You’ve probably noticed, but our theme for September/October is – “How Did I End Up In CompSci?” – it’s a question that interests me, because for the first three years of university it was something I asked myself a lot. Not in the way, “Wow I love what I do! How did I get here?!” […]
Tag: Reflections
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Graduate School
I went back to school because I didn’t think I knew enough to go and join the real world, yet. Then I got to graduate school, and realized it wasn’t the place to learn it. I’m not a better programmer than I was before I came. I know a little more about some things, but […]
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Decisions
I have a confession about almost every big decision I’ve made. Going to Edinburgh, working in the US the first time, training in China, coming to Canada. Someone else suggested it to me. The other big things have mostly been opportunities, that I’ve said yes to. Each one of these has taken me outside of […]
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Perspectives on Perfectionism
I was reading random posts on Penelope Trunk’s blog last week when I came across one on perfectionism. Basically, she was saying that perfectionism is stupid. I have some perfectionist tendencies, but I’m not going to argue with this. I think perfectionism can mean you avoid the feeling of OK, what next, what’s inspiring me […]
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The Accidental Programmer
So far this is the best new name I have for my blog. I’m still brainstorming, but this is a story I want to tell and now is as good a time as any. I wrote, a while ago, about how I don’t have Imposter Syndrome any more. Perhaps it would have been better to […]
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When 1 Week = 7 Steps Back
Last week, and at the start of this week I was feeling really worn out and disillusioned. Things were taking longer than they should, and despite working a lot and effectively I really wasn’t making the progress I wanted to be. I felt like I wasn’t achieving anything. What this really means, is that on […]
Gives you something to think about, huh? This stuff that’s so natural to us is new and game changing. Who knows what will be different in 5 years time? I can’t wait.
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Effectiveness, not Efficiency
Someone once described me as “scarily efficient”. I have to say, I took it as a huge compliment. However after reading The 4-Hour Work Week (Tim Ferriss – Amazon) and The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen R Covey – Amazon) I’ve been focusing more on Effectiveness. There’s an important distinction. You can be […]
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Expat Reflections
There are many things I love about Canada, but as it’s now October I should warn you: winter is not one of them. It’s so cold here that going outside feels potentially fatal. Of course, last winter (my first) was particularly bad as the result of certain situations and the 51 day bus strike (which […]
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Passive Aggressive
I went to therapy today. Perhaps I shouldn’t admit that in a public forum, but I hope those of you that read this don’t think that seeking help when you’re struggling is something to be ashamed of. I’m not going to go into the details of what caused me to end up going to see […]