September 23rd, 2025 Week 3 Learning Journal Post

September 23rd, 2025

Week 3 Learning Journal Post (30-45 Minutes)

Part 1

https://www.academictips.org/acad/index.htmlLinks to an external site. - Choose a study tip topic you listed as one that needs improvement in your last journal entry.

I had chosen memory issues as something I struggle with. My solution is flash cards, which the study tip is called "Mnemonics". They suggest using positive images since the brain blocks out unpleasant ones. This is a great idea and something I haven't considered when making flash cards. 

Part 2
Update the learning journal to include what you have learned from this week's readings and activities—especially the materials on ethics.

In CST349 this week we did another team project, this time on explaining the CS curriculum we are engaged in. It was a good wake up call to realize what we need to prep for in the coming 97 weeks. We turned in our individual learning plan and were reminded of how far we have come. I started pursuing my industry expert for the interview next week. I'm surprised to have a handful of potential professionals to interview. 

In CST300 we are turning in our industry analysis paper. I feel confident that mine is an A grade quality piece. I became passionate about my subject and am now even more motivated to get into FinTech using AI. We began our ethics argument proposal. I chose federal agencies installing image recognition cameras in transportation infrastructure. It seemed like a good topic until I found most information had been scrubbed from the .gov websites. The pages are still there but have become empty, enter way back machine.... Luckily people screenshot everything and the .gov links are working but server not found, ensuring the topic is real and not a conspiracy. Success. 

Part 3

Reflect on your readings, including a reflection on the reading assignment Reading: What a Computer Science Major Needs to Know (30-60 min)Links to an external site.

The readings this week were interesting. The focus seems to be on teamwork and building a portfolio. I enjoy this idea and am currently building an AI system in an IBM internship. Being engaged in a team at CSUMB and a different on at IBM at the same time has been challenging but it resembles the real world. At my 9-5 I work with over 150 students and three professors, then I work with an IT department as my major is CIS. It reminds me that teamwork is a critical component of everyday life out in the wild. I was overwhelmed by the variety of skills we learned about this week. I have an Ubuntu distro on my wall that I dual boot from, but I am no expert by any means. I have some experience in Kali from my cyber security training and hacking competitions so Linux is not so far out of my reach. But Unix and the amount of programming languages was a little much. I do have experience in Java, my core prerequisite path to CSUMB. JavaScript is where I started when wanting to be a game developer, oh the dreams I dreamt. I have basic knowledge of Assembly from my Computer Architecture course. The other topics on kernels and architecture I definitely need practice with. I am glad I have my CIS to help me through the networking and security. Cryptography is my favorite, I won first place in the Mayor's Cup a few years in a row for my community college. 

Part 4
After reading the Code of IntegrityLinks to an external site.Links to an external site., reflect on why integrity is important for you and for other students in the program.
Integrity is important because if you cheat, you are just cheating yourself. It is important to learn the subject matter if you want to go off into the wild and create great software. You also don't want to help other students by sharing your solutions because you could be at risk of failing the assignment. Of course, the possibility of being expelled should be a great deterrent as well.