Registration went fine for Spring semester. I was able to register for fifteen credits, or five 3 credit courses. My course schedule will be as follows:
- SQL Database Programming
- Object Oriented Design with UML
- PHP Web Development with MySQL
- Introduction to Visual Basic.NET Programming
- Computer Hardware Essentials
I can't say for sure which class or classes I am looking forward to taking the most. I've found it's often the case when you are learning new things that you don't really know what you like the most until you're in the middle of it. So I guess time will tell.
The fall semester is wrapping up. I finished all of my online, 1 credit courses last week. I also have all course work done for my HTML Web Development and Introduction to Database courses. The remaining project is in Introduction to Programming, which I can't start yet due to the nature of the course.
I'd like to talk briefly about my three online courses. First is Careers in IT. This class was a very general one, but did touch on many aspects of the IT field. I found it useful to understand what other careers are out there, besides my own. It can be easy to get tunnel vision in an industry when you focus so much on your own courses and goals. I feel it is important to know the other areas since, in the end, they all tie together.
Second is IT Security Awareness. This course gave a great general understanding of various threats IT professionals (and all computer users) face. I found that not only was it a good course to learn about how to tighten security at a future job, it also will benefit what I do at home to secure my PCs and network there. Many things I learned I found I am already doing (secured wireless router, antivirus, spyware scanning, etc), but there is always a little more that can be done. The important thing is to stay on top of the latest threats and learn how to adapt to them.
My last online course was in Flash. While this course wasn't necessary for my degree, I found it a very welcome diversion from my other courses. This course required a different kind of creativity than some of my courses. A change of pace which I enjoyed. I've been told during other classes that Flash often can be the cause of many website problems. However I still found it an important skill to learn since Flash isn't going away any time too soon. It could definitely be a skill I'll need in the future, whether that be in creating something in Flash or supporting it's integration into a website I'm working on.
I hope to work on Flash projects for my family's use. My young daughter loves the Flash games she plays online. I hope to make some simple projects in my spare time between semesters that will entertain her and also help to keep my skills sharp. I will post here if I am able to find the time to do that project or any others.
Next time I post, I hope to have more comments on my remaining courses in the Fall semester.
