I'm Matt Harten. I started learning to code thanks to a recommendation from a life-long friend and mentor in mid 2022.
I started with Mosh Hamedani's Python Mastery course alongside my sister. As well as Harvard's free CS50 course online. Both instructors do a phenomenal job and I could not recommend either more highly.
I am extremely interested in machine learning algorithms & AI. One of my project goals is to attempt to articulate a mechanical ankle joint for a prosthetic foot purely with a machine learning algorithm to help improved mobility for amputees like myself.
I got this idea after helping with some research at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, North Carolina. The research was largely on controlling a prosthetic through neural input or electrical signals detected as you attempted to use the muscles that no longer exist.
My idea is to go the microprocessor knee route, but adding complexity, stability & hopefully freedom of movement through passing the problem off to an algorithm. I am incredibly curious and hopeful that there is a solution here that has not been pursued yet.
I am now eagerly seeking opportunities to work on projects for my portfolio & looking for employment as a software engineer.
Code With Mosh Harvard's CS50 ResuméError? Google. Code just won't work? Take a break and focus on something else. My journey to becoming a software engineer has been rife with issues. Mosh Hamedani, for example, recorded his Python Mastery course in 2020. I took the course in 2022, a fair bit is different now. It has been incredibly rewarding to research the issues I encountered, overcome them, and subsequently assist others on the same journey.
Many say that it is sometimes worse to have to untrain a bad habit than to have no experience at all. I see the wisdom there, and strive to ensure that I have understanding of the subject matter as I am learning. Nothing feels better than the epiphany of finally figuring out what little issue has been wrong and fixing it.
I have been reading about the pomodoro technique recently. I have taken to the concept swimmingly. Small sets of focused & uninterupted work broken up by short breaks to ensure productivity and lessen fatigue. It has really helped my sustained coding sessions stay productive!
I am a naturally curious person. I first got my feet wet in coding as an early teen, without even realizing what I was doing until my mid thirties when I took up learning code seriously. I have started with Python, learning peripheral languages as necessary. I have been learning CSS & HTML in order to code this website. I am eager to continue to grow & learn more as I progress as a software engineer.
