Confessions of a Fugitive Mind
April 30, 2003
Why Do I Do This?
They released the final grades for Webware tonight. I didn't pass.
I did so much work for the class, and I keep thinking that I probably could have done more. It really got me to test my boundaries and do things that I normally wouldn't have. In fact, it made me feel stupid at times. And there isn't much that does that. Computer programming does, but I keep trying it, thinking that one of these times I'll really get it. So, this time, I got 0s on two of the four projects. I should have had A-level code for project 2, but there was some owner bug that we couldn't figure out. So it didn't complie and I got no credit for the days I spent working at it. Fast-forward to project 4, which I put off because it was finally familiar territory. So I spent a day writing JavaScripts which didn't work, despite the fact that they were based off of O'Reilly code examples. Then I scrambled to write some other code based of instructor and textbook examples, which worked, but not fully. I won't even go into the problems I had with CSS, which is something I'm really comfortable with. I was banging my head against the wall because I didn't expect any complications with the last project. So I submitted it, or so I thought. I got an email tonight saying that they hadn't received my project 4. That means I have a zero on it for now. I emailed what I had to the professor and asked if it would make enough of a difference in my grade. I really hope that it will. If not, I'll be begging for an extension to fix both projects.
But now I'm really upset with myself. I hate failing at anything. Even more than that, I hate feeling like I could have done more. I'm always underestimating how long it will take me to do things. Or maybe I'm just overestimating my abilities. I'm going to have to learn my limits, and soon.
Posted by criminal at April 30, 2003 10:51 PM
Comments
I guess Amanda was right....you really do suck at life. Way to be smart.
Posted by: Mmm...Donuts! at May 1, 2003 03:48 PM
I am glad to see that these so called "friends" of Amanda have nothing better to do with their life than to read your site and make unproductive and downright stupid comments.
Posted by: Jon at May 1, 2003 04:00 PM
Don't let it get to you, Sarah. It's a wicked hard class for someone who doesn't program regularly. I was impressed and surprised when I found out you took it on.
As for this gal's friends, obviously they don't know, appreciate, or care about the fact that WPI is a really hard school. Learning what you need to learn to pass in 7 weeks instead of 14 is a pretty steep curve - I'd like to see them try it. ;)
Don't let them get you down. I've been a professional web developer for 8 years and I know I couldn't have passed Webware (which is why I like to hire people who at least take the class)
Posted by: Amy at May 2, 2003 09:58 PM