THE JOURNEY SO FAR
Starting university felt like being dropped into a game I hadn't installed yet. The modules were unfamiliar, the pace was faster than anything I'd experienced in school, and the expectation to be self-directed was something I had to grow into quickly. But two semesters in, I can genuinely say that I've changed not just as a student but as a team member, and as a person.
This reflection is my honest save file. Not a polished summary of everything that went well, but an accurate record of where I struggled, what I learned from it, and where I still need to grow.
"Communication is not a soft skill. It's the skill that makes every other skill useful."
— A lesson this module made concrete for me across every assignmentCHALLENGES FACED
TIME MANAGEMENT & PROCRASTINATION
My biggest recurring challenge this year was leaving things too late. The Business Plan is the clearest example. I missed meetings, let my contributions pile up, and only pushed hard as the deadline approached. I delivered, but it cost me unnecessary stress and probably cost my team some quality time. This is something I've been actively working on ever since.
WORKING WITH NEW TEAMS
Several assignments paired me with people I had never worked with before. Early in the year, this felt unsettling as I didn't know how to read people's pace or working style, and I sometimes jumped to conclusions about how collaboration would unfold. By Semester 2, this had become much more natural. Adapting to new teams is now something I approach with curiosity rather than anxiety.
TECHNICAL DIFFICULTY — MARIE & MONTE CARLO
Two assignments genuinely tested the limits of what I thought I was capable of. Writing Cramer's Rule in MARIE assembly — with no multiply or divide instructions — and simulating a probabilistic supermarket queue in Python both required a level of sustained technical effort I hadn't experienced before. There were moments of genuine frustration, but pushing through them was one of the most formative experiences of the year.
ACADEMIC REFERENCING
Losing marks on the Blood Donation SRS for Harvard referencing errors was a hard but necessary lesson. At that point in the year, citations felt like a formality I hadn't fully internalised. Since then, I've treated referencing as a non-negotiable part of any formal submission.
SKILLS DEVELOPED
Looking back across both semesters, the growth is real — not just in what I can do technically, but in how I work with others and how I handle difficulty.
- Team Collaboration & Conflict Resolution — Developed through six group assignments across two semesters. I learned to manage disagreement constructively, adapt to new teams quickly, and step up when leadership was needed.
- Technical Python & Low-Level Programming — The Monte Carlo simulation and MARIE assembly project pushed my programming skills further than any coursework assignment had before. I can now tackle unfamiliar technical problems with more confidence.
- Front-End Web Development — Built this entire portfolio from scratch in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Six months ago I could barely write a CSS rule. Now I've built a multi-page interactive site deployed on GitHub Pages.
- Professional Communication — Strengthened through the interview role-play, academic writing, and public-facing portfolio. I now communicate more clearly in both written and spoken contexts.
- Time Management — Still developing. I've improved but I know this needs continued intentional work such as starting tasks earlier, breaking them into smaller milestones, and not waiting for urgency to drive effort.
WHERE I STILL NEED TO GROW
Honest self-assessment is something this module explicitly asked for, and I think it's one of the most professionally valuable skills I can demonstrate. Here's where I genuinely know I need to improve:
Proactive Time Management: I know what to do — I just don't always do it early enough. The gap between knowing and doing is where I lose marks and create unnecessary stress. My goal going into Year 2 is to treat deadlines as targets to finish before, not finish by.
Intrinsic Motivation: The academic writing assignment revealed something uncomfortable: my effort dropped when I learned the assignment wasn't being graded. That's a habit I need to break. The value of work shouldn't depend on whether someone is watching.
Depth Over Breadth in Technical Skills: I've touched a lot of tools and languages this year — Python, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, SQL, MARIE, Excel, Logisim. But touching something is different from mastering it. In Year 2, I want to go deeper in the areas that matter most to my career direction.
HOW I WILL USE THESE SKILLS
When the Communication and Business Skills for IT module first appeared on my timetable, I'll admit I didn't fully understand its place in a Computer Science degree. By the end of Year 1, I completely understand it. Technical ability gets you in the room — communication is what keeps you there.
Personally: This portfolio is the most tangible expression of everything I've built and learned this year. I intend to keep it updated as I progress through my degree, adding new projects, refining my writing, and growing it into something that genuinely represents me as a professional.
Professionally: Whether I end up in software engineering, cybersecurity, game development, or entrepreneurship, the ability to write clearly, present confidently, work effectively in teams, and handle conflict constructively will be just as important as any technical skill on my CV. This module gave me a structured space to develop all of those — and I'm grateful for it.
GAME IN PROGRESS
This isn't the end of the story — it's the end of Chapter 1. The portfolio will keep growing as new skills unlock and new challenges are conquered.
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