Semester Wrap-Up: Changes, Challenges, and What’s Next

It’s been a while since my last blog post in September, and a lot has happened in the four months since then. Between really getting starting with first semester of university, getting a part-time job, and adjusting to the newly packed schedule, I found myself prioritizing life over blogging. Now, as the semester winds down, I finally have time to share what’s been going on and what’s ahead.

Life Updates

The semester hit me hard, teaching me that being a full-time student truly means being a full-time student. On top of that, I started a part-time job delivering pizza in early October, which has been taking up my weekends. Juggling these commitments was a steep learning curve, but I’m grateful for the experiences and lessons.

One major change this semester was my decision to switch my degree emphasis from Cybersecurity to Machine Learning. While I still have a strong interest in both fields, I realized that Machine Learning offers broader opportunities and aligns more with my love of data and analytics. After talking to professors, peers, and professionals, I made the switch—and I’m happy with it so far.

Finding Community

In October, I joined several university clubs: the IT Club, AI Club, and Cybersecurity and AI Club (CAIC). While it sounds like a lot for an already busy person the reality is that these clubs don’t any time commitment required and exist online. These clubs have been a great way for me to meet like-minded peers over the past two months and I am appreciatve of that. Of the clubs I’ve grown particularly attached to the IT Club as its the most active and open to suggestions. One of my suggestions that is now part of the club was adding in a dedicated area for ML learning on its discord. My intention is to create a space for future students that are ML focused and don’t have a club that they really fit into. While you might think the other clubs that have the word AI as part of their name would be a better fit, both are lacking in user activity and general content, so I decided that if I want a place to talk and learn ML I will build it myself. Thankfully IT Club is keen on the idea and supportive of my feedback.

Another notable part of my semester was participating in BSU’s Winter CTF challenge over Thanksgiving break. I had a blast solving problems, improving my cybersecurity skills, and learning new things! I have a detailed write-up about my experience ready to post after this one.

About the Blog

If you’ve been following this blog, you might be wondering, What happened to Static Web Demos and that “two-week” follow-up post you promised? The truth is, life got busy, and weeks turned into months. I had to prioritize my commitments, but I’ve learned my lesson and won’t make time-based commitments for this blog in the future.

This blog is meant to be a space for learning, reflection, and exploration. Moving forward, I’ll commit to posting at least twice per semester: a beginning-of-semester post outlining my plans and an end-of-semester post recapping what I’ve learned. Anything extra will be a bonus.

My Learning Path

Over the past few months, my learning journey has been eclectic, to say the least. I started with frontend web development, switched my emphasis to ML, and then dived into cybersecurity with the Winter CTF. My philosophy is simple: any learning is good learning. I don’t want to box myself into one field too early, so I’m exploring a bit of everything in computer science while letting my university path build a solid foundation in ML.

My projects and interests may seem like a tangled mess, but that’s intentional. I believe this diverse approach will help me gain a broad understanding of CS while preparing me to specialize in ML.

Looking Ahead

With this semester almost behind me, I’m excited for what’s next. In the spring, I’ll be taking Foundations of Data Science which is my first class directly related to my degree and emphasis. I will also be taking Calculus and Physics both of which I am welcome to the absurd amounts of math I will be required to do. I welcome the math overload, bring it!

In the meantime, over the winter break I intend to:

• Diving into Calculus for the Practical Man which is the same book Richard Feynman used to teach himself calculus!
• Learning Linux fundamentals through Red Hat Academy’s Linux Fundamentals and building my cybersecurity skills with TryHackMe with some folks from the IT Club.
• Continuing the Kaggle courses on ML and data science I’ve been slowly working through to get a grasp on the topics.
• It has yet to be announced but I was told there is another CTF coming at the end of the break, which I will surely attend.

It’s a lot and if I fall short with my winter expectations I am okay with that. Even if I don’t get to it all I am excited to now have all this free time to fill with more busy work so that I can learn and grow more on my terms.

Final Thoughts

Thank you for sticking with me as I navigate this busy, ever-changing chapter of my life. While I can’t promise regular posts, I’ll continue to share updates and insights as I go. This blog remains a reflection of my journey, and I hope future me will look back on it with pride.

Stay curious, keep learning, thank you for reading.