There are two classes I am taking this semester, PC Repair and C# programming. I wanted to give my thoughts on what my expectations were at the beginning of the semester and my thoughts about halfway through the term.

First up is PC Repair which is designed to prepare the student for the CompTIA A+ certification exam. While this class is required for my degree, I was intrigued at the integration of an industry certification. Since I have absolutely no experience in the IT field, I will need these recognized certs to get my way in the door for interviews and hopefully an entry level job at some point. With no job on my resume to show competency, certifications are crucial to my mid-life career change plans. All that being said my excitement was high, and I was ready to learn an immense amount of information at a fast pace. I was accurate about the amount of information, but not right about the learning portion. The class is completely online and set up in modules that you take and labs that simulate various tasks like installing a program or replacing a hard drive. The problem is that the simulations are glitchy and often take multiple attempts to load. Normally this would not be a massive issue but in a class that teaches how to diagnose and fix PC issues I find it maddening. This may be my frustration coming up more than the application issues but here we are. Also, the online book is not in sync with the labs so when a chapter and section are referenced in the lab it takes time to find the information in the book and often the topic being discussed is not in the book at all. Other students have expressed the same concerns but, reaching out to the professor has been difficult because he has been on leave for a medical issue. A quick check on Rate my Professor indicates that this would be the case even if he was not on leave. My rant is over. I am learning in the class and will get some supplemental studying material for the A+ exam I hope to take in January, so I am optimistic and keeping a positive outlook for the rest of the semester.

C# Programming has been my most involved, but most rewarding classes I have taken since my return to college. I have very little zero programming knowledge but the pace and tools available in this class make it a breeze to understand the concepts and put them to practice. Videos from the professor and power points track the book exactly which makes the information redundant enough to even stay in my brain. The tools and processes build on each other to reinforce the basics and make each subsequent lab more focused on the new information than trying to remember the previous material.  And the responsive professor helped me out of a jam early on this week, so I was especially appreciative of that. Always reach out for help early instead of waiting to the last minute.

Overall grades are good, and I feel decent about the subjects this term. For the Fall I and looking at C# Advanced and a Data Communications class that will hopefully prepare me for the CompTIA Network+ exam. I will have another check in at the close of this semester with some final thought and updates on preparing for the A+ exam in December or January.