in the second semester of 2001, at the university of auckland, i took my first computer science paper:

• compsci101 - a java based programming paper

in 2002 i completed a diploma for graduates in computer science at the university of otago:

• cosc241 - programming and problem solving (java)
• cosc242 - algorithms and data structures (c)
• cosc243 - computer architecture and operating systems
• cosc326 - effective programming
• cosc342 - computer graphics
• cosc343 - artificial intelligence
• cosc344 - database theory and applications

i worked at datacom since finishing my last exam in november 2002. it is a great place with lots of very competent, and pleasant, people. i worked in vernon's java team, although some of us were branching out into .NET aswell. i've passed both the sun certified programmers exam (88%) and the the web component developers exam (93%). i then made the move back to dunedin to be with my partner and worked briefly for mtf, developing in asp.net - using either vb or c#. it was not a happy work environment and i returned to the university of otago to pursue a PGDipSci which i completed in 2004. the papers i took were:

• cosc451 - AI: language of sensorimotor cognition
• cosc454 - database theory and applications
• cosc460 - neural networks
• cosc462 - applied logic
• cosc480 - project: emotion and affective computing

i've now begun my phd work on "learning and emotion in alife" and hope to have some fun and find out some interesting stuff, as i'm sure my supervisors (anthony robins and willem labuschagne) hope too.

since 2004 i've been working as a demonstrator for cosc241 and cosc242. it keeps me in practice for reading other people's code and the weird (and wonderful?) ways other people can get something right, or wrong. it is a nice reminder of how each and every one of us is unique. it's also nice to observe students that begin the year struggling, but by the end get into their programming groove, so to speak. however, programming isn't for everyone and sometimes i have to feel sorry for students that have spent years and thousands of dollars to find this out about themselves - although it seems that some never realise it.