Finding the Tools for Success

To be successful in any engineering or science major you need to know how to ask for help. Asking for help is something everyone should embrace. The tools some teachers provide to students is lacking and additional assistance is needed. As a computer science major, I have found this especially true. I often seek outside help to answer questions when I am unable to answer the question myself.

In my experience, I have found YouTube to be an extremely useful free resource for understanding basic concepts. YouTube is like a tool box and each video is like a tool. All you have to do is find the video that suits your learning style. I have learned multiple programming languages by doing this. I was recently contracted to build a website for a local school. I have never done any website related programming so I searched YouTube for help. I discovered a channel dedicated to teaching HTML and CSS and within a week I had the skills I needed to design a website.

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I tend to avoid asking others for help unless I know I desperately need help. Seeking help from others has benefited me in a few projects but I have found it’s not a reliable way to find solutions. There is always a chance the person might be busy or simply might not know the answer at all. This could be because I don't have the right connections, so I do expect this to change in the future as I meet more experienced programmers.

Tools are always changing and getting better. Competition has made these tools more useful and most importantly affordable. As more and more people turn to YouTube to learn, websites that specialize in teaching are forced to improve the quality of their lectures to stay competitive. In the end, it is a big win for any student.

References 

(2009, Dec 29). 3 Benefits to Using YouTube in your E-Learning. http://blog.integratedlearningservices.com/2009/12/3-benefits-to-using-youtube-in-your-e.html