ATAR Notes: Forum
Uni Stuff => General University Discussion and Queries => The University Journey Journal => Topic started by: Seamus Wong on March 13, 2020, 01:43:43 am
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First Uni journal entry.
Why I'm writing a Journal:
- It's good to keep track of how I'm feeling towards studies and life in general
- I wrote a VCE journal and it was pretty cool to look back at it at the end of the year
- I tend to stress too much about stupid shit and my mind gets clogged, which prevents me from fully focusing on my work.
What I'm studying:
- Bachelor of Commerce and Computer Science
- For commerce, I'm majoring in Finance. I might change it to Economics though. Idk yet, I will have to do some research.
- For Computer Science, I am specialising in Data Science.
Why did I choose this Degree
- I like the financial markets and I like money lol
- I find the study of Economics extremely interesting due to the fact that Economic Thinking rules the way that we live our lives
- I want to start an investment fund, and I know that in order to make wise investment decisions, a shit load of data needs to be analysed. So obviously choosing to specialise in Data Science would likely help me in processing data extremely quickly and effectively - much more efficient and effective than me doing it manually.
- I also find technology and computer programming really interesting because we are literally surrounded by it. I think it's good to have a solid understanding of how it all works.
My Uni Goals
- Start an small Trading and Investing club with other Uni students
- Get some smart friends
- Keep up to date with Uni work and hopefully get HD's in all my commerce Units and Data Science units
- Be very efficient with the way that I use my time
- Not really a uni goal, but just keep working out consistently and eating healthy food
- Get a job
Actual Journal Entry
- Uni has started online this week
- Online format sucks
- The user interface on the myMonash website is okay, but takes a bit to get used to
- I've finished all the work for Accounting (which was just watching a lecture and taking notes (i think...))
- I did a bit of maths. Idk how to feel about maths as of yet. So far the content has been relatively easy. It was a bit hard at the start because all the concepts were new, but I've got used to the way that the content is delivered, and the style of the content, so I think if I stay focused and on top of the work I'll be fine.
- Economics is likely going to be my favourite subject
- I got 6 credit points for doing Algorithmics last year, so I was allowed to skip FIT1045 (Programming Fundamentals in Python) and jump into FIT1047 (introduction into Computer Systems, Networks and Security). I am enjoying this unit so far. We just have gone over converting Binary into decimal. There is some other stuff that we learnt but I've forgotten it already. Gotta write up some notes tomorrow.
- I need to allocate an hour everyday to keeping up with the financial markets. It's a bit overwhelming because there is so much information to digest and I don't really have a lot of time to process it all on my own. Hopefully the Investing and Trading group that I've setup actually get going and some proper research and discussion can be done, and informed investment decisions made.
Gonna sleep now.
I should also set a bed time so that I can get a good routine going cos currently I have no solid routine at all.
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How's the online format affecting you? Like is it 100% online (I'm a bit out of the loop with this)?
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How's the online format affecting you? Like is it 100% online (I'm a bit out of the loop with this)?
We watch streams of last years lecture and we don't have tutorials/labs for the first week. One of my computer science units tried to do a live online lab, which I left after the first 10 minutes because the connection was poor and it would be much faster for me to do the lab worksheet by myself.
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We watch streams of last years lecture and we don't have tutorials/labs for the first week. One of my computer science units tried to do a live online lab, which I left after the first 10 minutes because the connection was poor and it would be much faster for me to do the lab worksheet by myself.
I just had a lab through zoom (on programming) and it worked well for me but in the chat there were some people who struggled to engage with it. It's hard to tell how much of that difficulty was from the content and how much was from the online format. I found that splitting the screen so I could see what was going on in the chat and on the presenter's screen at the same time as doing my work was slightly annoying at the start but I got used to it.
Hopefully if there's a next time your connection is better then :)
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I just had a lab through zoom (on programming) and it worked well for me but in the chat there were some people who struggled to engage with it. It's hard to tell how much of that difficulty was from the content and how much was from the online format. I found that splitting the screen so I could see what was going on in the chat and on the presenter's screen at the same time as doing my work was slightly annoying at the start but I got used to it.
Hopefully if there's a next time your connection is better then :)
Well most of the questions that we went through were very easy, so I think the lack of engagement is purely due to the online format. I hope I don't get penalised for not attending it in its entirety.
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Okay, so it was my first day of Uni on campus today, and it was great.
The student demographic is varied, but there is definitely a larger population of nerds and people who I'd consider 'focused' which was awesome, because I felt like I could be myself and not really be judged.
The computer science workload is pretty big - the commerce not so much, but it still does require effort obviously.
I feel like if I wasn't doing Computer Science, I would definitely not be pushing the limits of my mind in terms of its problem solving ability. My ability to focus is also growing due to the difficulty of the computer science units - the fact that the content is hard kind of forces me to be able to stay focused for longer.
My time management skills have also improved.
I learnt, from personal experience, and also from some friends who are REALLY smart, that the most effective way to learn and to study is to just do a tonne of questions and to be very picky with the things that I take notes on. So I am doing a lot more questions as opposed to just reading, taking notes and memorising things.
I have a lot of work to do tonight. I feel tired, but I actually love the satisfaction of understanding new and difficult concepts, and then solving problems with the new info that I learn. The satisfaction and pride that comes from completing the work far outweighs any sort of material reward that one would give themselves for doing something 'difficult' - e.g. Buying X as a reward for completing task A.
Unfortunately I will not be able to workout tonight due to the homework. I did ride my bike a lot though today which was kinda like a cardio and leg workout.
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Short entry to get some things off my mind.
Uni is fully online for the rest of the semester and probably year and it sucks so much.
I want to go to campus to study because I have nothing to distract me there, and the campus looks really nice which is motivating for study.
I have noticed one of my flaws over the past week:
I am able to focus on my work, but when I am in that state of flow I tend to not give attention to, or put any effort into interacting normally with, the people around me - family and friends - and those relationship suffer.
That's why I wanna get out of the house and continue going to the uni campus because at least there I don't have anyone to talk to nor is there anyone that wants to talk to me, which enables me to fully focus without worrying about if I'm affecting anyone with my lack of energy in conversations.
When I am forced to be around family and friends, I guess I just have to evaluate whether the cost of having shit relationships as a result of my focus is worth the benefit of being productive. I think in 90% of cases, it is.
This coronavirus shit is pissing me off. Can't believe it's actually a thing. It's kinda fucked up the first year of uni for me. Taking an objective viewpoint, I am probably in one of those groups least affected by disruptions.
I Feel bad for the businesses who are suffering and the workers who have been forced to stop working without pay, and obviously the people who are more susceptible to being seriously affected by the virus.
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Hey,
If campus isn't very far away from you should definitely consider studying in libraries and study spaces such as the LTB since they are still open. Also, since a lot of classes have been put online only it's easy to grab a small classroom and study in there if you want to really avoid others while studying. I've been on campus a fair bit - even attended a lecture on Thursday - and even though there aren't as many people as there usually would be this early in semester, campus isn't dead. There are pieces of paper telling you where you can and can't sit so that 1.5m separation is maintained but despite that I still didn't have any issues finding study spaces this week.
I definitely think having this happen in first year when you're already needing to adjust to uni is rough; hopefully after having this experience you're over prepared with study skills and practice at independent learning for semester 2.
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Holy shit my accounting work is so boring - literally giving it the least amount of attention possible cos I hate it so much. So far we just gotta apply definitions to scenarios. boring. I'm guessing the content will get a bit more interesting as the unit progresses - I hope it does.
I am really starting to like maths now.
I am kinda sick of the humanities subjects because there isn't much abstract thinking or problem solving required. I also am really sick of writing answers to questions. A lot of the stuff that we write is just fluff with 30% actually providing the relevant information pertaining to the question being asked.
The stuff that we're learning in Computer Systems, Networks and Security is really interesting. We started learning about circuits, gates and logic optimisation. Optimising circuits using the laws of boolean algebra is really satisfying. I find it cool that the problems we are solving are analogous to the problems that people making circuits actually have to solve.
I'm doing 150 pushups a day. Gotta do some now actually.
I'm also eating pretty healthily as well - salad/vegetables with every meal. Trying to reduce caloric intake as well.
Posture is probs gonna get shit from constantly leaning over desks and studying.
Gotta try and counter this by exercising my back more.
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Random Thoughts
So many distractions at home - can't believe I'm gonna be stuck inside at least for the next 6 months. I am actually craving social interaction with people other than my family. Not verbally talking to friends for the past couple of weeks has made me realise how much I actually like talking with people.
I actually get a bit excited for the Zoom online tutorial classes now because of the fact that I get to talk to other people in my classes.
Personal stuff
I have created some work to do outside of uni work:
- I have some books on Algorithmic Trading Strategies that I need to read
- Research project related to the current Macroeconomic climate - which will be used to identify sectors to invest in (currently looking at materials and agricultural sector)
- Creating a new trading algorithm with a friend. This should be fun.
Don't have a job. Applied the other day and received the email from Coles and Woolies which contained nothing but disappointment.
I'm doing Uber Eats delivery now though. Hopefully fast-food chains remain open. In the UK, all maccas and subway restaurants have closed for an indefinite period of time.
Uni
Uni workload is pretty manageable. I will probably not be saying that by the end of this week lol.
My favourite subject now is Computer Systems Networks and Security, mainly because I really like making circuits using this software. It's so satisfying. It's kinda like an art.
Exams are all online. Idk how that will work. hopefully it is easier than doing them normally.
Stopped going to uni cos I don't wanna endanger anyone in my family.
I feel like I'd be more productive being at Uni. More opportunity to ask questions. More motivation. More fun.
However, motivation is not really of concern to me anymore as I have become very productive.
I heard an interesting quote:
"Work spreads to fill time available"
Since I have my uni coursework to do, as well as my algorithmic trading and macroeconomic research tasks, I feel like I am being more efficient with my time.
Health
Been doing 100 pushups a day. I can easily pump out 50 in a row now which is good. wanna keep on increasing it though.
My eating has been pretty shit though. Gotta eat better food so I don't morph into a blob of fat.
Mentally I feel okay. I'm moving (again) into kinda shared accommodation this Friday which is giving me something to look forward to. However, moving my shit will likely consume an entire day which will be annoying.
Other than that, the only thing that is bothering me is the fact that I miss going outside and having social interactions.
I'm Feeling pretty optimistic about the rest of this year. I think I will achieve all that I've set out to achieve. The virus has changed some plans but I have more or less adapted to it.
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Feeling pretty good at the moment.
I said last week that I was probably going to fall behind with my uni work - and I did.
This past week kind of taught me that I needed to bring back some structure and planning into my life.
I had entered this year with the mindset of not taking uni too seriously - well at least not as seriously as year 12. I obviously wanted to do well, but I didn't really want to put in too much effort - which is a dumb idea and looking back, I shouldn't have underestimated the difficulty of uni.
So when uni started, I didn't create any homework/study plan, nor did I write down any sort of list of the tasks I needed to complete each day. This lead to lots of clutter in my mind, and me forgetting to do certain tasks, and overall me just being stressed out because I knew I needed to get shit done, but I didn't know exactly what shit actually needed to be done - if that makes sense....
Anyway, I have learnt that structure is necessary, and I've felt a lot less stressed an anxious because I now know what needs to be done and by when.
My computer science units are getting really interesting. We are learning about the internal structure of processors and how instructions are executed and how data is transferred within a system. It's kind of like studying human anatomy, but instead of studying the human body, we're studying a computers.
The maths we are doing is pretty fun - boolean algebra. The last lecture was on mathematical induction which I knew from doing algo in year 12.
The computer science subjects are very time consuming. The lecturer for the maths unit is really really good, but the computer systems unit lecturer doesn't fully explain things - leaving me constantly searching up questions on Google and Youtube to try and figure out and understand the basic ideas that the lecture has failed to effectively communicate to us. Pretty frustrating, but not too bad because the content is interesting.
My economics and accounting units for commerce are pretty boring tbh. They aren't difficult and they aren't that interesting - mainly because so far the concepts are the same as what's covered in year 12 eco and accounting.
I can't wait to learn about stuff that I haven't learnt about before.
My eating is getting kinda better - still pretty bad. My workouts are getting better though which is good.
I can pump out 70 pushups in a row which is awesome.
I haven't put any energy into my side-projects though which makes me feel really terrible. I will get back onto them once I have gotten ahead with uni work.
I did feel a little depressed over the past 3 weeks because of the whole change in my routine and the uncertainty surrounding the coronavirus and uni. It has taught me how important it is to be adaptable to change. Now I feel so much better and it makes me never want to fall back into the habits that I did fall into over that 3 week period - waking up late, going to bed late, eating junk, not planning my days, not saying no to distractions, etc. - because it genuinely is the worst feeling.
If I were to rate the current state of my life right now, it would be a 7/10. At the end of the week I hope to be ahead with my uni work and back onto my programming and investing projects. If I can effectively manage uni and my projects (and my health as well of course) then I could give myself a 10/10.
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Okay so I feel like that 1 week mid-semester break was definitely needed - and was pretty well spent.
I got on top of work that I'd fallen behind on.
I also got ahead on this weeks content.
I have a new study schedule/routine/plan thing that I have been following and it is so good.
So instead of planning my day, I plan my week in advance.
Each day of the week, I allocate a particular type of task.
For example, one day, I will attempt to just get through all lectures and any readings and write down notes. I won't do any questions on this day.
Then the next day, I'll spend the entire day just doing questions for each of my subjects.
If I don't get through all questions, then I'll do the same thing the next day.
Then I have a day purely for my personal projects - so I can program, research and read whatever I want.
If some groups of tasks take longer, then I allocate another day to them.
So far it is really good and I've found my productivity has increased significantly.
My exercising has been great - my back is also straightening up really well due to the stretches and back exercises that I've been doing. I am also incorporating cardio into my workouts which I am enjoying more than I thought I would have.
Due to quarantine, I've been ensuring I go outside atleast once every two days - today I went and rode my bike for an hour which felt great.
I got a cool programming project I am working on which is also exciting.
Other than that, things have been good. I hope I can stay on top of my work and I can stick to my routine and maintain this productivity.
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Okay so I feel like that 1 week mid-semester break was definitely needed - and was pretty well spent.
I got on top of work that I'd fallen behind on.
I also got ahead on this weeks content.
I have a new study schedule/routine/plan thing that I have been following and it is so good.
So instead of planning my day, I plan my week in advance.
Each day of the week, I allocate a particular type of task.
For example, one day, I will attempt to just get through all lectures and any readings and write down notes. I won't do any questions on this day.
Then the next day, I'll spend the entire day just doing questions for each of my subjects.
If I don't get through all questions, then I'll do the same thing the next day.
Then I have a day purely for my personal projects - so I can program, research and read whatever I want.
If some groups of tasks take longer, then I allocate another day to them.
So far it is really good and I've found my productivity has increased significantly.
Ever tried incorporating a spaced repetition routine? Let's say you finished a topic on the 22nd, review it on the 25th, review it again on the 2nd of April, then a month later on the 2nd of May. If you've tried something like this before, how effective did you find it?
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Ever tried incorporating a spaced repetition routine? Let's say you finished a topic on the 22nd, review it on the 25th, review it again on the 2nd of April, then a month later on the 2nd of May. If you've tried something like this before, how effective did you find it?
No I haven't actually. I kind of just learn stuff, make sure I understand it, do some questions, and then not really look at it again until a test or exam comes up. I guess it probably would be good to incorporate a spaced repetition routine. It really would depend on the subject and the complexity of the content.
Greater complexity = Increased need to review more regularly to ensure it stays understood
Less complexity = Understand it once and just briefly review it when studying to refresh your memory
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Update
Sleep Schedule
I sleep throughout the day, and study all night. It is working pretty well so far.
It's good because now I've removed the biggest source of distraction - the people at home - which allows me to do my work uninterrupted.
Uni
Uni work has been good. Things are getting a bit more difficult which is good since it is forcing me to actually focus. Before I didn't really put in too much effort in my commerce subjects because I knew the content from year 12. Now we are learning new shit so I have to put in effort.
FIT1047 assignment is stressing me out. I know I'll get it done - I just don't know when.
Mental Health
Been in a really bad head-space over the past week and it has affected my studies, my projects, my sleep schedule (hence why I'm up right now at 2AM) and my exercise/diet. It honestly never occurred to me that I'd suffer from anxiety/depression because things have been relatively chill my whole life - but recently shit hasn't been going so well and little things pile up on top of each other and create a huge grey cloud of burden that I feel is weighing me down more and more each day.
Random shit
Got back into working out today after not exercising for 3 days, and have started eating healthier again.
Coffee has been keeping me alive - I'm not addicted, I just drink one at 10:00pm to fuel me into the night and through till the early morning.
I think this 'depression' has peaked and I am starting to feel better.
also, can coronavirus fuck off. I wanna go to uni
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UPDATE
I have the biggest 'productivity high' right now.
I've stopped going on all social media for the past 3-4 days (Facebook and Youtube) - and it is great.
I feel like studying isn't as much of a chore as I once viewed it as. I guess that's because studying is better than doing nothing (since now I have removed things that provide me with instant gratification, the only thing I can do when not studying/reading/'doing something productive' is nothing).
Restraining myself from sources of instant gratification has made me realise how much society forces us to be consumers, and how, as a result, it becomes hard for us to be creative. In the past couple of days, I've had so many project ideas come to my mind, and it's all because now I have time for myself and my thoughts. I guess the biggest thing that's come out of this new way of living is I feel much more creative, much more energized and more fulfilled.
uni
Uni work is okay, I am on top of everything.
Accounting
I have an accounting assignment which is the most mind-numbingly boring assignment ever. I spend 5 minutes on it and it feels like an hour has gone by because time goes so slow when you are doing something as menial as data entry.
Economics
Good. Getting interesting. I have an exam next week so I am planing to allocate some time everyday this week to study for it. It is open book, so I am just going to try and do as many practice questions as possible.
Maths
Maths is good. The lecturer is awesome and makes all the concepts easy to understand. The stuff we are learning is okay. Not boring, but not extremely interesting. I don't have a mid-sem exam for this which is good.
Computer Systems
So terrible.
The content is really interesting.
The lecturer and tutors are really shit.
Like really really really really really shit.
Have an assignment due this Friday. I reckon I'll get it done by Wednesday and then spend some time Friday looking over it before I submit it.
Mental Health
Still not feeling too great. Feeling better. I've developed good coping mechanisms for when I feel down, so hopefully when shit gets bad in the future, I'll be able to deal with it better.
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Kinda want to change uni degrees into Engineering/ComputerScience because I recently discovered that I'm interested in software engineering and doing CompSci won't allow me to do that. I still feel like I'd enjoy data science though and I know that it will be really useful for what I want to do in the future.
I guess I can learn software engineering by myself. Anyway, so far, I've realised that Uni is definitely not worth what it costs. So far from what I've experienced, if you are given the curriculum, then you can learn everything by yourself with resources compiled on your own from the internet and books.
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Long time no update.
Things have been going well.
I have got a really good workout routine going and a good diet. Eating lots of lean meat and vegetables.
I'm bulking right now and working out hard as fuck at the gym and it feels great. I'm also doing a bit of running and going outside a lot more doing cardio exercises.
My goal, which I'll definitely achieve if I don't injure myself or die before the end of the year, is to bench 100kg and squat 120 and be swole asf.
Uni work is meh. Just doing what is required. Nothing less nothing more.
quick rant - FIT1047 is the worst taught unit ever. I hate my tutor and the lecturers. They are so incompetent. A 10 year old could teach this unit better than these lecturers.
I have been trading the ASX market and have developed some programs to help me make investment decisions.
I allocate time to researching/programming every day from about 9 to 11.
I'm working along side a friend from school who is pretty smart. It's really good to work and triangulate ideas with other smart people because the output is far greater than that which would be achieved if I was just working by myself.
I can't wait to get another smart person on board to help us do research and make better decisions.
That's it. Hopefully things continue going as good as they are now.
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Exams are coming up soon.
I am kinda stressed tbh.
I think I should do fine though.
I am not really feeling to happy about Uni right now.
I feel like doing this accounting unit has been a waste of time because it's so boring and completely irrelevant to me. If I was planning on majoring in Accounting then yeah, it would be okay, but I'm not, so it's just so draining and annoying to do.
We aren't even doing analysis and interpretation of financial statements, which is the only thing I liked about VCE accounting, because you actually have to think, and the thinking part is fun.
I also feel like the computer systems unit was a waste of time because it was taught so poorly. I know I should've made more of an effort to do well in it and to be on top of things from the start of the semester, but I didn't really know the best way to study for it, which lead me to continue watching the terribly incohesive and incoherent lectures instead of just reading the online textbook and learning more from online sites. I realised that I was learning in the wrong way, too late, so I don't feel like I got as much value out of this unit as I know I could have. The blame is definitely on me, but I also know that the unit is really poorly taught, which should definitely change considering I'm paying upwards of $1000 for it. I might purchase a proper textbook though on the holidays on computer architecture, so hopefully some of the stuff that I've learnt in this unit will help me there.
At least the economics and math units are taught well. They are enjoyable and the math unit is definitely relevant since I know the content is very useful for my future computer science units.
My exercise and fitness has been good. Still exercising almost daily and eating well. I want to get a six pack I'm gonna incorporate ab exercises into my workouts. I also want to dedicate a day to just running. I went on run the other day at night and it was awesome. It feels so good to be outside at night.
I've also been reading a lot more lately, and I am thoroughly enjoying it.
I wish I could just read all day, cook and eat, workout, work on personal projects, and be outdoors running/hiking/bike riding everyday. But alas, I am in University for the next four years, and I'll be working for the next 20 years after that. How depressing.
I hope I have my own business by the end of university so I don't have to get a job. That means I have to work extra hard now.
I know if I have my own business doing something I enjoy I'd be happy working heaps.
I guess I must get back to work. Gotta do some FIT1047 revision, then workout, then do some maths, then read and sleep.
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My uni holidays have kinda arrived and I'm taking my plan for the next 3.5 years of uni seriously now.
So in addition to starting my own projects on the side, I want to ensure that I get really really good grades for all my units. I think I did alright this semester. Now that I know how the whole uni thing works (to some extent), I feel as if I can do a lot better in the following semesters.
I also want to try to get internships on the summer holidays. I know this is more for students in their penultimate year, but even if I can just get any sort of experience in the finance or tech industry these summer holidays then that'd be good for my resume and something that I'll put effort into trying to get.
What I've realised from the end of year 12 till now, is that there are more smart people on this planet that I had once thought - my previous assumptions that there weren't many smart people was due to me living in a small town for most of my life.
So because of this, i kinda gotta put a lot more effort into being part of that 0.01%.
Anyway, in terms of work after uni - I want to do something with long hours, in a fast paced environment and something that's related to capital management and the financial markets.
I am kind of leaning towards investment banking. It would be good because you earn a lot, you are in a fast-paced environment, and you're working with very rich clients. So it defs would be good for making connections for when I get out of the industry and pursue my own business ventures.
This is kinda the main realistic plan which will act as a backup if my projects/business ventures during my time at uni don't actually become something successful.
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Gym is still going good.
My diet is aight. Had a massive cheat day yesterday and that was awesome. Now I gotta get back on the healthy food.
I can finally get back onto my projects now which is good.
I stopped reading as much during the past couple of days before my exams because I would read for too long, get tired, and then fall asleep, which kinda fucked up my schedule. I'll defs keep reading a lot more these holidays.
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UPDATE:
Things are currently very good.
These holidays so far have been getting very productive.
I am learning a lot through wokring on my trading algorithm. It is giving me exposure to much faster and efficient methods of anlaysing securities.
This is what I like about doing these projects - it's all active work. It's not like school where you have to read, answer theoretical questions, and memorise shit. It is all application and all problem solving.
I have also obtained resources for a hard unit that i'm taking next semester, so I have started going through those materials to help me get ahead and help me do well next semester hopefully.
Finished a book yesterday, and I might start another tomorrow. However, I am not sure if I will have time given the projects I am working on...
Diet is going well. I'm eating well. Adding more carbs to diet (pre-workout meals) to give me more energy during workouts, but ensuring I don't have any carbs afterwards, and instead just lean meat and vegatables.
I am seeing big improvements which is motivating.
It is not about the short-term pump that you get while working out. It's about the small gradual progression that comes with consistent working out and consistent discipline.
It's been great working alongside my friend on our project. I love being around driven people.
I also have a new workout partner who is very disciplined and very motivating in the gym
I have realised that we are very much the product of the people we surround ourselves with. I am glad I have these smart and driven people around me.
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Small Update:
I am currently feeling a bit uneasy.
Throughout my life I have always tried to do well in school.
However, even when I did manage to get good grades, I would always feel as if I didn't deserve them. I thought that it was much harder for me to achieve the grades that I did, compared to other people who also got the same grades.
I think the term for this feeling is 'Impostor syndrome'...
I am feeling this more than ever now that I have nearly fully coded my own trading algorithm. I never really thought that I could. And now looking at the (nearly) finished product, I am overcome with a feeling of disappointment rather than the joy and pride that I thought I would have felt when I was finished with the project.
The program is running exactly as I had planned, which is great. But I can't help but feel as if I didn't write it fast enough and didn't work on it as productively as I should have.
I feel like I could have easily finished it in half the amount of time that I actually took....
I don't know. Maybe I am saying this because in hindsight I realise how simple some of the problems that I challenged were. Maybe I did work productively and I am just putting myself down - I would like to believe this to be true, but I am pretty sure that the reason that I didn't finish it faster was because I was letting my perceptions of my capabilities limit me from operating at my full potential.
Maybe I have just finally realised that we are really actually more capable that we believe.
I hope I can learn from this experience and work a little bit smarter and a little bit harder from now on.
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Small Update:
I am feeling this more than ever now that I have nearly fully coded my own trading algorithm. I never really thought that I could. And now looking at the (nearly) finished product, I am overcome with a feeling of disappointment rather than the joy and pride that I thought I would have felt when I was finished with the project.
The program is running exactly as I had planned, which is great. But I can't help but feel as if I didn't write it fast enough and didn't work on it as productively as I should have.
I feel like I could have easily finished it in half the amount of time that I actually took....
I don't know. Maybe I am saying this because in hindsight I realise how simple some of the problems that I challenged were. Maybe I did work productively and I am just putting myself down - I would like to believe this to be true, but I am pretty sure that the reason that I didn't finish it faster was because I was letting my perceptions of my capabilities limit me from operating at my full potential.
Maybe I have just finally realised that we are really actually more capable that we believe.
Don't wanna get lost in analysis paralysis. You might've been overwhelmed about being high performing. I believe you have an answer to that already.
Hang in there Seamus, you got this mate
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It can be easy to beat yourself up over not hitting 100% when you're trying to improve yourself (and so critically analysing the gaps) but I firmly believe that aiming for progress is far more productive than aiming for perfection. You're learning from yourself - you wouldn't have the journey if you were already at the destination.
It's great that you're developing and growing but I hope that seeing the spaces to grow doesn't keep stopping you from celebrating and enjoying the successes you're earning along the way.
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Thanks guys :)
I guess as long as I am moving forward then I shouldn't feel too bad about myself.
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UPDATE
General
Holidays are unfortunately nearly over :(
I am definitely going to miss this casual and relaxed schedule that I have had over the past month.
I'm pretty excited for uni to begin again actually - I am very very very keen on starting FIT1008 - Introduction to Computer Science. I got given all the resources for this unit from a friend, but I didn't really go through much of it at all as I was focusing on my own projects. I think I might get into the material this week.
I really hope we get to go back on campus after lockdown - though I don't think that is likely going to happen given the case numbers lately.
I don't think I'll mind online learning though tbh since last term kinda got me used to how lectures and labs/tutes functioned online, and I wouldn't mind not having to worry about packing lunch and commuting and waking up early etc.
Semester 1 results also came back yesterday. I did meh. I was happy that I didn't fail FIT1047 and surprised that I got the mark that I did, but I still wasn't satisfied with my overall performance because I know that I really really really could've easily done a lot better. This semester hopefully should go a lot smoother and I should get some better marks.
PRODUCTIVITY
I've been quite productive lately.
I haven't been reading books as much as I wanted to, but my day is always occupied with productive work - mainly programming and reading material relevant to my programming projects.
I am no longer drawn to my phone or to YouTube or to Facebook or to talking online with friends, and this really has helped in 'decluttering' my mind - I can think more clearly, refocus much easier, and I really feel so much better at the end of the day because I don't regret anything that I did during the day.
FITNESS
I no longer am working out with my friend and it sucks because it was so motivating with him.
Anyway, I'm still working out consistently. I am getting quite bigger and much of it is muscle and not fat which is good (I'm 'lean bulking' which means I eat a lot more food than usual, but it's mostly healthy low fat high protein meals).
I try to run twice a week as well. I'm slow asf but I make sure that I never stop while I'm on my runs, even if it means I have to 'run' at a pace slower than walking lol.
I like running more than weight lifting - I run at night and it's always so calm. Kinda helps with refreshing my mind actually. I want to get bigger tho so I have to lift and not run as much.
Food is not good atm. I am seriously slacking with the frequency of my meals. I mostly eat healthy stuff, but I don't eat enough throughout the day because I cbf cooking. I need to stop being lazy and cook more or else my gains are gong to go away. Diet is the most important thing when it comes to building muscle or losing weight.
Projects
My projects are going well atm. Don't really have much to say about them yet. All I can say is that this algo trading project that I worked on during these holidays has been a very very good learning experience, and I am planning on making some more.
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That's it - I am feeling pretty 'zen' atm. Hopefully I can remain in this state as the work piles on during Semester 2.
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SEMESTER 2: FIRST DAY
Semester 2 of uni has officially started today.
My fit1008 (intro to compsci) workshop today was really fun. The lecturer and tutors were very engaging and made the already interesting content even more interesting.
We did some problem solving exercises in python - optimising a program to run more efficiently, and then played around on the forums to get used to how it all worked. I am definitely excited for the rest of the semester. Though I must admit, it is going to be quite difficult so I need to ensure I stay on top of everything.
I also did some of my ETC (Economics and Business Statistics) work today. The lecture videos just went over basics of plotting data and adjusting the presentation of plots on excel. We also covered normalisation of data, and adjusting data to be expressed in 'real' terms so as to remove the effects of external factors on the change in the data over a time series - e.g. taking into account inflation when considering the growth in profits of a company over an extended period of time.
We discussed pivot tables as well, and we looked at how data in these tables could be related - through calculating conditional probabilities and independence of events. It was all interesting stuff. It obviously got a bit boring after a while because I was staring at excel sheets for hours, but I like the idea of it all and I know that as the unit progresses, we'll learn more complex and more interesting stuff.
This unit is kinda like an introduction to Econometrics I think. I really like it, and I looked through the material and realised that I was using some of what was taught in the unit, in my own personal projects that I did at the start of the year and during these past holidays.
It kinda makes me think that I should choose Econometrics as my Commerce Major.... I don't know though, I really want to do finance. I guess I'll have to do some more research and make up my mind soon.
I didn't touch any Maths or Marketing work today. Both of those units seem pretty interesting so I'm excited to start on them. I assume Marketing will be really easy, which is good because it'll mean I will have more time to devote to FIT1008 which is likely to be the hardest unit this semester for me.
This semester will be a lot harder than last semester I think because last semester I really didn't have to do much work for Accounting and Economics because most of the content was similar to year 12.
I know I'll be more focused this semester though so I hopefully should be able to do better despite the increase in difficulty. I managed to average a HD (80%) across my units last semester but I really want to see it go into the high 90s by the end of my degree - I know it's possible.
Anyway, I gotta workout now (Back, Shoulders, Triceps), then eat something, then plan my day for tomorrow, clean my room, read and sleep.
Adios
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This semester will be a lot harder than last semester I think because last semester I really didn't have to do much work for Accounting and Economics because most of the content was similar to year 12.
I know I'll be more focused this semester though so I hopefully should be able to do better despite the increase in difficulty. I managed to average a HD (80%) across my units last semester but I really want to see it go into the high 90s by the end of my degree - I know it's possible.
Anyway, I gotta workout now (Back, Shoulders, Triceps), then eat something, then plan my day for tomorrow, clean my room, read and sleep.
Good luck for semester 2! Also, I don't know much about uni scoring but a high distinction sounds amazing, keep up the awesome work! How much overlap did you find your degree had with accounting and economics? I've always wondered the extent to which different degrees have overlapping content because I have this preconceived perception that the content learnt in uni is 10x harder than high school (not sure if it's true though). And have fun working out (or if you've already done it, then I hope it was fun) and have a great night.
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Good luck for semester 2! Also, I don't know much about uni scoring but a high distinction sounds amazing, keep up the awesome work! How much overlap did you find your degree had with accounting and economics? I've always wondered the extent to which different degrees have overlapping content because I have this preconceived perception that the content learnt in uni is 10x harder than high school (not sure if it's true though). And have fun working out (or if you've already done it, then I hope it was fun) and have a great night.
Thanks for your kind words :) Workout was pre good, was super tired tho. I think it's probably best I start exercising earlier cos at the end of the day I am so dead.
In relation to Economics and Accounting, there was only overlap for the start of the course (first half of the semester). But the thing is, if you already have a background in a subject, the new content that's taught is easier to grasp. For example, there was new and a little bit more complex stuff in Accounting in the second half of the semester, but I didn't struggle in understanding the concepts since I already had built a solid base of understanding in VCE. The same applied to Economics.
I can't comment on other units though.
The content definitely is 'harder'. In general, the it increases in difficulty to an extent, but this is exaggerated further by the fact that the rate at which the content is delivered is much faster than in VCE. Looking back, VCE was definitely a lot easier to keep up with - though I didn't do subjects that were as difficult as most people here - e.g. Spesh, Chem, Physics, etc., so my year 12 experience was probably not as difficult as others'.
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WEEK 2
Uni has been going awesome so far. I am actually really really enjoying being in the same sort of mindset as I was in year 12 where I was just really focused on doing well. It feels great.
Introduction to Computer Science
Introduction to Computer Science is by far the most enjoyable unit. It currently has a pretty big workload - the largest out of all my other units.
I have one 1 hour workshop for it every monday, a 2 hour tute every Tuesday, and a 3 hour lab every Thursday.
I really like how there are lots of classes - for two reasons:
1. We get the opportunity to socialise a lot, both with other students and with the tutors who are really fun.
2. We really get to solidify the concepts taught in the lectures through doing lots of questions and lots of discussion.
I am praying that the rest of my computer science units will be as fun and interesting as this unit has been so far.
Currently we're learning about an assembly language, MIPS, which is the language that gets directly translated into machine code (zeros and ones) that get executed by the CPU.
I am finding it pretty intuitive so far.
One thing that I promised myself I'd do this semester is to always ask questions, even if they sound dumb.
Sometimes in the middle of writing up my question, I figure out the solution - probably because when I am writing it out, I am logically laying out all my ideas (as opposed to them being cluttered everywhere in my brain) which enables me to highlight my misunderstanding or gap in my knowledge much easier.
Continuous Maths for Computer Science
Maths so far is okay. We are learning about vectors. I don't remember much about them at all from high school so it is kinda new to me. They are definitely interesting. I definitely need to allocate a little more time to this unit as I want to ensure I am 100% confident with every concept so that I can do well on the exam.
Marketing
Marketing is meh - it's just assigning labels to basic ideas and concepts. Nothing that interesting so far. I hope it gets better. Given its relative lack of complexity, I will be so mad at myself if I don't get 95% for this unit.
Business and Economic Statistics
We just went over data distributions today. Nothing too interesting.
The lectures are just pre-recorded videos uploaded to Youtube. I really like this format, because we have access to the lecture material instantly at the start of the week, and we're able to work at our own pace.
Other
Gym has been good. Diet is okay - still not eating enough. I am struggling to find the time and energy to cook and eat cos I am studying all the time.
Haven't been reading at all. Really gotta try and get back into it. Again, I just don't feel like I have much time. I know I can make more time though.
That will be my goal this week - to make more time for myself to do things like reading and working on my own side projects.
Anyway, time to workout now (soo late god dammit I really gotta workout earlier)