From the Chair

By Mark Ashton

I almost can't believe it. I will be graduating in a few short months. I will be moving on to a real job, doing real work for a real company. No more MPs that ask me to recursively define the fibonnaci sequence. No more late night cramming, caffeine jitters, skipping meals, and walking everywhere. It always seems it is time to move on just when you are starting to get the hang of something.

After four years of school, I am finally starting to appreciate what a fantastic experience college is. I am also beginning to understand just what it takes to succeed here. Remember when you were a senior in high school and people kept telling you that college would be the most difficult thing you've ever done, and that you would have to absolutely work harder than you ever have before? Remember how they told you that you couldn't do it on your own, and that if you were having trouble, you would have to swallow your pride and get your friends or the TAs to help you out? I was given both those pieces of advice many times by teachers and parents. Of course, I completely ignored them.

I have always been the kind of stubborn person who has to do something for himself before he will believe anyone else's advice on a matter. After four years of figuring it out for myself, I've learned that what they told me in high school was absolutely right. There are a lot of things that can make the college experience more difficult than it has to be, and I think I've done all of them. Surprisingly though, I wouldn't change a thing.

As far as I am concerned, the only way anyone learns anything is by trial and error. I don't think it would have been possible to follow my elders' advice from the start and have a sparkling college career. Some people can do that, but it's only because they are exceptionally mature and have already learned what it takes to succeed in a disciplined environment. I myself had never been consistently challenged by school, so coming to college was a real shock. Here, results are expected. Grading is tough. Professors believe in heavy workloads and fast coverage of material. I was overwhelmed in my first two years. The lessons I learned during that time were invaluable.

I learned that, indeed, you can't do it all by yourself. I had the unfortunate conception that if someone helped me to learn something, I had not truly learned it myself. As soon as I disabused myself of this notion and used my fellow students to gain new insight into my work, my grades and productivity shot up. I also learned that, just as predicted, the only sure way to get good grades is to work hard. There's no substitute for starting early and working consistently through the week. I spent too much time trying to catch up at the last minute, and eventually realized that planning ahead was the only way to get my work done.

The most important thing I learned was that putting up with any amount of frustration is worthwhile, as long as you are doing the things you love. Computing has been my obsession for years, and the only thing that kept me from burning out or dropping out was the fact that I wanted to be an engineer so badly. I learned that setbacks on your chosen path can only be considered minor, when you are truly intent on your goal. I learned to stop comparing myself to other people, and to stop trying to be the perfect person. We all are given a road to walk, and comparing our own journey to another's will not help us move forward.

College is a tough four years. It is like boot camp for life. It is where most people either learn to approach their work and their life with a sense of playfulness and adventure, or where they learn how to be old. I know which I have learned, and I hope the same is true for you.

ACM's EOH exhibits are a demonstration of that sense of adventure. Our most important task in ACM is keeping the innovative spirit of Computer Science alive and breathing for students. EOH is our most visible display of our love for computing. Each project is the result of lots of hard work, ingenuity, enterprise, and love. Our projects are a labor of love, created not because they are required, but because someone was inspired. I hope you enjoy them.