CS373 Spring 2021: Laura Martinez
My name is Laura Bianney Martinez. I include my middle name because it’s the name I go by with my close friends and family. My mom’s first name is also Laura so I grew up as “Bianney.” I was born and raised in Denison, TX. It’s a small town on the border of Texas and Oklahoma about an hour North of Dallas.
After high school, I moved to Austin to attend The University of Texas at Austin to major in Computer Science. Although I didn’t think I was going to get into the program, going to UT for CS has been the plan since I was a freshman. I remember thinking that I should go into a career that has something to do with math because it was my best subject. I got to googling and found Software Engineer. I didn’t think much of it other than “hackers are cool and it pays really well.” Then I watched the movie The Internship with Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson. It pushed me to seriously consider the career. However, it was my high school CS teacher that pushed me over the edge. To this day, he’s the best mentor I’ve ever had and because of him I’ve never looked back.
Now here I am years later in my last semester of college. I’ve almost made it. I have a job offer waiting for me back in Plano, TX with JPMorgan Chase & Co. It’s not a tech company but it’s everything I want — corporate and close to home. Just 15 more weeks until I finish and then I can pack up and go home.
My plans after graduation include buying a house in my hometown and buying a new car. Apartments over there aren’t expensive but they are crappy and mortgages are usually cheaper. Plus it’s not money down the drain. Sure, it’ll be a little home with nothing special, but it’ll be a nice starter home and eventually a rental property. The new car will probably come a few months later. I’ve never had a new car and the one I’m driving right now is actually my mom’s. It’s a 2001 Cadillac Deville. It runs well (except for the occasional turning off while I’m driving), the leather seats are nice, and the seat warmers in the whole car really come in handy when it’s cold out. But I’m ecstatic to order a Tesla Model 3. I feel like I deserve it and coupled with my own house — I’ll feel like a real adult.
To finish off this first blog entry, I’m going to talk about why I’m in this class. To be honest, I’m scared. I’ve never excelled in any of my CS courses and I don’t think this class will be any different. I’m scared I won’t understand the material and I’ll fall behind. What’s more, I HAVE to pass. There’s no next semester that’ll give me another chance. I need to graduate on time to be able to accept my job offer. I really feel the pressure and it makes me anxious, but I think this will be my most rewarding class from my college career. Just like I’m anxious about the coursework, I’m worried about the real world too. What if I get to my job and I can’t do it? It’s not like college where it’s just a grade. It’s the real world. That’s why I think I’ll ultimately be very grateful for this class. I think it’s going to relate the most to what I’ll be doing after UT and so I’m looking forward to it.
And so this is my first blog entry. I hope I can look back at this in several weeks and smile because it’s over and I’m ready.
Dueces