I graduated with a Bachelor of Computer Science from
Acadia University
in May 1999.
Personal Rant: Are (High) Marks Meaningless?
I cannot post marks of regulated education without posting my rejection towards their supposed meaning. This transcript is little more than proof that I can accomplish tasks that I intrinsically have no interest in and intrinsically see no benefit of. This ability amazes me; however, it is hard to take pride in accomplishing something meaningless. In addition, this transcript is sad proof that I can waste years of my life accomplishing absolutely nothing. (Or maybe I am completely wrong. It just dawned on me that another name for this is self-discipline, the power we all have to accomplish goals due to sheer nature of habit.) I will divert blame to my immaturity and the constant programming / obligations / expectations of society. I never questioned taking secondary education; I went because I was programmed to go.
It is common to look at school as a means to achieve "success". I do not agree with this train of thought. Schooling has been barrier to me more than a means of transporting myself towards "success". I feel school is what you do to make sure you are at least average, and on average, unfortunately, people do not succeed in achieving their true goals or dreams.
So here is some advice from someone who has had clear dreams every since elementary school and chose to excel in school to achieve those dreams, only to suffer great disappointment:
If you wish for mediocrity, please proceed to educate yourself at the university and/or college of your choosing. If you wish for brilliance, follow your dreams at all personal sacrifices. No one else knows you as well as you do. Not your parents. Not your family. Not your friends. Nobody. People who care about you wish you security and stability. Do not sacrifice your passions to achieve this security. If you want ultimate security, live with your parents for the rest of your life. Get out there and take risks. Do not fear failure. You will regret it if you do not. Your gut feeling tells you what you need to do; listen to it.
I encourage everyone to read
Insult to Intelligence: The Bureaucratic Invasion of Our Classrooms
by Frank Smith.
It gives you a true understanding of what "education" means, and how educational institutions completely miss the point. If you are a student or a teacher or a parent, you will relate. Some teachers may take offense to this book, at first. But please read the whole book before judging! People passionate about helping children and teaching will love this book.
Academic Honours
May 1996 - Dean's List
May 1997 - Dean's List
May 1999 - University Scholar
Dean's List = Average in Top 5%, Full Course Load (5.0 Credits)
University Scholar = Overall Average of at Least A-, No Mark Below B- in any Course
Courses and Marks
COMPUTER SCIENCE
3.83 GPA
Course:
Course Title:
Grade:
COMP 1113
COMPUTER PROGRAMMING 1
TRANSFER
COMP 1123
COMPUTER PROGRAMMING 2
TRANSFER
COMP 1213 B1
DIGITAL SYSTEMS
A-
COMP 1223 A2
ASSEMBLY LANG AND COMPUTER ORG
A+
COMP 2013 B1
PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES
A+
COMP 2023 B2
SYSTEMS PROGRAMMING
A
COMP 2113
DATA STRUCTURES/FILE PROCESS 1
TRANSFER
COMP 2123
DATA STRUCTURES/FILE PROCESS 2
TRANSFER
COMP 2903 X1
COMPUTERS AND SOCIETY
A
COMP 3513
SYSTEMS ANALYSIS AND DESIGN 1
TRANSFER
COMP 3543
OPERATIONS RESEARCH
TRANSFER
COMP 3553 X1
COMPUTER GRAPHICS
A+
COMP 3613 X1
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
A+
COMP 3653 X2
SOFTWARE ENGINEERING
A-
COMP 3703 X2
TRANSLATORS 1
A-
COMP 3713 X2
OPERATING SYSTEMS 1
B+
COMP 3753 X2
DATA BASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS 1
A
COMP 3783 X2
OBJECT-ORIENTED PROGRAMMING
B+
COMP 4223 X1
ADVANCED COMPUTER ARCHITECTURE
A
COMP 4983 F0
PROJECT
A+
MATHEMATICS
3.93 GPA
Course:
Course Title:
Grade:
MATH 1013 A1
INTRODUCTORY CALCULUS 1
A+
MATH 1023 A2
INTRODUCTORY CALCULUS 2
A+
MATH 1323 X2
MATRIX ALGEBRA
A+
MATH 1413 B1
SETS, FUNCTIONS AND ALGORITHMS
A-
MATH 1423 B2
GRAPH THEORY & MATRIX ALGEBRA
A-
MATH 2013 A1
CALC OF SEVERAL VARIABLES 1
A+
MATH 2023 X2
CALC OF SEVERAL VARIABLES 2
A
MATH 2413 X1
NUMERICAL METHODS 1
A
MATH 2433 X2
ALGEBRAIC STRUCTURES
A
PHYSICS
3.84 GPA
Course:
Course Title:
Grade:
PHYS 1013 A1
INTRODUCTORY PHYSICS 1
A+
PHYS 1023 A2
INTRODUCTORY PHYSICS 2
A-
ENGLISH
2.84 GPA
Course:
Course Title:
Grade:
ENGL 1213 D1
COMPOSITION 1
B
ENGL 1223 D2
COMPOSITION 2
B-
ELECTIVES
3.46 GPA
Course:
Course Title:
Grade:
PHIL 1206 X0
INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY
A
PHYS 1513 X1
ASTRONOMY 1-THE SOLAR SYSTEM
B+
ECON 1013 A1
MICROECONOMIC PRINCIPLES
A
PHED 1293 A1
PHYSICALLY ACTIVE LIVING
B+
GEOL 1013 A1
OUR DYNAMIC EARTH
A-
GEOL 1023 A2
EARTH HISTORY
B+
NUTR 1503 X1
CONTEMPORARY ISSUES IN NUTRITION
B+
NUTR 1513 X2
FOOD AND PEOPLE
B-
COMP 4983 Final Project
My final project was a real-time 3D accelerated graphic demo,
To Be Continued...
It was entirely self taught. It was my first attempt to
program a C/C++ program larger than one hour's work.
It was my first attempt to program a 3D graphics chip,
the 3Dfx Voodoo 2.
It was my first attempt programming a 3D chip directly
via the chips hardware (using Glide),
not going "through" a simplistic 3D graphics API such as DirectX.
It was my frist attempt to incorporate music
(a sound system) within a program. All in all, it turned out well.
(Warning: To run the demo today, unless you have a 3Dfx
Voodoo 2 which you most likely do not,
you must download the demo and a 3Dfx/glide wrapper,
both links found next to each other on
To Be Continued...'s
webpage.)