Week 6 Learning Journal

A picture that I took this Week

Part 1: Helping My Teammates with Capstone Ideas

This week, our team shared some really creative capstone ideas during our discussion. I enjoyed hearing Erin’s suggestions, especially her group lunch voting app. It’s a fun way to help people make quick decisions when no one can agree on where to eat. Her train delay tracker also stood out because it solves a real-world problem that many commuters deal with. I could definitely see something like that being useful in busy areas like the Bay.

Ryan also had some strong project ideas. His “What to Eat?” app grabbed my attention because it combines personalization with convenience. We all struggle with figuring out what to eat sometimes, so having an app that makes recommendations based on location and preferences sounds really useful. I also liked his Lesgo travel planner, which helps organize itineraries. It’s a great idea for anyone who likes to travel but doesn’t enjoy the planning part.

I appreciated the feedback I received from both Erin and Ryan on my own ideas. Erin mentioned how the AI-powered Interview Coach could be a helpful way to practice interviews, which gave me more confidence in the concept. Ryan pointed out how our ideas often focus on solving everyday problems with smart and personalized tools, and I think that’s something our whole group values. It made me feel like we’re on the right track with our thinking.

Part 2: Weekly Reflection and Progress

One of the most helpful takeaways from this week came from the video on technical interviews. It was reassuring to hear that interviewers care more about how you think through problems than whether your code is perfect. Watching the interviewee talk through her process helped me understand the importance of clearly explaining your reasoning, especially when tackling edge cases or deciding between different solutions.

The advice about practicing coding problems without any hints was also really valuable. I’ve started doing that on LeetCode, and even though it’s challenging, I can already see myself improving. The more problems I try, the more comfortable I become, and that helps reduce the pressure I feel about technical interviews.

Our team also made progress on our final group presentation. After everyone voted, we chose the topic “Digital Immortality: Can We Live Forever Through Technology?” It’s an exciting subject that brings up a lot of ethical and technological questions. We’ll be creating two versions of the presentation, one for a technical audience and another for a general audience. We haven’t worked out the full details yet, but I’m looking forward to brainstorming more as we move forward.

Overall, this week reminded me how important it is to keep learning, stay open to feedback, and practice regularly. I’m feeling more confident about interviews and more motivated to bring my ideas to life through the capstone and final projects.