Academic Reflections
Entry Level can be a damning title when stepping out from the shadow of your Alma Mater and into the industry of your ambitions. Degrees and Certificates carry weight, but often only as much as the institution that provides them. I learned this quickly when I graduated from my local community college with an Associate of Applied Science degree in Computer Science. I wore that degree like a badge of honor. But competition was stiff and, in the end, my degree fell short in showing just what I was capable of. It proved I had an education, but not what kind of student I was. It proved I wanted to work, but not what kind of professional I could be.
Having gone back to school, reconsidered my talents, and grown only hungrier and more ambitious for success, I now carry a Bachelor of Science degree in Information Technology. But this degree does not define me, nor does it determine my skills as a professional. Instead, it is my studies and experiences that makes me an individual and a professional worth consideration in my field.
For this portfolio, I'd like to offer you a unique view into my educational experiences. Not as a list of courses or GPAs, awards or degrees, but instead as actual projects, assignments, and presentations. Articles and documents that required I prove my abilities as a professional, performing duties and responsibilities carried out everyday in the Information Technology field. Examples of leadership, communication, problem solving, organization, and applicable uses of my education comparable to real world experience.
Here you will find six 'reflections' each looking back on an 'artifact' from my educational history. Generally a final project representing the culmination of my work in a given course. These reflections include a general summary, a statement of what real world skills I feel this artifact exemplifies, details on the approaches I used, where I found and overcame difficulty, and even deeper considerations on how I would still improve these artifacts if I were to. At the bottom of each reflection is a copy of this artifact for your consideration.
I hope as you probe these reflections and artifacts, you consider not what I have accomplished in these class assignments, but instead what I could accomplish in a real world environment with your company. Even as this coursework ages, you can rest assured my continued growth and education as a professional will not end with a simple degree. But will instead continue in the real world.
