Brandon

I thought that Google’s keynote today was brilliant. They didn’t focus on any new hardware or software, but instead, focused on development tools and services. They announced Google Play Music which actually looks pretty amazing. I really hope they come out with an iOS app as I’d likely at least give it a try for 30 days.

Android Studio looks promising as well. It seems much more intuitive than Eclipse with ADT and although it’s still in development, I have high hopes. Maybe I don’t speak for all developers out there when I say this, but their IDE definitely needed a facelift. I understand that Google was happy to use what already existed and worked, but I applaud them for taking the approach of building their own IDE suited specifically for Android development. I think over time, this will prove to be a good move, both for Google and for the development community.

Lastly, I’m quite excited about the Galaxy S4 Google Edition. It’s a brilliant idea! The Nexus 4 probably sold better than every previous Nexus device, but probably not even as well as the original Galaxy S device from Samsung. By partnering with Samsung on a well known and highly anticipated device, Google did something that few of us expected. I say it’s brilliant because Google is hoping to make the idea of “Pure Google” more and more important for consumers. This feels all too familiar in that it seems like an experiment where they are trying to gauge interest in a stock Android device that everyone knows. It reminds me of what HTC has been doing with their “developer edition” flagships.

To be honest, I really like the way Apple handles the “developer” phone. For $99/year, anyone can have a “developer” phone. You get access to the latest betas and it’s pretty great. I know that Apple creates software for only a handful of phones whereas Android can be installed on practically anything, but the idea that an otherwise standard phone can be enhanced for development for a fee is pretty amazing.

LRU only accepted 40 credits so I will not be transferring. Instead, I will stay at Gardner-Webb and take it one step at a time. I think my next step will be to pursue graduate studies in either Computer Information Systems or Computer Science, but I just can’t be sure yet.

What I do know is that I want to get my hands on Google Glass sometime in 2013. I’m also pretty excited about iOS 7 in June.

I’m currently studying Computer Information Systems but have made the decision to change to Computer Science whenever possible. I have considered just changing when I attend graduate school, but I have considered transferring to Lenoir-Rhyne University in order to complete an undergraduate degree in Computer Science instead.

I have several reasons for doing so.

One is that I have always had a strong aptitude for mathematics. It’s been five years since my last math class and I’ve been kind of bummed by that. As you know, Computer Science deals more with math than does Information Systems, which focuses more on the business side of computing. Before I decided on a career in computing, I actually wanted to teach math at the college level. I assumed that I couldn’t get a job in between undergrad and grad school if I had a degree in math, so I opted for “something to do with computers.”

Another reason is that it seems that Computer Science sort of covers Information Systems, but the opposite is not true. Essentially, if I wanted to continue down the path of the Systems Admin, I could do so with either degree, however, if I chose to become a software developer, only the CS degree would prepare me enough for that.

Lastly, I feel it is important to mention that I plan on working with people much smarter than myself. Even though I have relatively little experience in IT (two years), it seems to me that the barrier to entry is quite low. Anyone with a little experience troubleshooting Windows problems can likely find some job having something to do with computers. I’m afraid that the same cannot be said for software engineers, architects, developers, etc. Those folks have typically gone through at least four years of rigorous math/CS courses that prepared them for their work. This is the reason why I want to pursue CS. During my undergraduate work, I have often felt that I possessed a sort of tenacity that the other students did not possess. I wanted to know how the computer/server worked. Why it behaved the way it did.

I’m waiting to see how many of my credits transfer to LR and apply to their CS program. I’m hopeful and anxious at the same time.