(no subject)
Still tagging old entries (up to July 2008 - Only two more years left! Though what I'll do in my spare/bored time once I get through all of them is anyone's guess), and one of the things I'm noticing is how much I posted about how I *hated* GIS when I first started taking it back in Fall 2007 and how I was never taking a GIS class again.
Two and a half years later, I have a minor in GIS and have taken a total of three or four GIS classes, with several other satellite classes that used GIS technology. Also, my job description is in "GIS Resources" and I actually *like* it and stuff.
It's amazing what a few years will do to your point of view. I have discovered, though, that going from the "hate" to the "enjoy" is way easier when you have professors who actually know what they hell they are doing and help you *learn* something rather than sit there all confused. My first GIS professor (when I was all 'OMG, I HATE GIS')... did not do that. At all. She was very new, so she pretty much just told us to follow the directions in our workbook and ask questions if something wasn't clear. It didn't help that class was only once a week, either, and how she often canceled for some reason or another. The prof I had for the rest of my GIS classes had been working with GIS for the better part of 30 years, so he definitely knew what he was talking about and was really good at getting the point across.
Two and a half years later, I have a minor in GIS and have taken a total of three or four GIS classes, with several other satellite classes that used GIS technology. Also, my job description is in "GIS Resources" and I actually *like* it and stuff.
It's amazing what a few years will do to your point of view. I have discovered, though, that going from the "hate" to the "enjoy" is way easier when you have professors who actually know what they hell they are doing and help you *learn* something rather than sit there all confused. My first GIS professor (when I was all 'OMG, I HATE GIS')... did not do that. At all. She was very new, so she pretty much just told us to follow the directions in our workbook and ask questions if something wasn't clear. It didn't help that class was only once a week, either, and how she often canceled for some reason or another. The prof I had for the rest of my GIS classes had been working with GIS for the better part of 30 years, so he definitely knew what he was talking about and was really good at getting the point across.