hello world — why i'm starting this

So I'm starting a CS degree. Western Governors University, Bachelor of Science in Computer Science. Eight terms, fully online, self-paced. I'm based in San Diego (mostly) and this is the thing I've decided to do next.

I'm starting this blog because I learn by writing things down. If I can explain something, I actually understand it. If I can't explain it, I've just memorized it — and memorized things fall out of my head.

what's coming

The curriculum is heavy. Java is the main language — fundamentals, frameworks, advanced. There's also C++, Python, SQL, discrete math (twice), data structures and algorithms (twice), operating systems, computer architecture. The courses that scare me the most are probably the ones I'll learn the most from.

I'm going to post here roughly once a month. No promises on length or polish. The goal is honest documentation: what I'm working on, what's clicking, what isn't.

why build a site

The practical answer: WGU is online, which means I don't get the campus recruiting pipeline. I need to build my own presence. A GitHub profile and a portfolio site are the minimum.

The real answer: I wanted to understand what I was building. This site is pure HTML and CSS — no frameworks, no JavaScript libraries. Every line of it is something I wrote and (mostly) understand. It's already taught me more than I expected.

the best way to learn web development is to build something you actually care about.

Alright. Term 1 starts next month. Let's see how this goes.