It’s been a long time since I updated my blog. From 1B until now, so much has happened, and it’s almost the end of the year in the blink of an eye.
Why Become a TA?
It’s another semester where I got an offer in cycle2. As for why I didn’t have a single interview in cycle1? Because I didn’t apply to any. The pandemic caused all the big companies to downsize, and my freshman resume was too naive to even glance at. In cycle2, I mustered the courage to apply for a few positions and perhaps being in cycle2 was the key to landing a job. I got several interviews, all ranked first, from Ford for car software development, WEEF TA at UW, and RA for Quantum Computer at UW.
Among these three, Ford is a well-known automobile giant (even though they seemed interested in my operations skills); RA involves writing control code for Quantum Computer (oh come on, it’s quantum computing, super cool), while the WEEF TA position I chose seemed quite ordinary.
However, there are reasons behind my choice. The supervisor for this job is my Lab Instructor - David Lau, whose words have always inspired me, and naturally, he holds a special place in my heart. On the other hand, I wanted to understand how the university machine operates from the other side, to empathize and become a better student. Personally, teaching has always been something I wanted to try, and since last semester was at BlackBerry, I didn’t have that much yearning for big corporations.
That September…I Reviewed 60 Resumes
Being a WEEF TA in the fall is quite a tough job. I remember back in S4, just in the second week of my university freshman year, I was asked to have my resume ready for internships in the next semester, and now, in a twist, I am the one helping others with their resumes. Starting from the second week of the semester, I had to review students’ resumes one after another, providing modification suggestions. It felt like the whole September was spent reviewing 60 resumes. Even now, seeing resumes triggers me with PTSD, along with the ingrained phrases… But now I can only review freshmen resumes; the rest needs to be evaluated by HR.
Limitations of Learning Programming
Learning programming is similar to playing some hardcore games like Death Stranding or Dyson Sphere Program. It may seem extremely dull and meaningless in the early stages, but this phase is crucial for practicing the foundational basics, enabling you to unleash your potential later on and realize the significance of certain things. Many tools are not just for the sake of existence but to solve specific problems.
In course design, we know that not using type casting to write a floor() function is simply a ludicrous algorithm, but teaching and problem-solving are quite different. Understanding loops and the connection of basic syntax during this process is the goal. Only when you can naturally write these loops and syntax, can you break free from the syntax mentality and start thinking about more important things - like algorithm design and implementation.
It’s like using a computer to write a document, if you struggle just to type, how can you aspire to write fluently on a computer?
Shocking Me for the Whole Year
I always thought the purpose of my existence as an Instructor was to guide students onto the right path and prevent them from taking unnecessary detours. But David Lau said, “We need them to know what it feels like to hit a wall, so they remember it.” If you’ve never encountered a bug while coding, you won’t consciously try to prevent writing code that causes that bug.
From my perspective, because I wasted a lot of time searching for answers in the past, I don’t want my students to face the same dilemma. But it seems that the time spent back then also allowed me to accumulate a lot of problem-solving experience. And come to think of it, “you don’t return until you hit a wall” does indeed suit the characteristics of freshmen.
Don’t Rush, Your TA Is More Eager Than You
One of the major responsibilities of a WEEF TA is to answer students’ questions. I used to enjoy explaining concepts to others and looked forward to it. However, when something needs to be repeated many times, the enjoyment it brings can get drowned out. How much I’m willing to invest when answering questions also depends on how well I connect with the student.
Different students are suited to different teachers, and I truly understand this now. Students who can keep up with my pace make me comfortable while explaining, and they quickly grasp the concepts. On the other hand, students who can’t keep up, slow down my rhythm with repeated explanations, test my patience, and give me a sense of “why can’t I even explain a simple concept.”
Half a semester is just a blink of an eye, but I still find it hard to accept my own transformation. Even if someone told me when I just started university, that a year later I would become a freshman assistant, I probably wouldn’t have believed it.