We had this Wacky car race aka hardware project inspection just now. Our car is damn good. The infrared remote controller works, the Bluetooth works, the camera works, the motor movement was good and the car even have spray and IR jammer. Our team end up being #1. We had a photograph to be featured in one of the uni magazine. But, I’m totally didn’t happy on this project.
Main reason is I didn’t contribute much, which is an important aspect of this assessment. I didn’t satisfy with this. I really am. There are both good and bad reasons for my sh*t contribution. Start with bad reasons and save the good reasons later.
I can simply feel that my knowledge and skills especially on hardware and power electronics is very lacking compared to some people in my team. I didn’t take power electronics so that explains why I’m not good with power electronics (and I didn’t know much about motors too). I feel so bad about it. I know a few about hardware interfacing but I don’t think it’s enough to make sure that the project works. I feel so downzzzz…… Sure I have an idea what going on, but when it comes to real stuffs, they’re more complicated than it seems. I’ve seen some people like myself (didn’t know much). But, I feel those that knows much stuffs is damn pro. Do they have previous experience? Or because they enroll in different courses that helps them know better about stuffs?
I’m not a total idiot. We use simple 8-bit microprocessors and I know how to interface it. When it comes to more advance stuff like interfacing camera, I’m not too sure. In original plan, I’m supposed to work on Bluetooth module, which is fine. I never use Bluetooth tbh and even my phone is cheap nokia1100 with txt-only utility even though I took hardware course. But, I guess I know how it works so I did my job researching what Bluetooth module to use etc. I’ve come out with the most simplest Bluetooth module at a reasonable price. Then I realised that some1 in grp already made the Bluetooth. I was like … WHAT….? it’s never good to ninja somebody else work. Now, what am I supposed to do with my report?
During the break, I’m staying in Christchurch, and I have tome to spend on doing this project. I realised I’m not the key player in this project. I spend most of time doing works at home (my final year project being setup at home machine on osx with Xcode and cbf to run to Uni when you already setup the environment at home). Semester break was never fun, it just means more time need to be spend on doing works. Sometimes I went to uni during the afternoon to checkout if people are doing stuffs (because maybe I can do something). I only meet my team member once tho. FYI, I’m supposed to do some aspect of software, but one guys act made almost all of it when I was just about to start on that and it works very well! Crazy guy. Salut. It’s so bad during the last week of semester break, I realised my final year project went terribly wrong and I start reconstructing the object classes again.
During the end of break, I realised that I’m being left out from the team. I didn’t get email on project updates while other ppl got it. I cbf asking. Maybe it’s indeed my fault for not knowing as much as others. During my last lecture today, I heard one guy said they have someone in their group who didn’t do anything and he report him to the lecturer. Did my team member do that to me? Then, I might expect I will fail this course again. After all, it’s true. All these things, conflicts won’t appears in the report. It’s easier to put a blame on someone who didn’t do works rather than know what actually happens.
But, I’m just writing this blog so that I can release these thoughts from my mind. I need some place to tell this, I guess a blog is not that bad. If I won’t be able to graduate, then it’s over. Period.
I just need to graduate so badly even though I might not be able to do what I want to do in life. So, I didn’t like the idea of working in Petronas. But, that’s a different story. I didn’t like doing Electrical Engineering. The only course I really like in the department is software related courses. I take a glance at Computer Engineering curriculum and I think I like it. However, it’s just too late.
So kids, choose your uni path correctly. Do what you want to do. For example, I like programming and I should do computer science / engineering degree. I also like digital art and I should enroll in multimedia qualifications. I like biology but not medicine, so I should enroll for science degree in biology (even though I’ll miss doing programming, so I think I should go for computer engineering).
Maybe I’m so stressed right now. When you’re stress you’re becoming more dumb.
