read it, what did you think of The New Methodology?

I really liked the balanced approach it takes between having too much bureaucratic structure and not having a methodical design process. I think it’s extremely important as well not to rely too much on documentation and to have code that is readable and easy to familiarize yourself with.

What was your experience of SQL?

I felt pretty comfortable with SQL as it’s something I’ve used briefly in internships and projects in the past. However, I do think I need to review things like the differences between the types of joins just to be sure I don’t confuse them.

What made you happy this week?

This week getting to relax Saturday evening after spending the day working on an internship project made me happy. I feel like I appreciated the time I had so much more after being busy all day. My parents also visited me today and we went for an afternoon walk around White Rock Lake and enjoyed the beautiful weather.

What’s your pick-of-the-week or tip-of-the-week?

My tip-of-the-week is that, if you’re looking to spice up the design of your website this phase, you should browse the web for templates or websites that have a great design and take inspiration from them to plan out a cohesive aesthetic for your own website. It can give you a great picture of what styles look good together. Awwwards (https://www.awwwards.com/) is a great resource for checking out some awesome designs.