Week 5

Week 5 Learning Journal

Part One: Support and Comment on Teamates' Goals (30 minutes)

 Part Two: Possible Capstone Ideas (30 minutes)

a) Live notebook:

This project turns a regular sheet of paper into a digital writing tablet using only a webcam. The system detects the paper, captures live pen strokes and erasures, and syncs them to a digital document. It offers a low-cost, accessible alternative to expensive tablets for note-taking and drawing.

b) AI School work organizer:

AI school organizer tool, integrated with canvas API to organize a students work week. It will take canvas api and make it a quick reference to see what needs to get done for class and have ways to access course related martial.

c) Collaborative Whiteboard

Collab Whiteboard will be a tool where users can create a live session where they can draw on a whiteboard designed for those studying together. This is similar to how google docs is live edit or drawing features on zoom. The vision comes from practicing interview coding problems. I could vision collabing with other devs to study with each other. 

Part Three: Keep Up With Your Learning Journal (30 minutes)

The material of this week really sparked more motivation for myself to get an internship. I have looked into future workshops and appointments for fixing resumes to get an extra look at it but aside from that submitting applications is my next step for internships. Outside of that what im doing to work towards that is technical skills like leet code and soft skills like networking and meeting peers. My goal is to apply some time every day that builds both of these skills, submitting purposeful applications like tweaking my resume to match a job description. 

Industry Expert Interview:

The interviewee:

For my interview I spoke with Brandon Rodriguez, a 3rd year Full Stack Software Engineer on LinkedIn's Knowledge Systems Team. I met Brandon through a family member at a casual hang out unrelated to computer science, but we quickly connected over our shared passion for web development and career goals. Since then, Brandon has become a good friend and regularly offers advice, technical support, and encouragement. His ambition and experience at a major tech company have motivated me to stay on track during my education journey, and I felt he was an ideal candidate for this interview because of his direct impact on my learning and professional growth.

The Interview:

We began our discussion by delving into Brandon's early career and what initially sparked his interest in computer science. Brandon explained that his passion for tech has always been prevalent, and high school classes introduced him to programming fundamentals and fueling his career interests. He spoke about his curiosity with different technologies mentioning how even basic web pages and small scripts captivated him, giving motivation to pursue formal education in the field. 

Brandon described his path beginning with independent freelance web development to working with small businesses, where he began building his full stack knowledge building real-world applications using a blend of HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and Python. He noted that collaborating with clients on practical deliverables taught him the importance of clear communication and deadline management early on. After gaining hands-on experience he pursued internships, including a vital role as a Software Engineer Intern at LinkedIn, where he contributed to large-scale internal tools and process automation.

Reflecting on the transition to his current full-time position, Brandon spoke about what it was really like to join a fast-paced engineering team at LinkedIn. Rather than just stepping into a role and immediately contributing, he described how much time and effort went into truly feeling like part of the team. He shared stories about his first months, where asking questions, getting feedback, and learning from more experienced colleagues helped him make sense of unfamiliar systems and workflows. Brandon said that it wasn’t just about learning new technical tools, but also about adapting to the group’s unique habits, understanding what mattered to the team and how projects took shape over time. He credited his growth to keeping a positive attitude, staying curious, and being willing to learn from challenges and occasional mistakes. Through this process, Brandon found value not just in technical achievements but also in building strong relationships and developing his confidence as an engineer.

Brandon discussed the importance of teamwork and leadership skills, explaining how the ability to communicate ideas across departments is as critical as strong coding ability. These skills extend as far as building relationships and networking with other professionals. Knowing individuals can mean an opportunity to something you didn't even know existed, he said so meet people and put yourself out there. 

While he is not able to discuss in detail about current projects he is working on, he seemed happy to discuss trends happening in the tech world. He said recently his team has been experimenting more with AI-powered tools to make everyday tasks easier or more interesting. He said a lot of old systems are being revamped and being tweaked to today's standards implementing some level of automation. 

Of course I had to ask him if he think’s AI will replace software engineering because to hear an industry professional provides a real working example. He stated that while its not replacing its not being challenged, it will replace some level of responsibilities for developers and technology professionals. Right now he said focusing on building strong technical skills that include, system design, algorithms, working with large datasets, testing with automation, all of these skills separate myself from a regular developer meaning deeper knowledge. 

Future Steps:

This interview was very beneficial because it provided me with a real world insight on what it's like to work as a full stack developer. My next steps to apply this knowledge is to focus on building these technical and soft skills early on so when I get into my career it won't feel new to me. Technically, I will practice coding challenges on platforms like LeetCode and HackerRank, and participate in coding teams and personal projects to gain real-world experience. For soft skills, I will focus on networking by connecting with peers, attending career events, and engaging in group projects to strengthen communication and teamwork. Developing these skills together will help me grow into a well-rounded engineer ready for the challenges ahead.