B7 - Course reflection

I found this course to be very worthwhile. In a major in which classes are typically math intensive and very demanding, a lighter course load was very refreshing. It has tied together a lot of the fundamental math and science knowledge we have had thrown at us up until this point and has demonstrated how all of this knowledge can be used practically. Having not done engineering for my undergraduate degree, I especially thought that the exposure to several different aspects of intelligent buildings was very valuable. Up until this point I have had very little exposure to these subjects in other classes. It was certainly a class in which you really got out of it what they put in. You are exposed to a lot of material and you have the choice as to how much you’d like to take away from it.

With my degree focus being on buildings, I have so far felt fairly under-prepared to enter the job force and effectively market myself. I can certainly claim that I understand the mathematics, but the lack of exposure to actual things that one would typically use in their career (AutoCAD, Revit, etc.) thus far as had me worried. This class has quelled those feelings quite a bit though. Although I may not be an expert on any of these, having at least had some experience with them will prove very valuable.

The guest speakers complimented the class very well too. Hearing from individuals who are out there doing this stuff each day and who know the field very well is invaluable. Between these speakers and the exposure to all of the different subject matters in this class, I got a much better idea about what I may or may not be interested in pursuing in my career. For example, I started to think that modeling buildings day in and day out may become monotonous and thus has dropped down in my list of career pursuits. Finally, I learned the importance of looking ahead at where the field is going rather than where it currently is, which relates back to the guest speakers in many ways. I definitely have some new ideas as to what I’d like to get involved in after school now.