I decided to try some computer science classes to see how they were. Computers were so important in our society that I figured I should know a little bit about them. In addition, I had always been fascinated by the idea of programming computers. I have had very little experience besides a bit of rudimentary BASIC when I was a kid, but I knew that I was up to the challenge.
Once I took a class, I became obsessed with computer science. I took another class and then another. Soon, it was hard to fit in all my requirements between all of the computer science classes I was taking. Sooner or later, I had to admit to myself: I was hooked. A degree was now the only thing that made any sense to me.
In the school I was enrolled at, there were lots of people getting computer science degrees at the time. I think the freshman class was on the order of a thousand people or more. As a result, the department tried to cut down on the number of entrants by making the courses harder. This is pretty common practice. In some subject areas, they made everything very easy to attract more people.
In other ones, they made everything very difficult to weed out the weakest candidates. At one point, I wasn’t even sure I would be able to make it. Maybe getting a degree would be too hard for me. Nonetheless, I resolved to stick with it. I knew that it was worth the effort to get the degree.
When I graduated with a computer science degree, I couldn’t have been more pleased. It was nice to be able to do something that would make me a good bit of money while still allowing me to enjoy myself. Programming computers was actually something I had grown to like quite a bit. It wasn’t at all like I had pictured it. It was a fascinating challenge, a creative pursuit, and a great hobby. It wasn’t really my supreme passion, but it didn’t have to be. My computer science degree would allow me to pay the bills and take home some bacon while I pursued my teaching career.
