SCHOOL PAPER REFLECTION
Tags: csharp, database, codenewbie
Published: 2020-05-07 18:11:35

```js
8 May 2020 
Excuse the grammar and incomplete 
thoughts/sentences. It is amazing how 
the next day you notice errors in 
your work that you did not notice
while creating.
```

I had to write a paper for an externship I just completed for school, so I thought I'd share it in case anyone may have to do one, or if anyone has any knowledge they'd like to drop on me. 

For some, having to write might be a significant turnoff for attending a University. I have to admit that I have been shy of writing in the public eye. Fear of criticism from poor grammar and dyslexia has kept me in the shadows. Never making it past the tenth grade didn't help either 😬. 

To be clear, I'm a major supporter of finding a career you can be successful at without going to college, and being a software developer is definitely one of those. A lot of that support was based on my relationship with institutions. It has taken a while, but I now see the need for standardization. It only took me 36 years to fully grasp the concept. Hopefully, in the years to come, our education system will continue to adapt to the new ways of learning. They're slowly catching up, not as fast as I'd like though. 

Sure, there are flaws in the education system. For someone like me, who needs the confidence an institution provides, I'm happy I went this route. I have found that working towards a degree makes me have a newfound respect for those who are successful without one. 

Is this introduction long enough, yet? Hope so... 

Here's my self-plagiarised (never knew that was a thing until recently, lol) reflection paper.
###EXTERNSHIP REFLECTION
The beginning of my career path is not shy of adversity. Remote work, Covid-19, kids, learning a new platform on the fly, and relearning languages I’ve already had classes on, are but a few of the many trials I faced during my externship. It was not all in vain. The lessons learned are ones that even someone with a horrible memory like myself, will not forget. 
###FROM NOTHING CAME SOMETHING
My canvas was a blank MVC web application folder that contained various programming language files. I was following along a YouTube tutorial given to me by my mentor. This tutorial would jumpstart my learning for the project we are building for a client of his. I quickly grew frustrated with the video tutorial due to the differences in the versions of Visual Studio. I was using Visual Studio 2019, and the tutorial was using Visual Studio 2017. My frustration led me to search the depths of the internet to find a more up to date course. 

After finding several online lessons on ASP.NET Core 3.1, I was building the projects they get you to make, but halfway through, I would give up and throw the whole computer away. The lessons were half-assed put together and not explained thoroughly enough for someone like me. 

I went on the path of searching online again. Everything I found was at least a year old. Finally, I found a current tutorial on Udemy that was almost exactly what I needed. The instructor of the course used the “Code First” method. Code first is the opposite of the “Database First” approach, which is what my mentor wanted me to learn. I paid the hefty $11.99 price tag for the 15-hour course and began my journey into the ASP.NET Core 3.1 framework. 

The instructor of the course has you build a Leave Management Web Application. You can find my finished but not polished project at the bottom of this paper. One hour of the course equaled four hours, and that was me listening to it at twice the audio speed. Upon completion of the course, I was disappointed to find out he did not teach you how to launch your application to the Cloud. That was a whole adventure on its own that included a bunch of outdated tutorials. Luckily, the course I completed allowed me to know my way around Visual Studio just enough to enable me to launch my project to the Cloud. It took me a day and a half to figure it out. Not sure if that is bad or not. It felt terrible, lol.
###ON TO THE NEXT
Now armed with knowledge on how to use Visual Studio, I felt confident to build the project my mentor had for me. Using database first tutorials, I was able to follow along and get the jest of using the database first approach. In my opinion, the database first approach is a whole lot easier if you are used to scripting SQL. Here lies my problem. I am not used to scripting SQL. I have had two database classes, and that is it (more than some). Luckily, I enjoyed SQL and knew the basics (thanks, Mr. Sullivan). SQL is a very well documented language, and being able to find documentation on what I needed (most of it, lol) was not challenging. 
###THE BLACKHOLE
Is there light at the end of the tunnel when it comes to UI/UX? I know one thing, and that is, I do not have that answer. The time I put into styling is beyond measure. The depths I dug, the plugins I plugged, and the mountain of deleted attempts in my trash folder may shine some light on how to calculate that time. As for now, I am not touching this topic any further.
###THE END IS JUST THE BEGINNING
Currently, I am still confused. From everything I have read and listened to, this is normal. The tech world is always evolving. Finding the fastest way to a finished project is what drives the community to keep improving. Because of this, I continue to remain addicted. I wish I knew more, so I could contribute more. All in due time. My cart before horse method will eventually pay off. 
###CONCLUDING WITH COLLUSION FOR THE CONCLUSION
My externship has allowed me to communicate with like-minded people, something I have been in dire need of. My mentor has shown me a path that I did not know existed, and for that, I am beyond grateful. I am looking forward to our partnership and what fruits will come from it. Be it knowledge, expanding my network, or financial gain, I am ready to evolve. Some would say, “I have seen the light!” I dove headfirst into the world of building Enterprise level web applications from databases, and by doing so, I found out this is right up my alley. 

As my professor and mentor say, “Just adding another tool to the toolbox.” To finally end the concluding, I will leave on this note: I have been humbled throughout my life, and because of that, I will forever remain a student of all things. Thank you for reading and allowing me this opportunity to learn and grow.


###LEAVE MANAGEMENT APP "UNPOLISHED"

[McKeithen and Company Management Solutions](https://mckncoleavemanagement.azurewebsites.net)