The description of this course explains that the purpose of this course is to gain the ability to create functional products on your desktops using really cool tools and technologies. With how technologically advanced society is becoming, it is important we keep up with these trends to make sure we have an understanding on the continuous innovation of technology. I have always been intrigued by 3D scanning, modeling, and printing but I never had any legitimate hands-on experience prior to this course. I also wanted to gain some more hands-on experience with Arduinos, especially after taking one ECE course through the Hoeft Technology and Management program. I can definitely say that this past semester has been incredibly rewarding after the completion of this Digital Making Seminar course (BADM 357). In a mere 16 weeks, multiple different topics were discussed, some that I had knowledge on, and others that I knew nothing about. It is safe to say that I was definitely out of my comfort zone for the majority of the course, but I quickly learned that it was a good thing since I actually was learning. I am happy to say I have learned a lot about 3D modeling/printing, Arduino concepts, and just enjoyed listening to guest speakers give presentations and tours of different facilities on campus.
The course itself was definitely very fast-paced, especially when it came to introducing new topics so getting adjusted to the quick timeline took some time. However, I thought playing around with Fusion 360 kept getting cooler and cooler the more I would mess around with it. Then moving onto microcontrollers and circuits was more difficult, but the hands-on experience combined with the videos we were assigned to watch ended up being a helpful combination in terms of learning and understanding the concepts. I am an Information Systems major minoring in Technology and Management, so while I have interest in pursuing and expanding my skills in the technical world, it reminded me that it takes a lot of time and effort to perfect the craft. BADM 357 was unique in terms of the fact that we were actually about to use concepts taught in class to create our own project. Other classes don’t do that and typically stick to a powerpoint, lecture, exam, and homework format. I was really happy to see how forward-thinking and innovative this course was as a business student who normally does not take classes like these.
I did not expect the class to have a huge project that we would be working on the entire semester. It is rewarding to see the product we created now that it is over, but the journey there was not easy. My team decided to create an automatic hand sanitizer dispenser for the project. We were really invested in the idea because it was a great way to promote cleanliness and hygiene at the Activities and Recreation Center on campus. However, we quickly realized that this project was going to be more technical than we thought it would be, and we were a little nervous because we as a team and individuals were not too confident in the rigor and depth of our coding knowledge. However, through self learning, teamwork, and the help of other mentors and classmates, we were able to learn about code and circuits throughout the whole creation process. We also were able to mess around more with Fusion360 for our prints for the prototype. While it was a difficult journey, it is nice to see that I have gained more knowledge and perspective through this project for Arduino, breadboard, Fusion360, and the brainstorming process in general.
I really want to thank the professor for providing us access to so many guest speakers, facilities, and resources in and out of the classroom. I enjoyed hearing from guest speakers as they were very informative and inspirational in terms of the creative process and how much you as an individual could contribute to society technologically. Some of these students are doing crazy things with these machines in the SCD Shop. It’s insane to think about how they get access to really cool equipment simply as a student at the university, and I wonder how much funding goes into creating a shop like this.
As for the future, I think the skills I’ve gained about coding and modeling in this class will definitely be very applicable to me in the future. I am graduating this year and will be starting full time as a Web Developer in training at Capital One. I will be going through a coding bootcamp before being inducted into their Technology Development Program. I think the skills that I have gained in this class are going to not only help me knowledge wise, but also will help me navigate a new and different learning environment that I was not used to as a business major before. Transitioning into a career in full stack development post college will be hard, but after this class, I am confident that I want to pursue this and build on these skills within my own professional career. The insight I have gained through the many class lessons and hands-on experience with different softwares is just what I needed to give me more confidence in pursuing my career at Capital One. I know that in order to learn and understand coding, I need to mess around with the softwares through trial and error so I am learning about what is going on through my own doing.
Ultimately, this class has taught me that technology is going to continuously change rapidly, and it is our responsibility to keep up with the current trends and use them to innovate society. Learning is different for everyone, but I learned through this class that I need to take it slow and take a step back to properly understand the ins and outs of whatever I am trying to learn. I can definitely say this class has prepared me for tackling even bigger challenges as well as help me take on my career in full stride post graduation. Thank you for a great semester.
