Throughout this semester in ICS 314, I have learned a lot about software engineering. I even achieved some of the goals I set for myself such as learn to code in a new language and how to use a new IDE. To really solidify all that I have learned and put my newly acquired skills to the test, I got the opportunity to create a web application in a team. But some concepts that really stuck with me and plan to use in the future are Ethics in Software Engineering and Design Patterns.
Ethics in Software Engineering is a topic that I have never really thought about before. I always thought that software engineers just wrote code and that was it. But after learning about coding ethically, I realized that there is a lot more to software engineering than just writing code. As software engineers, we have to think about the impact that our code will have on the world. While coding, we have to keep in mind the people that will be using our code and if our code will be helpful or harmful. Everything has consequences even the simple lines of code we write.
After learning about Ethics in Software Engineering, I am more mindful when coding. When looking for a job, I definitely will be thinking about how ethical my work will be. I enjoy writing code and application knowing people will use it and find it useful.
Although I didn’t know what Design Patterns were before this class and never really gave it much though, I have been using them for a while without even realizing it. Design patterns to me are like templates, blueprints, or recipes that software engineers can use to write code efficiently.
I found that not using a design pattern can make coding overwhelming because I don’t have a plan or a sense of direction that I want to go with my code. I do plan to learn more about Design Patterns like the different types there are and apply it to my future projects.
Overall, I really enjoyed this class and learned a lot. Although I didn’t have any prior knowledge of software engineering, I was still able to create many projects and even secure 2nd place in the Hawaii Annual Code Challenge 2023. I am proud of all the work I have done and I am excited to continue more learning about software engineering.