What did you do last week?

This past week I focused on finalizing my project proposal and narrowing the scope and tech stack. I explored multiple backend frameworks, courses, and tutorials while weighing the trade-offs between building a full stack application via the Full Stack Open curriculum versus focusing on a more minimal, backend-only API using an enterprise-grade framework. Since my goals and interests aligned most with backend, I decided to focus my time there for this course.

What do you plan to do this week?

This week, I plan to gather and integrate feedback on my proposal from peers and instructors. I’ll also begin working through one of Microsoft’s C# tutorials and continue developing my project planning documentation.

Are there any impediments in your way?

My biggest challenge is balancing limited time with deep, high-quality learning. I’m testing the idea that structured tutorials and applied practice will be more effective than diving into a time-consuming traditional course with lectures and reading. This week will be a good test of that approach.

Reflection on the process and improvements

This past week was difficult in that it required making some hard decisions about my priorities and project scope. I had originally hoped to complete a full stack application, but ultimately decided to focus on learning a new backend framework to strengthen my professional skill set and build toward future iterations of the project while putting additional features and a full functioning front end outside the scope of this course.