Although the first half of my semester didn’t go quite as planned due to unforeseen familial obligations, I’ve still been able to learn quite a bit as a member of the iRobotics community. As a freshman, it was initially a bit difficult to balance my commitments as I adjusted to my newfound freedom and flexible class schedules. This freedom came with the responsibility of managing my time effectively in order to make the most of my day, at a magnitude much larger than what I was accustomed to from highschool. Fortunately, being a member of iRobotics meant that I had access to a community of like-minded individuals who had all been in my exact position – I was able to share my thoughts and concerns with other members through the easily accessible Discord server, with no shortage of support, advice and reassurances in return.
On a more technical note, I also began learning how to code in C++. This semester I joined the MRDC team as part of the software development sub-team, ultimately deciding that we would use the ROS2 library in C++ to code our robot. I’ve found the experience of getting accustomed to ROS2 quite enjoyable thanks to their clearly explained online course, so I look forward to actually putting my knowledge to good use. Though not directly relevant to my team, I also helped the overall iRobotics community by physically aiding in the construction of the RoboBrawl Arena. This isn’t quite in line with my usual strengths since I’m much more software oriented, but it was fun nonetheless thanks to the great company of the students I was working alongside.
All things considered I’m definitely looking forward to the next semester so that I can hopefully be a useful member of the MRDC team, and I equally look forward to working in collaboration with other software developers that have similar hobbies!
