Samuel Kwarteng

I am currently studying Computer Science at Purdue University, and just like most, I'm trying to make a name for myself. In comparison to many of the other people pursuing the same goals as I am, my tool belt seems empty due to my lack of skill in various languages and such. Currently, the only language that I have really studied is Java, but that is soon to change. I have found interest in web development, which has caused me to look into intermediate HTML and languages such as Ruby on Rails. Along with this, though software engineering essentially is my so called forte, I also have plans to make some interesting hardware hacks using Raspberry Pi's, Arduino's, and basically anything else I can possibly get my hands on.

So what is my goal as I strive to become a software engineer? Well, I come from a Ghanian family, and though I have never been back to the motherland, I know that there are so many things here that even I take for granted, that a person my age in Ghana could only wish for. What does this have to do with my desire to be a software engineer? Simply put, my "goal" isn't necessary a goal. It's a more of a movementto change the world. Not the " I'm going to make a spectacular application that everyone will buy and use forever" kind of change the world, but instead, somewhat of the opposite. Having an expertise in only Java, it's crazy sitting down thinking about how much power I have at my fingertips (the puns!). But even crazier than that it's unbelievable how many countries outside of the US lack the simple things that we once again take for granted. My "goal" now is to similar to the ones of Codecademy, (a website free of charge that teaches basics of coding in various different languages, check it out!) but instead of teaching the basics, I end goals is to teach how effective coding can be.